Service Manager Private Sector Housing

Service Manager – Private Sector Housing Background Information

1. Introduction

1.1. The Private Sector Housing service delivers a range of services and assistance for homeowners, landlords and private sector tenants and area based regeneration through the new Private Sector Housing Policy implemented in 2008. The policy and its interventions are intended for those homes occupied by the most vulnerable and also those living in private accommodation rented from landlords.

1.2. Whilst the City has 171,000 private sector properties, it is the 16,000 homes occupied by vulnerable people and those on low incomes that in the main are the focus of the policy. There are three clear key objectives for the policy:

1. The continued transition from the use of grants towards the provision of loans to deliver decency across the private sector housing stock.

2. Environmental sustainability linking the wide benefits that flow from tackling fuel poverty and achieving decency standards.

3. Creating successful housing markets so that the private sector housing offer in the city plays a full part in contribution to the creation of successful neighbourhoods and a flourishing economy.

The new policy implemented in 2008 has changed the types of intervention and assistance the Council makes to achieve its policy goals. In particular it continues a transition from grant assistance to loans provision, a more holistic approach to health and well being and a need for the Council to strengthen its enabling role by acting in the interests of house owners and tenants in Sheffield.

2. Background

2.1. This policy aims to assist individuals and communities who live in approximately 10% of the city’s private housing stock. This is the current estimate of non-decent homes occupied by vulnerable people. There are 171,000 private sector properties in Sheffield, making up over 74% of the housing stock and housing over three-quarters of the population. However, many of these properties do not meet the Decent Homes standard. An investment of £160 million would be required in order to meet the Decent Homes standard in those private sector homes occupied by vulnerable people alone. The government aims to raise the proportion of decent private sector homes occupied by vulnerable people to 70%. This challenge cannot be addressed by public sector funding or by the Private Sector Housing Services Policy alone.

2.2. The previous Private Sector Housing Policy was developed in 2003 in response to the Regulatory Reform Order 2002 (RRO). The RRO introduced a new more flexible approach to private sector housing renewal, removing the previous tightly prescribed grant regime and giving local authorities discretion to develop a policy appropriate to the local area and to develop loan-based forms of assistance. In response, Sheffield introduced more flexible and innovative forms of assistance, including equity release loans, whilst maintaining a form of grant assistance for the most vulnerable people; ‘Essential Works Grants’ and targeting regeneration schemes in areas of acute priority.

2.3. That Policy was successful in enabling this transition from grant assistance to loan assistance however it did not address the full range of issues in the private housing sector. The RRO also required local authorities to periodically review and revise their local policy to take account of changing local issues and the introduction of new legislation and to take advantage of any new opportunities arising. The new Policy provides a comprehensive and robust policy framework for private sector housing.

3. Strategic Context

3.1. The Government set out its proposals for a new approach to national and local housing strategy in its Green Paper “Homes for the Future; more affordable, more sustainable” (April 2007). The Green Paper is clear that local authorities are key agencies for tacking climate change by reducing carbon emissions, particularly in relation to existing homes and their energy consumption. .

In addition to the Green Paper, it has been vital to fully acknowledge and embrace the wider legislative context and the national, regional and local strategic frameworks within which we operate. National Policy reforms, significantly the Regulatory Reform Order (RRO) 2002 and the Housing Act 2004, have driven the approach to private sector housing intervention and renewal further towards responsible ownership, encouraging local authorities to move away from the provision of grant assistance towards more flexible forms of assistance including advice, equity release loans, targeted area regeneration and other innovative solutions. The key implications of the Housing Act 2004 for private sector housing were the introduction of a new risk- based method of assessing housing conditions (the ‘Housing Health and Safety Rating System’, or ‘HHSRS’), and the introduction of a system of mandatory and discretionary licensing for privately rented housing.

3.2. At the regional level, economic, planning and housing strategies explicitly link successful regional housing markets to maximising private sector investment and driving up the quality and choice of private housing to support new and existing workers. Local authorities are encouraged to work within a common regional framework to deliver a joined up approach to housing renewal across the sub- region, providing the Private Sector Housing Service an opportunity to take a more proactive role in creating a successful regional housing market. Regeneration is co-ordinated across the sub-region by Transform South Yorkshire, who oversees the Housing Market Renewal Programme, which is improving the quality, choice and sustainability of housing and neighbourhoods in Sheffield’s weaker housing markets.

3.3. At the local level, the Private Sector Housing Services Policy aligns with the Council’s key corporate priorities of achieving ‘Successful Neighbourhoods’ across the city, and ‘Closing the Gap’ between the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of the city. Strategically, the Policy needs to support the three key themes of Sheffield’s Housing Strategy; ‘Successful Housing Markets’, ‘Decent Homes in Sustainable Neighbourhoods’ and ‘Independence and Inclusion’.

4. Strategic Objectives & Policy Goals:

4.1. The Private Sector Housing Services Policy aims to achieve the following three key strategic objectives and associated priorities by meeting the specific targets set out below:

1. Address non-decent housing in the private sector and meet the government’s PSA7 target

 The Council will aim to meet the Government’s target by ensuring 70% of private sector homes occupied by vulnerable people are made decent by 2010.

2. Promote environmental sustainability and address fuel poverty in the private sector

 Ensure the number of people facing fuel poverty is reduced.  Significantly reduce the City’s carbon footprint.

3. Create successful housing markets supported by the right quality and mix of private sector housing

 The Council will license all 2000 qualifying houses in multiple occupation within 2 years ensuring they meet minimum physical and management standards.  The Council will aim to ensure 50% of all landlords demonstrably meet standards set out in the responsible landlords scheme by 2010. 5. Policy Delivery Tools

The following range of policy tools and interventions are used to achieve the strategic objectives and balance priorities, whilst maximising the impact of the limited resources available:

5.1. Advice –  Advice and information to homeowners, landlords and private sector tenants. Owner occupiers and landlords are encouraged to take responsibility for the repair and maintenance of their property and advice given to help them to move their property towards the Decent Homes standard.  Advice provided on energy efficiency measures and referrals made to energy schemes or partner agencies for assistance to help to reduce fuel poverty.  A specialised independent advice service provided to support private sector tenants and to proactively prevent homelessness and a tenancy relations service provides legal advice to tenants to help prevent unlawful or illegal eviction.

5.2. Financial Assistance –  A reduction in grant assistance and enhanced provision of equity release loans. Essential Works Grants replaced with Health and Safety Loans. Decency Loans available to vulnerable homeowners for carrying out repairs and improvements to move their property towards the Decent Homes standard.  Disabled Facilities Grants continue to be provided to provide adaptations to disabled persons homes. Discretionary Disabled Facilities Loans available to ‘top-up’ the grant where appropriate.  Relocation Loans to address severe property conditions, overcrowding or where a property cannot be adapted to meet a disabled persons needs  ‘Minor Works Grants’ for very elderly vulnerable homeowners to help them to remain living independently in their own home and to reduce pressure on health care services.  Assistance provided for energy measures through partner agencies where applicable  To avoid conflict with regeneration schemes, discretion is delegated to suspend financial assistance in unsustainable areas or areas subject to demolition.

5.3. Area Regeneration –  Area regeneration is targeted towards the most deprived areas of the city to address housing market weakness and to support healthy communities. Investment is targeted to the ADF areas in line with Housing Market Renewal Funding priorities and to support the Council’s ‘Closing the Gap’ agenda.  Area-based schemes may include block improvement schemes, environmental improvements and maintenance schemes, subject to funding.  Assistance in the form of loans is provided to homeowners to relocate from regeneration areas affected by demolition.  Privately owned empty properties brought back into use across the city using a range of voluntary and enforcement measures, including the ‘Private Sector Leasing Scheme’

5.4. Private Rented Sector Intervention –  Raise the physical and management standards of privately rented housing and promote it as a tenure of choice.  Work with landlords through the adoption of the ‘three E’s’ approach: ‘Encouragement, Education and Enforcement’. This approach aims to engage with landlords by providing a range of services, schemes and initiatives to proactively encourage landlords to provide high quality, well-managed private rented housing.  Where this approach fails, enforcement measures may be applied in line with the ‘Intervention and Enforcement Policy’ to regulate private sector housing conditions.  A responsive service provided to investigate complaints of disrepair, including the enforcement of standards where applicable.  Mandatory Licensing for HMOs has been implemented and the scheme will continue to be delivered across the city.

5.5. New Initiatives –  The policy delivery tools will continually be challenged and improved to ensure that we are among the best performing private sector housing services in the country.  The new Policy has consolidated initiatives developed since the last Policy, including loan assistance for relocation, improvement and adaptation, maintenance schemes, neighbourhood investment, empty property intervention and private rented sector initiatives  The new Policy provides opportunities to develop new initiatives and tools for taking the service forward, including: o Health-based initiatives to address the housing-health agenda and support healthier communities through a more holistic approach to health and well being. o An evaluation of the need for further licensing of areas of private rented housing o Further initiatives for bringing empty properties back into use  A joined up approach adopted by working with key partners and stakeholders and developing new partnerships to maximise funding opportunities where possible.  The Private Sector Housing service will continue to provide the highest standard of customer-orientated services and continue to challenge and improve service provision to clients in order to retain our Charter Mark award. 6 Organisational Development Issues

6.1 The Private Sector Housing Team was substantially restructured in 2006. Since then the last two annual Employee Opinion Surveys conducted by the City Council have shown that morale within the Private Sector Housing Team is significantly lower than in the rest of the Strategic Housing Service. A key objective for the new manager will be to address this area of concern. Related to this is the need to drive progress on development of more effective and flexible ways of working and on implementation of a robust performance management framework. 6.2 The current establishment of over 70 posts carries a salaries budget of approx £2.7m. This includes approx £0.9m of funding from Transform South Yorkshire who oversee the Housing Market Renewal Programme that runs until 2010/11. Funding from Transform South Yorkshire will reduce in 2009/10 and again in 2010/11. The new manager will need to respond effectively and creatively to this funding issue.

7 Staffing Structure

Structure charts for each of the teams that comprise the Private Sector Housing Service are provided below.