Resident Questions for Housing Area Panel

Department				Housing
Date question raised				28/06/2022
Date of Area Panel				17/08/2022
Area in city				North
Star rating applied by residents				2 star – local area issue
Deadline for officer response				25/07/2022
Name of officer responding				Michael Raywood
Officer job title				Housing Manager, North
Title of Question:		Empty Council housing, and housing policy and procedures
Issue: Council houses that would be suitable for families are being left empty due to poor Council policies and procedures.
Background: 9 Horton Road in Hollingdean is a 3-bedroom house with a garden. The tenant has not been living there for months because he has been moved into a nursing home due to having Alzheimer’s. The tenants’ children have contacted the Council to ask for the tenancy to be terminated, so that it can be used to house new tenants. However, the Council will only deal directly with the tenant (which is not possible due to his ill health), and unwilling to deal with the family of the tenant to resolve the issue. The tenant is still paying rent on the property in the meantime.
Action requested by residents: 1) Why is the Council unable to deal directly with the family of a tenant, where a tenant is clearly no longer able to do so him/herself? 2) What steps will the Council take to resolve the issue at 9 Horton Road, and make the property available to new tenants?
Officer Response: Michael Raywood
Officer contact details:			Michael Raywood@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Response: Whilst we’re not able to share specific information about tenants, the coucil understands why this is a concern, particularly given the high demand for housing in the city. I can reassure you that we are aware of this property and the reasons it is empty. Properties can be left empty for a number of reasons. For example, a tenant may be working away from home or has a caring responsibility and has an intention to return. Other examples are where a tenant is in hospital for a period of time or who has potentially lost capacity to make decisions regarding their tenancy. In this instance the council would seek an order from the Court of Protection to end their tenancy.
Specific Action:
Action: The tenancy team has made enquiries to social services and will liaise with the service until this case is resolved.
Timeline:
Start date:	Ongoing
End date:	Ongoing