£1.3m Investment to Bring Vacant Council Houses to ‘Higher Standard’

An additional £1.3m is to be invested into bringing vacant council properties to a ‘higher standard’ before they are let out to new tenants.

The new standard, introduced by Wrexham Council’s Housing and Economy Department, would mean the void (vacant) properties would undergo redecoration before being let out.

In April 2016, the number of void properties in Wrexham reached 384, with the average time taken to bring voids back into productive failing to meet any of the target times set for each type of void, adding to the loss of rental income.

Yesterday (Wednesday 11 January) a report went before Wrexham Council’s Homes and Environment Scrutiny Committee to update Members on a new policy for carrying out refurbishment works on council owned housing properties when they become void.

The report also outlines new targets for the amount of time it takes to bring void properties up to standard and for clearing the current backlog of void properties.

The department’s previous policy required void properties to be brought up to the full Welsh Government’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard before they could be let out to new tenants. The work included installing new kitchens, bathrooms, electrical rewires and any other internal improvement work, if required, whilst the property was empty.

Details provided within the report, state: “The main reason for the growth in the number of voids and the failure to meet agreed turnaround times was due to the decision to bring all void properties up to Welsh Housing Quality Standard whilst they were empty.”

The report adds: “The department set a target to reduce the number of void properties from 384 to 227 by the end of October 2016 and this was achieved by mid-August 2016, seven weeks earlier than anticipated – a major achievement by the Housing Responsive Repairs team. By 31 December 2016 the number of void properties under repair had been reduced to 196.”

New targets have now been set by the department in the report:

· all of the backlog of void properties will be completed and brought back into productive use leaving only voids in year (expected to be 150 properties at any one time);
· the longest time a property will remain void will be 85 days (the target time to bring a type 5 void back into use);
· void repair standards will be changed to address the significant complaints regarding plasterwork and the cost of repairs;
· the mantra of the department will be “do it once – do it right” which is consistent with the Council’s operating model – addressing customers concerns at the first point of contact and not having to make repeat visits.

The report says that the “lettable standard” for void properties is now going to be changed to ensure that properties can be re-let to new tenants in “excellent condition”.

According to the report, the current “lettable standard” is that “only minimal repairs are undertaken. Not all wallpaper is stripped off, and whilst defective plaster work is replaced, the department does not skim or redecorate the property as a matter of course.”

The report says that this approach can lead to “further defects and problems arising at a later date” and that this situation is “uneconomical for the service and unsatisfactory for tenants”.

A range of solutions for this problem were considered, according to the report.

The department intends to implement a new standard which requires ‘all wallpaper to be stripped from the whole property, re-plaster where de-bonded or perished, skim all walls and ceilings and to decorate the whole property’.

This option has been supported by the Tenants Service Improvement Group for Voids and the Wrexham Tenants and Member Partnership, the justification being that this option represents “the best use of resources.”

The report notes that the outcomes of implementing this option will include greater satisfaction for tenants in the properties and a reduction in follow on repairs.

It is anticipated this option will be phased in between April and September 2017.

The annual cost of this additional work, based on an average of 800 void properties being handed to the Responsive Repairs team each year, is a net increase in expenditure of £1.3 million, which can be funded within the Housing Revenue Account.