Grim it may be, but the government’s approach to getting dangerous Grenfell-style cladding replaced on tower blocks certainly appears consistent. Credit: Private Eye, Housing News
Grim it may be, but the government’s approach to getting dangerous Grenfell-style cladding replaced on tower blocks certainly appears consistent. Credit: Private Eye, Housing News
Register now for the free webinar
LEASE is hosting a free webinar to help you make an informed contribution to the Government’s consultation ‘Strengthening consumer redress in the housing market’.
The webinar will be presented by our experienced advisers, Nicholas Kissen and Kavita Bharti.
The webinar is on Monday 26 March 2018, 7pm – 8:30pm. Click here to register.
The Government is concerned that the current landscape is confusing for consumers both in terms of the number of schemes, differences in practices, and gaps where consumers have no recourse to redress. As a consequence the consultation explores and questions:
improving ‘in–house’ complaint processes, to ensure that issues get resolved as quickly as possible;
the practices and functions that should be expected of redress schemes and the powers that they need to do this;
How to fill existing gaps in redress, with a particular focus on private tenants, buyers of new build homes and leaseholders; and
The case for streamlining and improving services for consumers through the creation of a single housing ombudsman service.
Responses to the consultation should be submitted no later than midnight on 16 April 2018. You are encouraged to respond by completing an online survey.
Alternatively you can email your response to the questions in the consultation to – Housingredress@communities.gsi.gov.uk
Written responses should be sent to:
Social Housing Division, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Third Floor, Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF
Calls for the delay of a new loan set to replace a state-backed benefit in just 10 weeks’ time Shane Hickey ( The Guardian) Mon 5 Feb 2018
Many poorer families could be in danger of having their home repossessed as a state-backed benefit is taken away.
The government has been called on to delay a new “second mortgage” scheme, which replaces a benefit for homeowners on low incomes, after just one in 20 affected households have signed up for it.
From April, the government is axing “support for mortgage interest” (SMI) which helps financially constrained homeowners with their mortgage. It will be replaced with a controversial system where the government offers to loan people the money, which will be repaid later with interest.
However, new figures have shown that just 6,850 households have signed up for the scheme out of the 124,000 currently receiving the SMI benefit, prompting calls for the changeover to be delayed. more info