[Nick Stiven]

Chris

I recommend that you use AI.

Simply open ChapGPT or a Google Search bar in your browser.

Type in the following text:

‘We are a 70 unit almshouse charity in London, a Charitable Company limited by guarantee, with 12 trustees including a chair and vice chair. We wish to develop a succession plan, principally to prepare ourselves should our chair decide or become unable to remain in post. What form should this succession plan take?’

With ChatGPT press the ‘up-arrow’, and with Google, press ‘AI mode’.

Whichever you choose, 5 seconds later, job done! Pretty much … .

If you choose Google, a bonus is that the answer will also come with a panel to one side, with the websites from where Google sourced its information, which you can dive into.

For example, Google quotes from board-room.org’s site and their ‘Board Portal’ offers a free ‘Board of Directors Succession Planning: Process, Policy & Free Template [2026]’ download.

What’s not to like?

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

You could start, of course, by looking at the Training Matrix (https://www.almshouses.org/training-seminars/) …. .

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Hello

This is a huge subject, best conducted off-line. There is an optimal order to any training (basically moving from general orientation to filling specific, identified, skills and knowledge gaps) – but everybody is different, with unique skills and experience, and with unique gaps in both.

I can help you, however, if you email me with your name, contact details and a brief overview of your working career to date.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Monty

Everyone’s experience will be different, as what people do is so situation/person/circumstances-specific. And it’s a pretty big subject, too.

Can I suggest, however, that you can get a lot of really useful guidance pointers almost instantaneously by simply copying the first paragraph of your post into a Google search-box and pressing Search (asking for an AI answer)..

I think you may be surprised at how useful a result you’ll get. Any problems, and I’d be happy to email you the several pages of information that Google provided for me just now.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Nicola

There may be 2 issues here:

• should trustees without DBS checks visit residents in their homes?

• who should sort out any hoarding found?

I think any visits by trustees, so they understand the extent of any hoarding problems, could well be helpful.

If you have a Clerk and or Warden, who has regular access to residents in the course of their duties (and have therefore been DBS checked, whether at Basic or Enhanced Level, and trained in safeguarding), I think it might be best if they came too, to guide the trustees, and to manage safety, legal compliance, and resident comfort. Especially if the trustees are effectively strangers and never normally visit. I prefer not to encourage ‘free range’ trustees, unless they are very well known by the residents.

On the hoarding isssue, I’m sure you will have had a look at the guidance on Hoarding on this website.

Whatever you do don’t try a DIY solution to any suspected hoarding.

Recognising and solving a hoarding problem is not for amateurs (any more than treating alcoholism would be). It is highly recommended to involve local adult social services or mental health teams early on, as hoarding is frequently tied to other underlying health, social, or psychological conditions.

Been there – it’s a long, slow haul to deal successfully with a hoarder, so let’s hope it’s not too deeply entrenched.

Good luck!

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Joanne

No, you cannot preserve or “backdate” the date on an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) the way you can with a gas safety certificate.

While landlords can renew a Gas Safety Certificate up to two months early and retain their original expiry date (like an MOT), electrical regulations do not have this grace period.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Neill

‘An EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is a formal UK safety document assessing the condition of a property’s fixed wiring, fuse boards, and electrical accessories. Conducted by qualified electricians, it is a legal requirement for private landlords to obtain one every five years.’

Google, quoting Gov.uk

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Helen

Could you please explain what you mean by a ‘Letter of Interest’?

I’ve never heard of one in the almshouse world.

I HAVE heard of them in the commercial world, where they are unsolicited approaches to businesses from people looking for jobs. Sadly, most of them these days are written in impenetrable ‘business-speak’ (mostly quotes from similarly impenetrable LinkedIn profiles) and, as a result, often end up in the bin.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

‘conSERvation team’, obviously. Wretched, sneaky, auto-correct … !

🤣

[Nick Stiven]

Christina

The ‘model’ answer is, ‘Yes, you should get an opinion from your local authority conversation team’.

On the other hand, if your modifications can easily be 100% reversed, you shoukd be fine. For example, you screw your grab handles into a wooden doorframe – and could simply unscrew the handles afterwards, plug the screw holes and repaint the doorframe – then no harm is done.

Similarly, handles fastened to the mortar between stone blocks or brickwork should be acceptable. You can even be creative by fastening wood panels/planks to stonework or brickwork via screws/bolts in the mortar lines – and then fasten the grab handles to the panel/plank (thereby always protecting the building structure from irreversible damage).

But if you are in any doubt, consult your local authority.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Helen

Google says ‘a fire alarm zone chart is a mandatory requirement under BS 5839-1:2025 for virtually all commercial premises. If you received this quote, it is likely that the engineer identified that your existing zone plan was either missing, inaccurate, or outdated, which constitutes a major non-compliance during a fire safety service.’

BS 5839-1:2025 applies to the communal areas of almshouses (such as corridors, shared hallways, main entrances, utility rooms, lounges, and staff accommodation) because it is designed for non-domestic premises, including sheltered housing and multi-occupancy residential buildings’.

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Annett

It is generally not necessary to provide fire extinguishers etc inside self-contained flats, and many fire safety experts advise against it, preferring a “get out, stay out” policy (which, it seems, is your position). While fire blankets in kitchens are often considered good practice, extinguishers can encourage untrained residents to fight fires rather than evacuate.

Legislation:
The primary legislation is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Assessment:
Your obligation is to have a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) conducted by a competent person to determine what is necessary, based on the specific risks of your buildings.

In short, one size does not fit all, and what you do depends on the site-specific advice contained in your FRA.

Communal Areas:
Fire extinguishers are generally not required in common areas of small blocks of flats. If extinguishers are not required by your FRA, you can remove them. For most residential, self-contained, and purpose-built flats, the focus is on passive fire safety (fire doors, fire-resistant walls) and early warning (smoke alarms) rather than extinguishing equipment.

For all these reasons, while we have 19 units (a mixture of flats and cottages) we have followed our FRA, and have no extinguishers on site and have not replaced any ‘time-expired’ fire blankets (it seems our residents tend to micro-wave or bake, rather than fry food these days).

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Sue

In a simple domestic setting like your 8 bungalows, you really don’t need to pay a firm to check their water supplies. The necessary checks are incredibly easy to carry out – by., say, the Clerk,in as little as a morning.

Can I suggest you Google ‘do I need to get a company to carry out a full legionella assessment of a domestic water supply?’ Ask for an AI response.

I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the answer you get!

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Virginia

Try a look at:

https://www.lsh.co.uk/explore/research-and-views/view-points/2026/april/the-national-housing-bank-a-step-change-for-housing-delivery-and-regeneration-in-england?

It appears that The Housing Bank is not a retail bank (like, say, CAF Bank or Lloyds) but a public finance vehicle designed to increase housing supply across England by providing large-scale funding to:

• Housebuilders
• Housing associations / registered providers
• Local authorities
• Regeneration projects
• Institutional investors in housing

Its purpose is to ‘tackle market failures where viable housing projects stall because of lack of affordable finance, infrastructure costs, or iinvestment risk’.

Caution: You will need a PhD in ‘government finance-speak’ to understand the article! 😀

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

[Nick Stiven]

Sally

In most cases, yes — your charity will still have to pay VAT (usually 20%) on roof re-felting or roof repair works, even though you are a registered charity. Charity status alone does not create a blanket VAT exemption for building maintenance or repairs.

HMRC’s default position is that work to existing buildings is standard-rated unless a specific relief applies.

You may qualify for reduced or zero VAT only if:

• The building is being substantially altered, not merely repaired.

• It has been empty for 2+ years (certain residential reliefs may apply).

• It is part of an approved conversion.

• It is a listed place of worship, or if

• Specific grant schemes or heritage funding are available.

It’s also always worth looking at our Association’s website for your answer. This link may be useful:

VAT – Opportunities for Almshouse Charities

Nick Stiven
clerk@stjohnswilton.org.uk

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