Join us for this free 60 minute webinar on how to keep your charity’s data safe.
When: 23 July 2020, 15:00-16:00
Cost: Free
Hosted by KCS Ltd, The Almshouse Association’s IT provider, this webinar will:
- look at the techniques used by criminals to access your data
- explain the damage this can cause
- give you tips on how to protect your organisation and yourself.
The webinar will be held on Skype and you will need to have Skype downloaded to take part.
Posted 9th July 2020
The Office for National Statistics released its monthly Index of Private Housing Rental Prices last week which shows the continued growth of private rent in the last 5 years.
The figures show that between January 2015 and June 2020 Private Housing Rental Prices have increased by 9.3%. Too many people already struggle to afford their rent alongside all other necessities and the continued rise in rent, sometimes for inadequate housing, means this problem can only get worse.
The Almshouse Association believes that we must do more to make high-quality, community housing a larger part of our society. The almshouse model provides genuinely affordable accommodation to those in need, providing them with independence and removing the burden of excessive rents. Almshouses have provided this service for over 1,000 years and are ready to continue serving their communities so that no one is left without a roof over their head.
15 July 2020
Supported Housing has recently written an article on how and why it may be beneficial for members to claim enhanced Housing Benefit for Intensive Housing Management (also known as enhanced housing management and/or additional housing management).
The guidance refers to traditional rent/service charges, but the rules are still applicable to almshouses.
What is Enhanced Housing
Benefit and Intensive Housing Management?
Intensive Housing Management
tasks are normally associated with the work of a Support Worker or Scheme Manger,
but there is no definitive list. Functions could include:
“Housing management functions
such as lettings, assistance with claiming Housing Benefit to ensure that rent
and service charges are paid, controlling access and facilitating and
monitoring site visits from contractors and other visitors/professionals,
arranging aids and adaptations, health and safety and risk assessments of
property, management, administration, delivery and facilitation of housing
services provided, the additional maintenance and services costs.”
As long as these tasks are not
funded by any other revenue stream they can be funded by Housing Benefit. Furthermore, if you are a registered provider
of social housing and you charge Intensive Housing Management as a service
charge, the local authority can reclaim the full cost back from the government.
In this scenario, you are not only helping your own charity financially, but
you would also be contributing to your local area.
The key points of the article are:
- Enhanced Housing Benefit is payable to providers
of supported and sheltered housing if they comply with Exempt Accommodation
rules.
- You can get the full cost recovery on your
housing costs
- Choosing this method could free up funds to
invest in your almshouses and staff
The Almshouse Association offers a template letter and a non-exhaustive list of services to members wishing to apply for Exempt Accommodation Status. This can be found at https://www.almshouses.org/model-policies-and-templates/ Alternatively, you may choose to use the service offered by Supported Housing, however if you are eligible for Enhanced Housing Benefit, you will incur a charge for the assistance.
14 July 2020
The Almshouse Association would like to make members aware of the new Complaints Handling Code which has been published by the Housing Ombudsman Service.
The Code is meant to ‘a framework for high-quality complaint handling and greater consistency across landlords’ complaint procedures’. This new code is only applicable to those members who are Registered Providers and are therefore obliged to be registered with the Housing Ombudsman, or those who have voluntarily chosen to sign up.
The key areas of the code are:
- Universal definition of a complaint
- Providing easy access to the complaints
procedure and ensuring residents are aware of it, including their right to
access the Housing Ombudsman Service
- The structure of the complaints procedure – only
two stages necessary and clear timeframes set out for responses
- Ensuring fairness in complaint handling with a
resident-focused process
- Taking action to put things right and
appropriate remedies
- Creating a positive complaint handling culture
through continuous learning and improvement
- Demonstrating learning in Annual Reports
Members will be asked to self-assess against the Code by 31st
December 2020 and to publish their results. Failure to do so could lead to the
Ombudsman issuing a complaint handling failure order.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact The Almshouse Association for assistance.
Posted 13th July 2020
The Almshouse Association would like to express its thanks to Stephen Morgan MP for raising the issue of Covid-19 testing in almshouses in Parliament last week.
Mr Morgan asked:
To the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of (a) recent trends in the level of Covid-19 tests being undertaken in almshouse settings and (b) the effectiveness of such testing on improving the well-being of vulnerable people resident in those settings.”
Department of Health and Social Care Minister Nadine Dorries
MP responded:
The Department recognise the importance of testing and the role a clear result plays in giving individuals assurance and the ability to make informed decisions. The Department is working with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure eligible individuals from vulnerable groups in a range of settings are able to access testing.
Thanks to the continuing increase in testing capacity, all symptomatic individuals in England and Wales and all symptomatic individuals aged five and over across the United Kingdom are eligible for a test for COVID-19.
The Department publishes daily figures including the number of COVID-19 tests undertaken but with the exception of whole care home testing, does not record the residence type of those tested.”
The Almshouse Association thanks Mr Morgan for raising the question. However, we do not feel that the question has been adequately answered and as such almshouse managers and volunteer trustees are still concerned about their vulnerable residents. We have recently written a similar question to the government and look forward to a more substantial response which can provide our members with much needed reassurance.
Posted 9 July 2020
The Almshouse Association’s Response to Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs
The Almshouse Association welcomes the government’s efforts
to protect jobs, particularly within the housing sector. We also welcome news
of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, but look forward to further clarification
on whether almshouses, as charitable affordable housing providers will be
entitled to access this fund.
The Association understands that the Government will make more significant announcements as part of the regular Autumn Statement, but feel that greater emphasis was needed in this plan on providing affordable housing as a key job creator. We believe that the government must promote affordable housing, including almshouses, on the scale that is truly needed in our country, not only to create jobs for the expected recession, but to provide a real solution to the housing crisis.
Posted 9th July 2020
The Almshouse Association would like to highlight the release of the Charity Inquiry: double defaulter charities between April 2019 and March 2020 report published on July 6th.
The report highlights the risks for charities who fail to
submit their financial information to the Charity Commission for 2 or more
years. Inclusion in such reports can cause widespread problems, not only
causing damage to the reputation of individual charities, but to the wider
almshouse movement.
It is vital that out members submit the required financial
information promptly and accurately. If you have any issues around this process
or need help, please do not hesitate to contact The Almshouse Association so
that we can provide you with all the support you need.
The full report can be found here.
As the lockdown continues to ease around the nation, it is worth remembering to catch up with vital checks which may not have been undertaken as buildings were left understaffed or empty.
A particularly important check at this time is that of water safety. It is highly recommended that members carry out the necessary checks for Legionella. Further advice on this can be found at Chapter 4.15 of our Standards of Almshouse Management Guidance Manual.
In addition, you may want to take our online training course on Legionella –click here to access
Gas
safety checks are also important. The Health and Safety Executive has provided
the following guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic:
Landlords have a legal duty to repair and maintain gas pipework, flues and appliances in a safe condition, to ensure an annual gas safety check on each appliance and flue, and to keep a record of each safety check.
If you anticipate difficulties in gaining access as the COVID-19 situation progresses, you have the flexibility to carry out annual gas safety checks two months before the deadline date. Landlords can have the annual gas safety checks at their properties carried out any time from 10 to 12 calendar months after the previous check and still retain the original deadline date as if the check had been carried out exactly 12 months after the previous check.
You are encouraged to arrange your annual gas safety checks as early as possible, as a contingency against tenants being in self-isolation for a period of 14 days (in line with current guidelines), or gas engineers being unavailable due to illness. The two-month period to carry out annual gas safety checks should provide adequate resilience in most situations.
In the event, you are unable to gain access to the property, e.g. persistent refusal of access due to vulnerable tenants self-isolating, you will be expected to be able to demonstrate that you took reasonable steps to comply with the law and that you are seeking to arrange the safety check as soon as all parties are able. This will need to include records of communication with the tenant, and details of your engineers attempt to gain access.
Health and Safety Executive
As always, if you have any concerns please do not hesitate
to contact The Almshouse Association and we will be more than happy to assist.
Posted 7th July 2020
The Almshouse Association commends the final report of the Affordable Housing Commission carried out by Lord Best and his colleagues. We agree with the commission that there is no ‘silver bullet’ which could fix everything within the current housing crisis. What is needed is a multi-facet approach, which we believe almshouses should be a part.
The report is right to highlight the need for ‘a 21st century version of the extensive sheltered housing programme of times past’ to achieve both high-quality housing for the elderly, whilst freeing up larger properties for young families. Almshouses have been around for a thousand years, the earliest form of community housing but it is interesting that more are being built today than at any other time since the Victorian period. Almshouses provide over homes for over 35,000 people in need. There is an almshouse in nearly every constituency in the country and we believe that almshouses are perfectly placed to provide first-class housing fit for the 21st century.
Our member charities already provide residents of all ages with accommodation which is affordable and encourages independence. Yet in recent years, misunderstandings of what almshouses are and how they work have held them back from fulfilling their full potential as the exemplar of community housing. At the Almshouse Association we pride ourselves on the service that our members provide and the well-being of their residents.
The Association hopes that the Government listens to the recommendations of the Affordable Housing Commission. We also look forward to engaging further with members across government and the housing sector to help fix our housing crisis, with almshouses playing a vital role in the solution.
A new age of almshouses is before us and with it comes a fantastic opportunity to provide truly affordable community housing, rooted in the communities they serve.
Full report can be found here
Posted 6 July 2020
On July 1st The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 came into effect for new ‘specified tenancies’. Existing tenancies will not be affected until April 1st 2021.
Please look at our guidance below on what the new regulations require so that you are prepared:
The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020
New regulations are to come into effect that will require each dwelling to acquire an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) every 5 years: ‘electrical installation’ means fixed electrical cables or fixed electrical equipment located on the consumer’s side of the electricity supply meter. These Regulations apply in England only to all new ‘specified tenancies’ from 1st July 2020 and all existing ‘specified tenancies’ from 1st April 2021.
These regulations apply to almshouse charities.
The first inspection and testing on an almshouse property must be carried out before the resident moves-in, in relation to a new ‘specified tenancy’ and from 1st April 2021 in all the properties, in relation to an existing ‘specified tenancy’.
Following the inspection and testing charities must:
- obtain a written report from the person conducting
the inspection and test, which gives the results of the inspection and test and
the date of the next inspection and test;
- supply a copy of the report to each existing
resident of the residential premises within 28 days of the inspection and test;
- supply a copy of the report to the local housing
authority within 7 days of receiving a request in writing for it from that
authority;
- retain a copy of that report until the next
inspection and test is due and supply a copy to the person carrying out the
next inspection and test; and
- supply a copy of the most recent report to:
- any new resident of the ‘specified tenancy’ to
which the report relates before that resident occupies those premises; and
- any prospective resident within 28 days of
receiving a request in writing for it from that prospective resident.
Any further investigative or remedial work identified in the
report should be carried out by a
qualified person(s) within 28 days, unless a shorter period is specified. The charity must obtain written confirmation
confirming that the investigative or remedial work carried out meets the electrical safety standards.
Full details of the legislation and ‘landlord’ responsibilities can be found here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2020/9780111191934
NOTE: These regulations only apply to charities operating in England
Posted 6 July 2020