Agenda Reports Pack (Public) 15/10/2012, 19.00 - Meetings ...

Building a Housing Ladder of Opportunity –Tenancy Strategy7.4 In tandem with this Tenancy Strategy, the Council has prepared draftdocuments setting out its approach to its housing strategy; housingallocations scheme; and homelessness.7.5 2010 Equalities Act – The Council will need to ensure that theTenancy Strategy meets equality requirements set out in the Act,ensuring that the nine protected characteristics which cannot be usedas a reason to discriminate against people unfairly. The ninecharacteristics are as follows: age; disability; gender reassignment;marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religionor belief; sex; or sexual orientation. The Council will seek to ensure thatthis Tenancy Strategy meets the 2010 Act requirements and willpublish an equalities impact assessment to set out how it has achievedthis objective.8. Affordable Rent Model8.1 The Council recognises that the Coalition Government has introduceda new Affordable Rent model for some new homes provided byRegistered Providers and for up to 50% of re-lets by some providers inthe borough. The Council will wish to discuss proactively with providershow these opportunities can be used to meet its key objective ofincreasing full or part home ownership in the borough, and howresulting proceeds can be both retained locally and recycled for furtherhousing investment in Hammersmith & Fulham.8.2 The rents described above are higher than ‘target rents’ which arecharged for mainstream social housing. With the advent of theGovernment’s wider welfare reforms, particularly the Universal Creditcaps identified above, both housing applicants, the Council in itsadvisory role and registered providers will need to take greater care inunderstanding whether a proposed tenant(s) is able to sustain thetenancy granted. By this is meant the tenant being able to afford to payrent and all other associated property costs for the home, with theadditional consideration of tenants receiving their universal credit directand paying their housing costs to the landlord concerned. Prospectivetenants may require their own advice to consider affordability issues.8.3 From April 2013, the Council is adopting the following approach toAffordable Rents in the borough: Private Registered Providers (PRPs)will be expected to maximise the rent that can be charged for newaffordable rent schemes and for up to 50% of homes that are re-let. Inline with the Housing Allocation Scheme, the Council intends to givegreater housing priority to working households whilst also encouragingentry to home ownership. In this vein, where Local Lettings Plans areadopted, the Council is likely to give greater preference to workinghouseholds either from the Housing Register or the HomeBuy Registerfor Affordable Rent housing, particularly where applicants haveexpressed a preference to entering home ownership in the future.15Page 440