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In this issue:
The Community Safety Team have launched Coventry Council’s Crime and Anti-social Behaviour survey.
Coventry Community Safety Partnership is a group of organisations working together to ensure that the city remains a safe place and they want to hear from you.
As part of a consultation into the community safety plan 2024 to 2026 members of the public, agencies, businesses, and community organisations are being asked for their views. Please take the short survey in the link below to have your say.
The consultation runs until 2 October 2024.
Keeping Coventry Safe and Reducing Crime | Let's Talk Coventry
Since October 2023, our Compliance Officer (Fire Safety) has inspected 41 high rise (over 18 metres) residential buildings to ensure they meet Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022. A further 14 blocks will be inspected in due course.
We are also starting to look at medium rise (11 – 18 metres) buildings to try and identify any that may have combustible external walls.
The Cladding Safety Scheme is a fund that addresses fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings. Further details about the scheme can be found online.
Landlords and tenants can raise any issues they are concerned about in a block to the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) for the building. The PAP must display their name and contact details in the building.
A landlord has fixed problems of damp at a maisonette flat in Coventry, caused by a previous tenant who had encouraged pigeons to roost on a balcony.
The Council’s Housing Enforcement team took action by serving an improvement notice on who own the property.
It followed complaints from the tenant who reported that they had a problem of pigeons nesting on the balcony because a shelter had been put up. The pigeons were roosting there.
The balcony was covered in pigeon waste which also meant the balcony didn’t drain properly a result of which was that water was seeping into the property resulting in damp.
A fine of £26,703 has been paid by the landlord that Housing Enforcement levied for non-compliance with an Improvement Notice.
We have enforcement responsibilities and that’s why we served an improvement notice on behalf of the tenant requiring works to be carried out by the landlord.
We have regular and effective involvement with the landlord, and we have had fewer complaints about their properties due to changes they have made.
The importance of this case is that it highlights that we will always work closely with landlords but will challenge them on behalf of tenants if they are ever failing in their duty.
Coventry City Council has imposed a financial penalty on a landlord for failing to comply with a category 1 and 2 Improvement Notice within the required legal timeframe.
This action followed a complaint from tenants about their living conditions due to disrepair at the property and the lack of a satisfactory response from their landlord.
The Council’s Housing Enforcement team acted by serving an Improvement Notice requiring the landlord to address several issues, including deficiencies that exposed the tenants to hazards such as excess cold, damp and mould and poor personal hygiene, sanitation, and drainage.
The landlord failed to comply with the Notice within the required deadline, resulting in further action from the Council in fulfilment of its enforcement duties.
Although the landlord admitted that an administration oversight on their part led to the Improvement not being correctly noted upon receipt, this reason was found inadmissible.
A final fine of £10,833 was issued on the landlord which they have accepted and agreed to pay.
Additionally, the required improvements have been fully implemented, and the tenants expressed their satisfaction in a questionnaire survey conducted by the landlord.
We have been working closely with this landlord, and following this case, they have demonstrated efforts to reduce the risk of this happening again in the future.
The Council’s Empty Dwellings Strategy has recently contributed to the refurbishment and transformation of two private sector homes, creating new homes in properties that had been unoccupied for over five years (please see the below images of 1 house that was renovated).
One of the recent home improvements was three-bedroom mid-terraced house that had been neglected for over five years, it was almost hidden from view by the overgrown gardens.
Cllr David Welsh, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said: “Tackling any empty property involves a lot of detailed work and negotiation and that’s why our empty homes strategy is so important”.
“It’s great to see the difference it can make, and how homes that were previously empty and an eyesore for neighbours, are now family homes. I hope that we can see more success stories in future months.”
Neighbours had complained about the overgrown gardens affecting homes next door and through a combination of advice, informal warnings, and negotiation, the Council successfully encouraged the property owner to undertake significant works to fully renovate the property.
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Facing limited financial resources, the property owner reached out to a local property developer who agreed to invest in the project. The developer oversaw the refurbishment of the property and facilitated its advertisement on the open market.
The renovated property has just been sold, subject to contract to a local family with young children. The proceeds from the sale will be shared between the property owner and the developer, marking a positive outcome for all parties involved.
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There are various reasons why a property may become empty, such as the passing of the owner without any next of kin, relocation, or financial constraints preventing renovation. Dealing with empty property cases can be complex, involving absent owners, individuals in fragile health, or legal disputes.
Leaving a property empty can lead to its deterioration in condition and value, making it susceptible to vandalism, arson, squatters, and pest infestations. To address these issues, the Council's Empty Dwellings Officer collaborates with other departments and Legal Services, to ensure effective coordination, and to prioritise and progress cases.
If you would like to report a suspected empty home in your area, or you have an empty home and need advice, contact Coventry’s empty dwellings officer on 02476 975495 or by emailing emptyhomes@coventry.gov.uk.
The Coventry Landlord Accreditation Scheme (CLAS) was introduced in Coventry in April 2019. The purpose of the scheme is to improve the condition and management of properties in the private rented sector here in Coventry. We educate, encourage, acknowledge and actively promote good standards of practice to ensure improvement in the private rented sector.
We currently have over 1000 accredited landlords and over 130 accredited agents. We have conducted 62 free training sessions, which cover a variety of areas of housing law.
Each CLAS certificate is issued for 5 years, which means that accreditations issued in 2019 will expire this year. In order to renew your accreditation, you must submit a CLAS renewal application. If you have not used our Online Portal before, you will need to register first.
As part of the renewal process, you will be asked to complete an online test, which will confirm your knowledge of all the modules we cover during our CLAS training sessions. If you fail the test – do not worry, you will be asked to sit the next available training session to refresh your knowledge.
Please note that this is your responsibility to renew your accreditation before it expires. We advise to check your CLAS certificate to see when it is due for renewal. If you fail to renew your CLAS accreditation, then you will be required to submit a new application and attend the full training.
It should be noted that the lack of a valid CLAS certificate is likely to affect the length of your HMO licenses.
If you have any enquiries regarding CLAS accreditation, please contact our CLAS team.
The Gas Safety Charity are offering free online training regarding Carbon Monoxide (CO).
The Think CO online workshop aims to tell you more about what carbon monoxide is and how it is formed, the sources, signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, how to help prevent it, and what the implications are for you and your clients. In particular, the workshop focuses on long-term, low-level risks which can have serious consequences. The risks of CO poisoning increase with poverty and with spending time at home where CO may be present, but undetected.
The online workshop is a mix of presentation, scenarios and practical exercises. Only the presenters will be on video, but participants can ask (or type) questions throughout the session. The Chat function also enables you to answer questions and respond to real scenarios.
The workshop lasts just over an hour, and there will be an opportunity to ask further questions at the end. You will be sent a Zoom link at least 24 hours before the workshop starts.
Do you have properties to rent in Coventry?
Let’s Rent offers the rent guarantee and other benefits such as a managed scheme for peace of mind, deposit, bonus payment to private sector landlords who want to work with the Council by providing tenancies in order to alleviate homelessness in the city.
Let’s Rent is a completely free service so contact us to find out more.
Email the team: LetsRentCoventry@coventry.gov.uk
They will guarantee rent payments up to the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate for the period of the tenancy (up to 2 years).
The rent will be topped up to the average market rate.
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The Department for Work & Pensions have shared guidance for Landlords on Universal Credit and rented housing.
The guidance entails information for Landlords about Universal Credit (UC) to help them understand what they can do to help their tenants prepare for:
- Their move to the single Universal Credit benefit payment.
- Making payments of their housing cost (rent) direct to their landlord themselves.
Specifically, this guide covers the below topics:
- UC & Landlords
- Alternative Payment Arrangements
- Service Charges
- UC Housing Queries Routeway
- UC Consent & Disclosure
- UC – Top Tips for Landlords.
We want to work with you to improve housing in the city. If you want to get in touch with any questions please, contact the team:
Email: hmo@coventry.gov.uk
Telephone: 024 7697 5467
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