East Riding of Yorkshire Council homes 'not up to standard'
The cost of bringing 381 East Riding council houses up to government decency standards could run as high as £1.2m.
The cost of bringing 381 East Riding council houses up to government decency standards could run as high as £1.2m.
Housing Ministry figures showed around 3 per cent of East Riding Council’s stock failed Decent Homes Standards as of March 2020.
A total of 374 failed assessments due to not being in a reasonable state of repair, with a further 25 ruled to not be warm enough for residents.
A spokesperson for East Riding Council said almost £65.1m had been earmarked for improvements to its housing stock over the next four years.
Properties assessed under Decent Homes Standards are graded by their comfort, heating, facilities and state of repair.
The category totals are higher than the 381 overall figure because some homes may have more than one issue recorded.
The £1.2m cost of bringing the council’s houses up to standard equals around £3,200 a property.
The council has so far spent £9.6m on preventing other homes from falling below government standards.
The council’s spokesperson said:
“As the condition survey is carried out on a rolling basis issues are picked up each year and it is not always possible to rectify them within the same financial year but are given priority in the work programme for the following year.
“Over the next four years, £65.097million of capital investment is planned to improve existing council homes which will include making homes energy efficient, re-roofing, window replacements as well as work to kitchens and bathrooms.
“A further £39.284millon will be invested over the next four years in responsive repairs, void dwellings and cyclical maintenance.
“Tenants do have the ability to refuse improvement works and these are dealt with when the property becomes void unless it is a health and safety requirement whereby the council will work with the tenant to overcome their reasons for refusal.”
It comes as 76,814 council homes across England were known to be non-decent as of March 2020 ,up from 71,259 in March 2019 and 70,324 in April 2018.
East Riding figures for 2019 and 2018 are unavailable.
The figures mean that 6 per cent of all council-owned properties in the country are known to be failing to meet minimum standards for safety, comfort and repair.
However, this is an underestimate of the true number of non-decent council homes, as it only includes properties councils have been made aware of.
According to the English Housing Survey, 12 per cent of dwellings in the social rented sector actually failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2019/20.
Despite this, homes in the private sector are much more likely to be non-decent than council-owned properties, with 23 per cent of privately-rented homes classed as non-decent.
There are no local-level statistics available on non-decent privately rented homes, however.
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said:
“No one should have to live in a run-down or dangerous home and be powerless to fix it.
“Social homes are generally in a better condition than private rentals, but decades of neglect, coupled with sweeping deregulation, have meant that some have fallen into disrepair.
“And worryingly, the numbers are on the rise. Poor conditions like damp, mould or faulty heating can have a real impact on people’s physical and mental health.
“Social housing is desperately needed to end homelessness, but it has to be decent and fit for purpose and tenants must be listened to when things go wrong.
“Last year, the government promised once-in-a-lifetime reforms to social housing.
“It must bring these forward and introduce proper inspection and enforcement, to make sure all social homes are safe and comfortable to live in.”
A Housing Ministry spokesperson said:
“By law all landlords must ensure properties are fit for people to live in and all registered providers of social housing must meet standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing.
“This includes complying with the government’s Decent Homes Standard, which ensures properties are safe and decent.
“We’ve announced major reforms to support tenants, including our Charter for Social Housing Residents, that will provide greater redress for residents, better regulation and improve the quality of social housing.”