Issue - meetings

Arising from a report of the Head of Housing and Property Services and a recommendation from the Decent and Affordable Homes Policy Development Group, the PDG had recommended that the adoption of the Housing Services Hoarding Policy be recommended to Council

Arising from a *report of the Head of Housing and Property Services and a recommendation from the Decent and Affordable Homes Policy Development Group, the PDG had recommended that the adoption of the Housing Service Hoarding Policy be recommended to Council.

The Cabinet Member for Housing outlined the contents of the report stating that the Council was committed to improving the Housing Service; the implementation of a new Hoarding Policy would provide guidance for officers to follow when responding to issues that arose when properties were cluttered or were being used to hoard large amounts of possessions including animals.

It was good practice to put in place preventative measures to reduce health and safety risks to the tenant and others as well to reduce neglect and wilful damage to the property.

Consideration was given to the types of hoarding ranging from rubbish to the number of dogs kept in a property.

(Proposed by Chairman)

Note: *Report previously circulated, copy attached to minutes.

To receive a report from the Housing Services Manager explaining the need for a new policy for the Housing Service relating to hoarding and seeking the adoption of this.

The Group had before it a report * from the Housing Services Manager explaining the need for a new policy for the Housing Service relating to hoarding.

It was explained that this can be a difficult area for the Housing Service to deal with. There was a programme of Tenancy Checks in place which helped to identify problems. However, sometimes there were mental health issues to consider as well as the fact that standards of tidiness differed from person to person. Serious cases could have health and safety implications. For example, there may be a fire hazard or issues relating to rodent infestations. In such cases sensitive handling was needed. Again, partnership working was essential and the policy gave housing officers a toolkit to work with.

Discussion took place regarding:

·         Extreme cases and what could happen. It was explained that if there was a mental health issue and the person had a representative to act on their behalf then it could be argued that the tenant was not making themselves intentionally homeless. However, officers were trained to try and resolve issues before they escalated to this stage.

·         Costs relating to rechargeable repairs and whose funding responsibility this was. It was explained that each case was different and that it depended on whether or not there was deliberate damage and/or mental health issues.

RECOMMENDED to the Cabinet that the adoption of the new Hoarding Policy be recommended to Council.

(Proposed by Cllr R J Dolley and seconded by Cllr Mrs E M Andrews)

Note: * Report previously circulated; copy attached to the signed minutes.