housing associations – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Plans to extend protections for tenants

Emergency measures to protect tenants during the cost of living crisis, including the private rent cap and additional eviction protections, will be extended for a further six months if approved by Parliament.

Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie has confirmed proposals to keep the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Act measures in place until 31 March 2024 at the latest. This would mean:

Most in-tenancy private rent increases would continue to be capped at 3%
Alternatively, private landlords could apply for increases of up to 6% to help cover certain increases in costs in a specified time period where these costs can be evidenced
Enforcement of evictions would continue to be paused for six months for most tenants, except in a number of specified circumstances
Increased damages for unlawful evictions of up to 36 months’ worth of rent would continue to be applicable

Social rented sector tenants are protected by the voluntary agreement reached with social landlords on below-inflation rent increases for this financial year.

Mr Harvie said: “As the cost of living crisis continues, these measures are giving important support to tenants, providing them with much-needed stability in their housing costs and additional eviction protections.

“As the social housing sector have agreed their rents in consultation with their tenants, the focus of this temporary legislation is on providing private renters with similar protection. We know some landlords are impacted by rising costs too.

“The option of increasing rents by 6% in specified circumstances ensures landlords who may be impacted by the cost of living crisis can recover some increased costs associated with their let property.

“The final date of 31 March 2024 would be as long as the rent cap and eviction protections could run if approved by Parliament. The necessity of these measures is being kept under review and we will continue to assess whether they remain justified, balanced and proportionate based on the financial pressures rented households and landlords are facing.

“We are also looking at how to transition out of the emergency measures, and we continue to listen to and work hard with stakeholders to develop and deliver rental sector reform.”

Protection for tenants extended

Minister confirms intention to cap private rents at 3%

Emergency measures to protect tenants will be extended, Tenants Rights’ Minister Patrick Harvie has confirmed, with private rents capped and enforcement of evictions prevented in most cases.

Subject to the approval of Parliament, changes to the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Act will mean that from 1 April 2023:

If landlords choose to increase private rents they will be capped at 3%
The safeguard for private landlords will be amended, allowing them to apply for increases of up to 6% to help cover certain increases in costs in defined and limited circumstances
Enforcement of evictions will continue to be prevented for all tenants except in a number of specified circumstances
Increased damages for unlawful evictions of up to 36 months’ worth of rent will continue to be applicable
The rent cap for student accommodation will be suspended, recognising its limited impact on annual rents set on the basis of an academic year

These temporary measures are intended to be extended to 30 September, provided they remain necessary, with the option to extend for another six-month period if required.

As announced in December 2022, the social sector rent freeze is being replaced with agreements from landlords to keep any rent increase for 2023-24 well below inflation.

Mr Harvie said: “Our emergency legislation has helped protect tenants facing the cost of living crisis. With many households still struggling with bills, it is clear that these protections are still needed to give tenants greater confidence about their housing costs and the security of a stable home.

“While the primary purpose of the legislation is to support tenants, I recognise that costs have been rising for landlords too. That’s why we intend to allow those in the private sector to increase rents by up to 3%, with a continued safeguard allowing them to apply for larger increases to cover specified rising costs they might be seeing as landlords.

“By allowing increases in rent – capped well below inflation and limited to once per 12 months – we can continue protecting tenants from the minority of landlords who would impose unaffordable rent hikes.

“We will continue to carefully monitor the impacts of this legislation, working with tenants and landlords to protect them from this costs crisis.”

COUNCIL RENTS: Under the agreement on social rents for 2023-24, COSLA has committed to keeping local authority rent increases to an average of no more than £5 a week.

HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS: Members of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations have reported planned increases averaging 6.1%.

Port of Leith Housing Association and its subsidiaries rebrand as Harbour

An important new chapter has begun for Port of Leith Housing Association and its subsidiaries which have revealed new names and branding.

Harbour is made up of:

Harbour Homes (previously Port of Leith Housing Association)
Harbour Lettings (previously Persevere Developments Ltd, a mid market rent company)
Harbour Connections (previously Quay Community Improvements, a placemaking organisation and social enterprise)
Harbour Multi-Trades (previously TB Mackay Energy Services, a boiler, maintenance, repairs and multi-trades provider)

Harbour Chief Executive Heather Kitely said: “We’re excited to unveil our new branding which reflects our growth to become a family of organisations all working together to make a positive impact on people’s lives in Leith, north Edinburgh and beyond by providing excellent affordable homes and a wide range of services.

“I’m very proud of everything each member of Harbour has achieved to date. I’m confident that as Harbour we will continue to find new ways to support our brilliant communities and to provide vital services that make a real difference to people’s lives.”

The rebrand process began in October 2020 with an extensive research and consultation process. You can read more about the rebrand story at:

www.polha.co.uk/rebrand.

Edinburgh-based Teague in the green league

A leading property developer has brought forward a housing scheme that is set to be a “green technology” leader.

Edinburgh-based Teague Homes ((UK) Limited is bringing forward 96 homes on Salamander Place, phase 6 of the company’s highly-successful Ropeworks scheme, totalling 667 homes.

The company’s Buildings Energy Strategy Is aiming for a net zero carbon development. This results in an aggregate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of by 42.55 per cent compared to a baseline building under current regulations.

A key priority for the Council is that buildings must reduce their carbon emissions, both through their design and use of low and zero-carbon generating technologies, helping deliver the Council’s target to be net zero carbon by 2030, 15 years ahead of the national Scottish target.

Heating and domestic hot water at the Ropeworks development will be provided by air source heat pumps, where heat is extracted directly from the outside air and transferred to water and air inside the building.

Various renewable technologies will also be integrated into the proposed development’s design. Roof mounted solar panels will generate electricity on site, which can feed the electrical demand of the heat pumps and/or electric charging points.

Battery storage can also be integrated into the system to store any excess power generated to ensure no wastage and maximise system efficiency.

Advanced building design, incorporating state-of-the-art insulation and superior air tightness, will also assist in achieving this target. Material selection a key consideration, with the use of cross laminated timber being a much low impact material with a much lower carbon footprint when compared with steel and concrete construction.

Electric charging points will be available and bike storage requirements have also been increased from previous proposals, adding in electric charging for bikes.

This process will minimise living cost for occupants, while still creating great family homes for the people of Edinburgh.

Daryl Teague from Teague Homes commented: “Through delivering a net zero carbon development using low and zero carbon technologies, this development, if approved, will not only assist in tackling climate change, but also minimise living costs.

“The integration of various renewable technologies into the proposed development’s design will make this development a green technology leader, removing the requirement for fossil fuels and supporting City of Edinburgh Council achieving next zero carbon by 2030.”

Barratt Homes leads affordable housing drive across Edinburgh

Barratt Homes East Scotland is leading the drive to bring much-needed modern and affordable homes to popular areas of Edinburgh.

The homebuilder has announced a multimillion-pound investment that will see almost 100 new homes – a mix of social housing and mid-market rent – created across three developments.

Alison Condie, Managing Director of Barratt Homes East Scotland said: “We’re committed to using our position as one of the country’s leading housebuilders to work in partnership with housing associations to develop well-integrated and modern low cost homes all across Edinburgh’s diverse neighbourhoods.

“High quality affordable housing has a huge role to play in addressing some of the most important societal challenges of our time – and we’re proud to help communities thrive by creating homes that meet their needs.”

In south Edinburgh, this includes 24 homes at Lime Grove in Burdiehouse and 29 homes at Heritage Grange – bringing a total of 161 affordable homes to the site once the development is completed. Both projects, which are due to complete by spring 2023, are being delivered in partnership with Castle Rock Edinvar – one of the country’s largest housing associations.

Both developments will provide high quality housing for families in particular, with a new primary school near Heritage Grange, Frogston Primary School, due to open in 2021.

In the vibrant district of Leith, a £6m project will commence to create 43 new affordable homes at Barratt Homes’ Merchant Quay development, built in partnership with the Port of Leith Housing Association.

The homes, which aim to welcome residents by summer 2023, will be the first delivered at the Baltic Street site in recognition of the urgent need for affordable housing.

Barratt Developments – which includes both Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes – has to date delivered over 1,000 homes across Edinburgh through the Affordable Housing Policy, making the group one of the biggest contributors to affordable housing land supply in the city in the last 15 years.

This feeds in to the wider Scottish Government goal of providing 50,000 new affordable homes – with work safely kickstarting with urgency following delays caused by national lockdowns.

For more information about Barratt Homes’ properties and locations, visit

www.barratthomes.co.uk.

Housing associations ‘an untapped resource’ in delivery of health and social care

A new report has concluded that housing is an untapped resource which could help Health and Social Care Boards engage better with older people, delivering more effective services as a result.

In the report published today, one of Scotland’s leading housing associations outlines the importance of going beyond traditional methods of engagement. Instead, it highlights importance of understanding the emotional needs of people and the networks which exist within communities. This information helps achieve better outcomes such as increasing happiness and reducing loneliness and isolation.

Hanover Scotland has published the report, Connecting Communities, after completing an action research project to understand how the organisation, staff and residents can work with local communities to help people live the lives they want.

It comes just a few weeks after a report by Audit Scotland highlighted that “More work needs to be done to engage with local communities when making changes to health and social care services.”

Hanover believes the methodology and findings of its own research could provide a template for use in health and social care and wants to see housing organisations more closely involved in the process in future.

As part of the research, a group of Hanover staff were trained to use a relationship-centred approach as developed by Professor Mike Nolan at the University of Sheffield. This describes the need for a sense of security; a sense of continuity; a sense of belonging; a sense of purpose; a sense of fulfilment and; a sense of significance.

Using these principles, the Hanover research team, led by the Chief Executive, was able to gain an insight in to the networks and connections that exist in local communities and what prompts positive emotional responses from people.

The relationships that have been formed and the information gathered will be used to shape Hanover’s future work and demonstrates how housing organisations could be a gateway for health and social care bodies to improve their own engagement and deliver better outcomes.

The four conclusions of Hanover’s report were:

The home is fundamental to the wellbeing of people and the sustainability of communities. Housing is key to all efforts to integrate and improve health and wellbeing.
Engagement with older people when shaping services must improve and consider the emotional motivations and needs of individuals to better understand the networks and support which exists within communities.
Housing organisations are an untapped resource without which it will be more difficult for IJBs to achieve better health and social care outcomes as outlined by Audit Scotland.
It is essential that housing organisations be offered the opportunity to be fully included in the ongoing integration of health and social care.

Helen Murdoch, Chief Executive of Hanover Scotland, said: “Housing organisations are the gateway through which health and social care bodies can provide outcomes to help people live the lives they want.

“For 40 years, Hanover Scotland has pioneered progressive models of housing and care that support older people to enjoy full and active lives and I am very proud that our team was able to undertake this research throughout our anniversary year. It has taken us across Scotland to speak to people and to a global conference where we were invited to share some of our early findings.

“What our detailed discussions with our residents have given us is a deep understanding of what kind of service they want from us and how we can go about doing that. As a result, this research is going to shape Hanover’s services for years to come.

“We do not pretend to have all the answers but it seems clear to me that were housing organisations included more closely in the integration of health and social care in the future, we could use this kind of model to improve engagement with local communities and deliver better, more effective services across the country.”

Affordable housing: meeting the challenges that lie ahead

The housing sector and government will continue to work together to safeguard against the uncertainties created by Brexit and ensure affordable housing is available to all who need it, Communites Secretary Angela Constance will tell a conference today.

In a speech to the Chartered Institute of Housing Conference, Communities Secretary Angela Constance will reflect on a ‘decade of success’ on housing and regeneration, set out the challenges that lie ahead and how government and the housing sector might work together to respond.

The Cabinet Secretary will highlight:

The need to take action to address an ageing population, and ensuring more suitable housing and services to help individuals continue to live independently and at home
Tackling the damaging effects of UK Government’s welfare cuts, and meeting the challenge of combating child poverty
Safeguarding against the impact of Brexit, which could see a loss of 8.5% of GDP in Scotland by 2030 and threaten 5,000 EU citizens working in the construction sector

Speaking ahead of the conference Ms Constance said: “High quality affordable housing is about more than just bricks and mortar – it provides safe, warm homes, helps create a fairer Scotland, and delivers great economic benefits. As we look to the challenges that lie ahead, that will become ever more important.

“The UK Government’s approach to Brexit threatens jobs, prosperity, and workers. Welfare cuts are plunging more people into poverty. And an ageing population presents big questions in how we support independent living and increase a flexible housing supply.

“Against that backdrop we are taking firm action. Since 2007 we have delivered almost 71,000 affordable homes and committed to delivering at least 50,000 over this Parliament, and we are spending £100 million a year protecting people from the worst impacts of the UK Government’s welfare cuts – cuts that threaten to push more children into poverty. But there is more we can and must do.

“We have given Councils long term planning assumptions totaling £1.75 billion to March 2021 – providing the guarantee needed to deliver our ambitions. As we look to beyond 2021, I want to begin engagement with the housing sector on the best ways to deliver affordable homes that meet the needs of our changing population. We will build on the great work already done as we take new and innovative approaches to ensure another decade of success.”

More Homes Scotland is the overarching approach to bring together all activity to increase supply

During her speech, Communities Secretary Angela Constance will set out a priority for everyone in Scotland to live in a high quality, sustainable home, which is affordable and meets their needs. Ms Constance will reiterate the importance of the four housing and regeneration outcomes and suggest how these might underpin the government’s approach:

A well-functioning housing system, where homes are first and foremost for living in, rather than for storing up wealth.
New and existing homes reaching high quality and sustainability standards, with all householders benefiting from the same high standards of accommodation and consumer protection.
Homes that meet people’s needs, with the housing market becoming more flexible to allow people to meet their changing needs, including new housing for older people.
Sustainable communities grow and develop, with people able to afford to stay in the communities they grew up in, if that is what they want.

Muirhouse Housing Association AGM tonight

Tonight we host the A.G.M of Muirhouse Housing association in our large hall at Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre (writes James McGinty)

The following invite comes from the Housing Association Website:

Our A.G.M is just around the corner. It will be held on Monday 28 September at 6.30pm at the Muirhouse Millennium Centre. Light refreshments will be served.

The main purpose of the meeting is to present the annual accounts and future plans for the Association. We will also be announcing the winners of the ‘Good Neighbour’ and ‘Best Garden’ contest and all attendees have a chance to win a price.