2020 is going to be a year of change for the housing sector. The second part of the Grenfell Inquiry will be delivered by Sir Martin Moore-Bick with a resulting increase in scrutiny on the sector. Alongside this there are a number of other regulations and laws planned to be introduced throughout the year, that will have a real impact on the housing industry.
One of the first will be The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act which will be fully implemented from March onwards. This means that a majority of houses under landlords, councils or housing providers will now be covered by the law.
As the name suggests the new law ensures that tenants are in a building that is safe, healthy and free from ‘things that could cause serious harm’. It marks a major change in the law relating to housing conditions since the Housing Act of 2004. The first part of The Homes Act was introduced in March 2019 which impacted all new leases from that date onwards. From March this year most remaining tenancies will be covered by the Act.
The Act allows tenants to go through a process of reporting breaches in their homes which, if not remedied sufficiently, can result in the landlord, council or housing provider finding themselves in court. Tenants now have the ability through the Act to effect change in their homes if conditions are substandard; a huge change in the law and one that hands power to the tenant.
Whilst landlords should be confident that their new lettings are up to standard, now that most tenancies are to be covered by the Act from 20th March, it is highly likely that the majority of any claims made will be associated to long-term tenancies where the landlord may be less confident on the condition of the property. It is therefore critical that social housing landlords are up-to-speed with this new legislation and are fully prepared to carry out any required remedial works to ensure that they are not at risk of being prosecuted.
The Homes Act is unquestionably a positive step change giving tenants a greater voice and ensuring properties meet expected standards. But for some this will undoubtedly be a journey in which they will need to meet the demands of additional repairs and maintenance work whilst also needing to ensure they can foot the bill for the costs of the remedial works over and above what would normally be planned. For all, there will also be a far greater need to prove what work has been carried out on each property and evidence the quality of that work.
All of this could have a significant impact on the workload of housing providers’ repairs and maintenance teams or the contractors that they work with.
“With just a few weeks to go until the Act comes into full force, housing providers must plan now for the increased demand they could face,” said Chris Proctor, CEO at Oneserve.
“Technology such as Field Service Management software, is one enabler that could ease this workload. In addition to scheduling repairs jobs more efficiently and generating cost savings, Field Service Management software can also automate processes to evidence work undertaken and record tenant feedback. All of which will provide a crucial audit trail to satisfy the demands of regulators.
“It is time for housing providers to step up to the plate, put their tenants’ needs first and utilise the tools and technology available to ensure they operate proactively, responsively and efficiently. 2020 will be a challenging year but it will be a year that drives innovation and customer-centricity – two elements the housing sector has needed to improve for some time.” concluded Proctor.