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Summary
The Housing Scrutiny Commission meeting included discussion of the Housing Division's overview, income collection, stock condition, fire safety, the private rented sector strategy, and the commission's work programme. Councillors were scheduled to note the membership of the commission, the meeting dates, and the scrutiny terms of reference.
Private Rented Sector Strategy, Renters' Rights Bill, and Supported Housing Act 2023
The Director of Housing was scheduled to submit a report outlining the implementation of the Renters' Rights Bill, the Supported Housing Act 2023, and the introduction of the Private Rented Sector Strategy.
The Renters' Rights Bill 2025 aims to bring significant changes to the private rented sector, including:
Abolishing fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies, making all tenancies periodic.
Limiting rent increases to once per year via Section 13 notices.
Abolishing Section 21 evictions, requiring landlords to use expanded Section 8 possession grounds.
Banning rental bidding wars.
Introducing a landlord ombudsman.
Creating a private rented sector database.
Applying the Decent Homes Standard1 to all rental properties.
Prohibiting discrimination against tenants on benefits or with children.
The report pack noted that the government plans to roll out these provisions in stages.
The Supported Housing Act 2023 intends to regulate supported exempt accommodation (SEA), which includes housing for vulnerable adults such as care leavers, survivors of domestic abuse, and individuals with substance dependencies or mental health issues. The act covers areas such as:
Establishing a Supported Housing Advisory Panel.
Creating local supported housing strategies.
Setting national supported housing standards.
Licensing and consultation requirements.
Defining local housing authority functions.
Addressing planning and homelessness issues.
Sharing information related to supported exempt accommodation.
The report pack stated that a project board, jointly chaired by the Director of Housing and Director of Adult Social Care, is developing a project plan to implement the legislation, focusing on establishing supported living provision, governance arrangements, a supported housing strategy, licensing, and future commissioning.
The Private Rented Sector (PRS) Strategy is being developed to improve housing standards, support landlords and tenants, protect tenants' rights, improve access to housing solutions, and enhance intelligence and monitoring. The strategy will incorporate responses to the Renters' Rights Bill and the Supported Housing Act 2023.
Stock Condition
The Director of Housing was scheduled to submit a report on how the council manages the condition of its homes, focusing on compliance with the Social Housing Regulation Act 2024. The report pack stated that the council considers its stock to be 99.5% compliant with the Decent Homes Standard. The report also mentioned that every home has been visited by a council staff member in the last five years.
The report pack stated that the new Assets module in NEC2 will be key to demonstrating compliance, and the Organisational Review (OR) in Technical Services will ensure the necessary physical resources are in place. In the interim, HHSRS3 surveys are being carried out, with progress reported monthly to the Director of Housing from April 2025.
The report pack also detailed the capital programme, with significant investments planned for kitchens and bathrooms, boilers, rewiring, re-roofing, and affordable housing.
Fire Safety
The Director of Housing was scheduled to submit a report on how the Housing Division manages fire safety in its residential buildings. The report pack stated that fire safety management is based on risk, with different property types having different measures in place.
The report pack mentioned that the management of fire safety cuts across Technical Services and Tenancy Management, with the Director of Housing as the health and safety lead for tenants. The Compliance Team ensures the maintenance of fire protection measures and arranges Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs). Tenancy Management ensures cyclical block inspections are carried out and that policies are implemented to keep communal areas safe.
The report pack noted that high-rise buildings are subject to the Building Safety Act, and building safety cases have been requested by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) for four of the five blocks. The report pack also included a statement from Vince Hyde, Group Manager, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, who said:
Leicester City Council pro-actively carry out joint visits with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service on housing stock. If issues are identified these are quickly resolved and officers work together to identify solutions to any Fire Safety concerns. If improvements are considered following a visit Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Leicester City Council work together to agree improvements across all affected sites not just the single site being visited
Income Collection Annual Update
The Director of Housing was scheduled to submit an update on the progress of rent arrears within the general housing stock for the financial year April 2024 to March 2025.
The report pack stated that at the end of March 2025, the cash amount outstanding was £1.704 million, which is 15% lower than the previous year. The proportion of rent collected between April 2024 and March 2025 was 98.84%. The team supported tenants in applying for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs), with a total of £259,153 paid in awards, a 29% increase compared to the previous year.
The team also processed Household Support Fund (HSF) applications, awarding £970,000 worth of housing costs to 1,399 tenants affected by the cost-of-living crisis. Additionally, 5,319 tenants were supported with utilities and/or food.
The report pack noted that 49% of council tenants were claiming Universal Credit (UC), with 52% of those in rent arrears. The Rent Management Advisors (RMA) received 1,111 referrals, 9% higher than the previous year, with 77% of households having some type of vulnerability. Only four evictions were conducted for non-payment of rent, compared to seven in the previous year.
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The Decent Homes Standard is a government standard for social housing in England. It sets out minimum requirements for the condition of social housing, including that it must be free from serious hazards, in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and services, and provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort. ↩
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NEC is a Housing system. ↩
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HHSRS stands for Housing Health and Safety Rating System. It is a risk assessment tool used to assess potential hazards to health and safety in residential properties. ↩
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