Housing

Richard Hazell and Forbes Robertson are our very experienced housing caseworkers. Richard has been with the Law Centre since the doors opened back in 1981 and there is nothing he doesn't know about housing law. Forbes, an experienced housing caseworker, joined the team in July 2006.

It has been another busy year with an endless series of enquiries about Housing law.

 

We continue to get many enquiries about rent arrears and Housing Benefit problems, and we are indebted to Swindon Borough Council’s Housing Officers for both referring clients to us, and then taking a (usually) sympathetic attitude when we start making representations back to them on behalf of the clients.

 

We are grateful to the Tenancy Sustainment Officers for referring many vulnerable clients to us just ahead of their eviction.  Our letters of appeal frequently result in backdated Housing Benefit being credited to the clients’ rent account and other income maximisation and debt management advice being given.

 

We have seen an increasing number of people coming for us due to mortgage arrears and we fear that this trend will continue.  The scope for negotiation is much more limited but we have found that the attitude of the local District Judges has shifted and that they are now willing to grant adjournments of mortgage possession cases to enable other steps to be taken to resolve the dispute.

We continue to give advice about homelessness and we have seen the unwelcome effects of the implementation of central government’s ‘Prevention’ Agenda in dealing with homeless applicants.  The Council is under pressure from central government to accept as few people as possible as homeless and so their Options Advisers tend to avoid giving out homeless applications (section 184 decision letters) with their resultant rights of appeal.  Coupled with the reduced availability of social housing, this has led to an increasing reliance on the private rented sector to house low income or homeless families.  However private landlords are also reluctant to take Housing Benefit claimants as tenants.  The result is misery for our clients as they try to find a private landlord willing to take them. 

 

During the past year the Council has introduced Choice Based Lettings. Once more a Government led initiative which is aimed at giving people more choice. Households that have applied to Swindon Borough Council for housing have their need assessed and are placed in a Band - Band A being the highest need, C being lowest. Applicants then “bid” for properties that are advertised as being available that week. The successful bid is the one in the highest band who has been waiting the longest. The system provides much more information on what properties have become available to let and is welcomed for that. Several decisions in the process are open to review by the Council. The Law Centre has assisted several clients to have their banding reviewed and become re-housed more quickly.

 

We have been attending the new Homeless Day Centre on Broad Street twice a week to give advice to its service users.  We have found this to be a valuable and challenging bit of work – this client group is one of the hardest to engage with but our regular attendance at the day Centre has led them to trust us.  Much of the advice sought is low level Benefits or Debt advice, but our constant presence has led to many enquiries and good contact with Threshold Housing Link’s outreach workers and also Anna Nott, a Health Visitor for Homeless People.

 

We continue to look after the monthly networking group for agencies dealing with local homeless people (HOSTS – Homeless Organisations Stick Together in Swindon).  The Swindon Survival Guide has been placed on line by the Council and we have recently re-printed the booklet for local distribution.  The meetings continue to be well attended and provide excellent opportunities for problems to be shared and for discussion of the issues arsing from the new Day Centre.