Shapps tells landlords not to 'deny' tenants control of repairs cash

Published by Julien Tremblin for 24dash.com in Housing

Grant Shapps has told councils and housing associations not to "deny" tenants the right to control their repairs budget in a bid to kick-start his Tenant Cashback vision.

Tenant Cashback will allow residents to take more control of their repairs budgets for their homes and carry out their own DIY or commissioning, allowing them to pocket any savings made.

In a rallying call to landlords, the housing minister said the scheme could allow their tenants the opportunity to become "apprentices in the home" - undertaking basic training programmes to increase their job prospects.

Under the scheme, tenants will be allowed to tackle "everyday DIY dilemmas", like leaky taps, fitting doors and painting and decorating.

The revised regulatory framework will require landlords to ensure tenants have the opportunity to carry out repairs from next month.

However, the scheme has been greeted with some industry scepticism.

A number of providers have questioned whether it is appropriate for the Government to be regulating in this area, raising concerns, such as the potential risks to health and safety, the quality of repairs undertaken, legal and insurance implications, and the impact on contractual relationships.

Some, in particular, feel that the costs of administering a scheme could outweigh potential savings for tenants.

Tenant Cashback has been piloted over the last year by Home Group - who is offering its tenants tailored DIY courses at a B&Q training centre - Together Housing Group and Hastoe Housing Association.

Tenants of the Bromford Group are also receiving one to one advice on maintaining their homes and tenants have provided videos with hints to help their neighbours get started.

Landlords spend an average of £1,000 per property annually on repairs.

Mr Shapps said the scheme offers tenants the opportunity to earn up to £500 a year and for communities to come together to take on repairs for their area.

He said: "Rather than having to wait for landlords to act, tenants should be able to tackle their own DIY dilemmas and get paid for it.

"Tenant Cashback offers just that opportunity, with as much as £500 a year available to residents who sign up to tackle such minor repairs as leaky taps and decorating.  And for some, this could even serve as an apprenticeship in the home and the start on a path to a whole new career.

“This, combined with the potential to bring the local community together to improve the local area, means all councils and housing associations should give residents the right to take up tools through this new scheme."

Shadow housing minister Jack Dromey said: "Grant Shapps is stuck like a broken record constantly re-announcing the same policies. And not only is this a re-announcement, it is over-hyped.

"Grant Shapps talks of £4 billion spent on social housing repairs and maintenance each year but much of this includes structural, electrical and gas repairs. Does he expect tenants to fix their own gas-main?

"Above all what tenants tell me they want is a reliable repairs service provided by their landlord. If your boiler breaks down in freezing weather or your kitchen is flooded, the last thing you want is to have to hunt for a handyman. But, of course, where tenants are willing and able to do their own DIY such as painting and basic carpentry work they should be able to do so and many landlords already have the powers to make this possible.

"But we also want to be sure that this doesn’t lead to higher costs in the long run. The Government’s own impact assessment says that the costs of repairs could increase as a result of a drop in standardisation, loss of economies of scale and low standard repairs.”