[emmapannell]

With all the changes to employment law, I would be very careful to make sure you do use correct wording in employment contracts, fixed term, or permanent. We use an HR consultant for this reason – and I always seek up to date contracts from her as and when required.

[emmapannell]

I will await any update on this with interest, as the wording, when looked at in this context (who is responsible for WMC and bills after the death of a resident) appears a little vague. In the Standards of Almshouse Management (SAM), it has this:

10.25.11 Depending upon the terms of the Terms of Appointment, WMC would normally remain payable by the resident’s estate up until the point at which the almshouse is vacated (i.e., the possessions and furniture have been cleared) and the keys returned to the charity.

But the wording in the Almshouse Association Letter of Appointment does not make reference to this.

Emma Pannell, Pinnocks Charity, Gravesend

[emmapannell]

We do provide carpets – either the ones originally put in the properties, which were all glued to the floors, or those left by outgoing resident, which have been laid on top. If carpets are left in bad condition and are uncleanable, we would replace them. In most cases it’s unlikely that our incoming residents would be able to afford to carpet the flat themselves and would simply be grateful for a decent home to live in.

So although we consider the Decent Homes Standard as our minimum requirements, we add an element of ‘the right thing to do’ as well. nb The Decent Homes Standard is changing – and is likely to include the necessity for floor coverings, which it currently does not call for.

Emma Pannell
Pinnocks Charity, Gravesend.

[emmapannell]

Hi Sarah – I would also be interested in others’ experiences and policies around this topic. I am aware of another almshouse who have something like a ‘transition’ period for when children reach the age of 18 – and would not insist on changing the terms of their occupancy straight away – and certainly not in the case of an 18-year-old who goes to college/university, as their status would be ‘full time student’ rather than ‘working’.

We already house / have housed a couple of very young families, but from next year will be housing many more – and so this topic is relevant to us.

Sarah – does your current licence make mention of this 18 threshold?

Kind regards, Emma
Pinnocks Charity, Gravesend
emma.pannell@pinnocks.org

[emmapannell]

Hi Paul – hopefully your solicitor will provide more detail on this (I assume you have a solicitor who is used to dealing with licence situations) but I think you’d set yourself up for future trouble if you simply cancel a licence. The Almshouse Standards has detail on Setting Aside a Licence, and you’d need to be careful to follow that advice. Maybe the AH Assoc can provide you with extra help here too?
All the best, Emma

[emmapannell]

I asked almshouse association for an update on this today and Susan Brooks replied saying that Nick is still working on this and will update us all when there is any news.

[emmapannell]

Received yesterday from Danielle Hughes at Almshouse Association Support, who may well post to this forum too:

Good afternoon Emma

We are working with Housing Ombudsman to share guidance and make it more accessible for our members. This is being worked on over the next couple of months so should be ready for when you are required to submit.

Kind regards

Danielle Hughes
Member Support Officer

[emmapannell]

I’ve been in email communication with the housing ombudsman this week, following their request for the Annual Submission, which finally found its way to me this week. Their response to me yesterday was that our submission is not due until March 2025, and they said:

“We are currently working with the Almshouse Association, so please also reach out the them if you require any help and support. If you do require anything further before submission date, please do not hesitate to contact us again.”

They have been responsive to my various emails,, and I had explained to them that although we were keen to comply, we are a very small team (without a complaints department etc).

I will now ask the almshouse association direct about their advice on this.

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