Private Housing

Interview with Angel Radio

There are currently two partnerships operating in the South Hampshire area, funded by the Government and local councils, to offer assistance to vulnerable residents living in unsafe and cold private homes. The assistance offered includes interest free and low cost loans to pay for essential repairs and home improvements; grants to improve energy efficiency and adapt homes to meet the needs of disabled occupiers; and practical help, such as choosing reliable builders and filling in application forms.

By private housing we mean homes that are owner occupied or privately rented.

Residents living in Eastleigh, Gosport and Portsmouth can benefit from assistance offered by the Southern Home Loans Partnership.

Contact details are available at Home Trust Loan or from your local council.

PUSH 4 Safer Homes

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Residents living in East Hampshire, Fareham, Havant, New Forest, Southampton, Test Valley and Winchester can benefit from assistance offered by the partnership known as PUSH 4 Safer Homes. Further details are given below and in the brochure (see related links).

Please click here to view the PUSH 4 Safer Homes Video.

Information is available from the PUSH 4 Safer Homes contact centre on 0800 519 1717. Calls are answered 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Friday

The 7 Local Authorities in the PUSH 4 Safer Homes Partnership are:

Other partners include the Home Improvement Agency, the Landlords Associations and the Energy Advice Centre. Each local authority predicted how many and how much they could distribute in loans and hence the financial distribution among the partners. The full Partnership meets every three months whilst the Steering Group meets on a more frequent basis. In November 2008, the Partnership employed a Loans Development Co-ordinator to offer additional support and marketing. The various products and their associated funds will be spent over a three year period, PUSH 4 Safer Homes was launched in January 2009.

Home Improvement Loan

The loan is interest free with no monthly repayments. The loan is registered at Her Majesty’s Land Registry and must be repaid when ownership of the property is transferred. The home owner must however continue to live in the property and continue to keep it in good repair, otherwise the loan must be repaid.

Each local authority can impose their own rules, thus the maximum loan values will differ. In some Councils the maximum cost of building works is £50,000, in others it is less. Other variables will be the use of Approved builders, Home Improvement Agencies, competitive tendering or Schedule of Rates and the level of household income for beneficiaries and which types of work qualify for loan assistance.

Accessible Home Loan

Disabled Facilities Grants are mandatory, subject to appropriate advice from social services. For those local authority customers, who need these adaptations, they are essential to enable them to stay in their own homes safely. Sometimes a home needs to be repaired before an adaptation can be made and a Home Improvement Loan can be offered alongside the DFG. A test of resources is required for all grants, except those for children and sometimes this requires grant beneficiaries to pay a contribution. The maximum amount of the grant is £30,000. If a customer needs work above the value of £30,000 or has a contribution which they cannot afford to pay, an Accessible Home Loan could help. This loan works in the same way as the Home Improvement Loan.

Landlord Loan

Empty properties are a wasted resource and in some cases an eye sore. Local authorities want to help landlords to repair these properties and rent them out. The partnership is developing a loan product to address this need and the first loan is being piloted in East Hants District Council.

Warmer Homes Grant

Energy efficiency is important in all local authorities where Government targets needs to be met. Warmfront is a grant which plays a major role in addressing this need. A Warmfront Grant is available to anyone in receipt of income support, guarantee pension credit, some disability benefits and beneficiaries over the age of 60. This Grant can pay for loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, central heating and other measures up to the value of £3,500. EAGA administer the scheme and organize the works. The costs are on a Schedule of Rates basis and sometimes there are insufficient funds to undertake all the works, for example if the house is particularly large. Thus customers are sometimes required to make a contribution towards the cost of works. If they cannot afford to do this, Home Improvement Agencies may be able to help to find charitable funding. Under the Partnership, the Warmer Homes Grant is available to pay for this top up and EAGA have agreed to administer its distribution in a way which will cause minimum inconvenience to its customers.

Home Improvement Agencies

Home Improvement Agencies in Hampshire are funded by Local Authorities, Supporting People, Adult Services and Hampshire County Council.

Home Improvement Agencies help people to stay in their own homes if they want to. Their staff are aware of local services and will signpost to appropriate agencies for help with for example benefits or fire safety. They will undertake a risk assessment and offer advice on possible funding for repairs or adaptations which include the products on offer from the local authority. Caseworkers will provide the main point of contact, but Surveyors are available if required.

The Agencies will support customers through the grant/loan process, prepare the schedules, arrange the builders and help with any paperwork. They will also check the work on site and help to resolve any problems. In touch provide the Home Improvement Agency service in Hampshire with their partners Community First.