PHHS
Connect
  • Home
  • Why Choose Us?
  • News & Views
  • Business Planning
  • Cultural Change
  • Interim Management
  • Lean Systems Reviews & Process Re-engineering
  • Performance Management
  • Project Management
  • Resident Involvement & Scrutiny
  • Service Improvement
  • Stock Rationalisation

Philanthropy Begins at Home: #sayyestoreclassify

25/7/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
Peter Hall (@PHHSl) writes passionately about the bedroom tax, asking Why aren't more landlords reclassifying homes to ease the real pain being caused?

There’s been a lot of press this week on 100 days of the bedroom tax and its impact. The NHF highlighting the impact in the North West citing £21m lost income. Aragon taking the time, effort and presumably significant resource to produce a glossy brochure on the impact on its business (a £7,000 increase in arrears while 5 staff have been recruited to help people affected ‘budget’ better!) And then I see that a man slashed his throat in a job centre after complaining about the impact of the bedroom tax.

All this time, effort and negative impact on businesses, and most importantly, individuals, when all the time landlords have it in their power in one fell swoop to take away all misery and suffering it’s causing – as I’ve written in detail about elsewhere - by reclassifying properties. Simple. Change it from a 3 Bed to a 2 Bed for rent purposes and charge a lower rent. Or a 2 bed to a 1 bed. Some have done so. Why aren’t others following suit?

The housing sector is rightly very proud of its origins in the philanthropic Peabodys and Rowntrees, among others. Surely it makes business and philanthropic sense to simply reclassify homes and reduce the rent charge (even temporarily) in the circumstances?

What rational business would sit back and see £000’s being lost on rental income merely because the property is ‘hard to let’ because of the bedroom tax,  or even consider demolition rather than just reduce the rent by a few £’s a week?

Does it make sense to employ 5 people to help with budgeting when those badly affected have no budget to speak of or hope of a move or work in the near future? Does it make business sense to spend £’s chasing arrears which you’ll never recover?

And what genuinely philanthropic business would see the physical and emotional human hardship and turmoil being caused by the bedroom tax, and choose not to act in the most simple manner to end that simply because ( as I’ve seen commented elsewhere)  ‘we can’t allow rent policy to be dictated by government welfare policy’ or some notional fear of lenders not liking what they see. Especially with HA surpluses rising yet again for the last financial year. L&Q up to £100m. Home Group doubling to £64m. Hyde £25m. Riverside £22m. The reductions in rents by reclassifying properties and saying they have less bedrooms are a drop in the ocean compared to those levels.

Come on #ukhousing. Do that maths. Get creative. Don't do what you're told to do. Do what you know is right. Ask all of your tenants rather than your FD or your board what they would rather you do and give them some genuine options on where savings could be made elsewhere to keep services going , still maintain and improve existing stock , and deliver much needed smaller new homes for those affected to move into. I’m betting most would happily agree to their fellow tenants being given some reprieve on a ‘there but for the grace of god go I’ basis! And it needn't be permanent. Just give those affected some relief  for a limited period at least while other options are worked through - lodgers, downsizing etc.

If I’m barking up the wrong tree, let me know. But if you’re a fellow housing professional, tenant or interested observer who feels the same, tweet away at #sayyestoreclassify!

2 Comments

V3a. Its Software Jim. But not as we know it.

4/7/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sceptical about how software can help you with Vfm , risk and a commercial approach?
To be honest that's not an uncommon position. Most housing IT comes with a lot of promises but ends up being data & resource hungry. We've all been there. The price quoted doesn't reflect what you end up paying for additional input and configuration to make it work. Here's something different.
At the #housing2013 session on how to be successful in a new commercial environment the message from @yvonnecastle was clear. Real time, simple and a low no. of KPIs are essential to enable commercial activity to be free to thrive and risk managed.

V3a is software which does just that, but not as you know it. It can be up and running in a matter of days & linked to existing data . It was designed for the housing profession by housing profssionals. It gives you a clear insight into what's required - helping to inform and shape your approach to Vfm and risk on a commercial basis without breaking the bank.

Your mission: Explore a new frontier, seek out new forms of simplicity, and boldly go where no software solution has gone before.

Take a peak at the new frontier of Vfm
0 Comments

What the Housing Sector Can Learn from 'Life on Mars'

3/7/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
Peter Hall (@phhsl) reflects on the CIH 2013 Housing Conference

At last week’s CIH 2013 housing conference, I was struck by how much of the debate seemed to be a sort of Groundhog Day for the sector, with the same old calls from the sector for more social housing and the same responses from the government.

With the CSR announcement equating to £3bn of capital subsidy and £5bn of public land to be made available for new homes from 2015, and certainty on rents provided via CPI, surely the sector could and should start delivering, and break free of it's Groundhog Day…?


Read More
2 Comments
    Latest Newsletter >
    Tweets by @UltimateVFM

    Archives

    September 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    September 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    News
    Views

    RSS Feed

    Latest Industry News & Views

    Join our mailing list to receive information and updated News & Views from us

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required
    Email Format
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.