North Edinburgh trio go the extra mile to support their neighbours
Neighbours who go that extra mile have been thanked at the City of Edinburgh Council’s second Good Neighbour Awards for their commitment to making the lives of their neighbours better and improving their local community. Continue reading North Edinburgh’s good neighbours commended at awards ceremony
Scotland’s Chief Statistician has released Social Tenants in Scotland 2016, the second annual statistical compendium publication on social tenants and social rented housing in Scotland. The report covers topic areas such as stock, household characteristics, housing flows, and rents and income levels. Continue reading Social housing in Scotland: latest statistics
Letting agents have six months to meet requirements of statutory code
Letting agents have six months to prepare for compliance with a new, statutory Code of Practice, set to improve standards and empower customers. Housing Minister Kevin Stewart is writing to all commercial letting agents to highlight the changes and their responsibilities, and the need to comply by January 31 2018.
The code sets out standards that must be met in how letting agents deliver services. It includes specific requirements on how clients’ money should be handled. It also makes it compulsory to have Client Money Protection and Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Landlords and tenants can use the code to challenge poor practice and, if necessary, enforce it through the new First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). Letting agents will be required to join the Scottish Government’s mandatory register of letting agents, and key individuals in agencies must meet a minimum level of training.
Mr Stewart said: “We are committed to ensuring the highest quality private rented sector, which empowers tenants. Our framework for regulation, and the need for the sector to meet key standards and expectations through the code, is an important step in achieving our ambitions.
“Many letting agents already do a great deal to continuously improve standards and inspire confidence amongst landlords and tenants. The introduction of the code means a level playing field for all and ensures clarity on rights, responsibilities and expectations.
“For many people private renting provides a place to call home, and they deserve the necessary standards and protections to find and keep that home. With six months until the code comes into force letting agents must take steps now to be ready for these new ways of working.”
The Scottish Government has developed a guide for those undertaking letting agency work to assist them in meeting the requirements for registration. It is available at:
https://www.mygov.scot/letting-agent-registration/
Continue reading Tenants and landlords to benefit from new regulations
The city council has set out plans on the delivery of a ‘new-look’ housing strategy which aims to significantly increase the number of affordable homes in the city from 3,000 to 8,000 and accelerate investment in the services that will reduce tenants’ cost of living. Continue reading Housing: city council plots the way ahead
Please find TRIM’s March 2016 Minutes attached
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Next meeting Tuesday 31 May @ 7pm in Millennium Centre
Tenants & Residents in Muirhouse
UNISON’s Edinburgh branch is warning that cuts to the council’s Private Rented Service Team could threaten safer housing for private tenants and lose the council hundreds of thousands in income. Continue reading Union concerns for tenants’ safety as service faces cuts
Edinburgh tenants have given Council housing in the city a vote of confidence in a new survey. Over 1000 Council tenants took part in the survey, which showed that satisfaction ratings are among the highest of any similar landlord in the UK.
Of those questioned, 89% were satisfied with the quality of their home, giving Edinburgh the highest score among similar landlords. 90% of participants responded that they are happy with the housing service they receive and only 4% responded that they are dissatisfied. Satisfaction levels with key services, customer care and engagement were either equal to or higher than other large landlords in the UK.
Neighbourhoods were also rated highly with 92% of tenants stating that they are happy with their neighbourhoods and only 2% were not.
Housing Convener, Councillor Ricky Henderson, said: “This feedback from tenants reinforces the high reputation of the Council’s housing service and is a real vote of confidence.
“The Scottish Housing Regulator has already awarded our housing service the highest grade of any local authority, so it is encouraging to see that our tenants are also satisfied with their homes and the service they receive.”
The Council has worked closely with Edinburgh Tenants Federation in designing the survey. Both organisations will work together to develop an action for any necessary improvements identified from the results.
Betty Stevenson, Convener of Edinburgh Tenants Federation, said: “The Federation has been closely involved in developing the survey and we are pleased with the results showing high satisfaction. We will be working with the Council to make sure that any identified improvements are put in place.”
Do you agree with those survey results? Are you saisfied with the city council’s housing service? Let us know!
Social tenants and landlords are set to benefit from a number of reforms announced yesterday by Housing Minister Margaret Burgess. The reforms will change the way social landlords allocate and manage their housing. They will allow social landlords to address the specific needs of the local community, ensuring best use of available social housing, tackling antisocial behaviour and providing further protection for tenants.
Speaking at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations’ Annual Conference, the Housing Minister outlined the measures, which are likely to form part of a forthcoming Housing Bill.
This includes:
During the SFHA Conference Mrs Burgess also announced that initial or probationary tenancies will not be included in the Housing Bill.
She said:
“The changes I am announcing today will ensure that we deliver first-rate homes and services to tenants, residents and homeless people – the most vulnerable in our society. By giving landlords greater flexibility at a local level they will be able to respond to the needs of their local community.
“In order to provide affordable warm homes for people in Scotland it is vital that we continue to find ways to increase supply and quality across all tenures. Despite Westminster’s cuts to our capital budget, we have taken every opportunity to increase our investment in housing. By the end of April we had allocated £200m additional funding for housing supply, bringing total investment to almost £860m in the three years to March 2015.”
HOME TO STAY PUBLIC MEETING
Thursday 13 June
Tenants and landlords in the private rented sector are to benefit from a new Tenant Information Pack (TIP) which will improve access to information on renting and help ensure that accommodation is good quality and well managed.
Launched by Minister for Housing and Welfare Margaret Burgess yesterday, landlords have a legal duty to provide the TIP to new tenants. The easy to read document, which has been made available on the Scottish Government website, contains a summary of legislation relevant to private tenants and landlords.
During a public consultation on its introduction, the TIP received broad cross-sector support as a means of providing consistent and reliable information to tenants, and the TIP will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that it provides an accurate, user friendly, summary of housing law.
The launch of the pack is supported by a new website which offers practical renting guides for tenants and landlords in Scotland’s private rented sector. Funded by the Scottish Government, the Renting Scotland website has been created by Shelter Scotland and industry partners and contains key tenant and landlord information on renting in the private rented sector.
Mrs Burgess said: “The Tenant Information Pack provides vital information for tenants and landlords in an easy-to-read format. There is already a lot of good information available to tenants and the pack is not intended to replace existing material, but to create a benchmark for information available across the whole sector.
“The introduction of the pack will contribute towards ensuring that the private rented sector provides good quality and well managed accommodation, where both landlords and tenants understand their respective rights and responsibilities. The Renting Scotland website, which went live today, is another important form of support, offering crucial advice to tenants and landlords.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Association of Landlords said: “We are encouraged by the possibility offered by the Tenant Information Pack to improve and maintain landlord-tenant relationships. The pack is a helpful resource which will raise awareness of both landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities.”
Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “The introduction of the Tenant Information Pack by the Scottish Government is a positive step forward for tenants and landlords alike, who will be clear on their rights and responsibilities from the day a tenant moves in. By improving access to key information, Tenant Information Packs will build trust and respect on both sides. It will help avoid problems at an early stage and empower tenants as consumers should something go wrong.
“An informed tenant is a good tenant, and likewise a landlord who is aware of their rights and responsibilities can better manage their property to anticipate and avoid problems, allowing both parties to get off to a good start.”
