Welcome to the newest edition of our newsletter on North Devon housing news. 

In this newsletter we'll let you know about:

• Council officer nominated for national award
• Braunton CLT update
• Refugee Week 2024
• Homes for Ukraine update
• All you need to know about Energy Performance Certificates
• Home adaption grants
• Calling landlords...
• Compliments for our Housing team
• Empty Homes project update

We are proud to announce that one of our Housing officers has been shortlisted in the prestigious LGC Awards, the biggest celebration of excellence in local government. 

Natasha (Tash) Rowland, our Service Lead for Housing, Vulnerable Persons and Community Safety has been recognised in the 'Outstanding Individual Contribution' category. She was nominated in recognition of her services to combat homelessness in North Devon. This includes being instrumental in the building of a partnership between the council, drug and alcohol services, physical and mental health services, and homelessness charities like Freedom Community Alliance, which all work together to support rough sleepers. Tash was also responsible for setting up eight rough sleeper pods along with sixteen temporary accommodation bed places, which have provided a place of safety for rough sleepers.

Leader of North Devon Council, Councillor Ian Roome said: “Tash has made a huge individual contribution to the lives of homeless people in the North Devon district. She has a high degree of compassion for those unfortunate enough to find themselves being forced to rough sleep and has the unique ability to think outside of the box to provide them with the support, dignity and human kindness that they need. 

"As well as being instrumental introducing temporary accommodation pods to Barnstaple, Tash has been at the forefront of developing and maintaining core relationships with a wide range of partner agencies and her "can-do attitude" has resulted in a year on year reduction in the number of rough sleepers in North Devon.

“I am very proud that Tash has been shortlisted for these awards, which present a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to all the people and organisations that work so hard to look after our communities.”

Tash has now completed a presentation and been interviewed by a judging panel made up of senior and influential figures within local government. 

The winners of the LGC Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday 12 June 2024 at Grosvenor House, London.

The Government has established the importance of Community Land Trusts in delivering affordable housing for local people and is beginning to change legislation and guidance to enable their development and success. CLT schemes tend to be 100% affordable housing (often social rent) and are not subject to the Right to Buy or Right to Acquire so they are available for future generations of the community in perpetuity.

There are 82 households living in Braunton Parish in housing need and registered on Devon Home Choice, the council’s housing register. There are over 2000 registered as being in need of affordable housing in North Devon. North Devon has a housing crisis and Braunton in particular, as a popular coastal holiday location, suffers with high house prices and a lack of supply. This is further exacerbated by housing not being available for local people to rent or to buy due to holiday lets and second homes. These issues, along with low levels of private rented stock mean that affordable housing is very much needed but isn’t being delivered.  Braunton CLT was legally formed in 2021 to find a solution to this and comprises of volunteers.  

We are aware that the CLT have looked at a number of sites around the village but each has presented difficulties in terms of planning restrictions or land ownership issues. Community Land Trusts are intended to provide the housing that the local community want and so it is very much hoped that the land ownership issues can be resolved or that other local, community spirited landowners come forward to offer land for this much-needed development.

Our Affordable Housing team will continue to work alongside Middlemarch (CLT technically advisors paid for through the Community Housing Fund) to support the CLT.

Get involved this Refugee Week - Growing compassion in your community

This Refugee Week taking place 17-23 June 2024 we have the opportunity to extend compassion and hospitality beyond our own homes and make entire communities more welcoming.

You or any community groups you're involved in can get involved to celebrate the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.

You could hold an event or participate in a ‘simple act’.

Simple Acts are easy, everyday actions we can all do to stand in solidarity with refugees and make new connections in our communities. A few ideas could be to:

• host a film night or watch a film at home with friends and family
• read or share stories to your group
• arrange a cricket/football match
• host a fundraiser to support local resettled families in your area
• welcome people to a supper club
• organise a musical event
• have a chat! Say hello to someone new in your community, workplace, school
• organise a show, maybe a play, theatre or dance production, photography exhibition
• organise a community garden project
• display an orange heart
• organise a community beach clean

Please share these acts via your communications and social platforms using the #RefugeeWeek #SimpleActs

The Pickwell Foundation has resource packs that can be shared with you to help prepare and promote events being hosted in Northern Devon. Resources are specially designed to help with sporting groups, hospitality, children and young people, schools, retail, libraries and general ideas.

Email for more details: nicola@thepickwellfoundation.org.uk or visit Pickwell's website.

Devon-based charity, The Pickwell Foundation works locally to provide assistance to refugees and asylum seekers, including offering support to Ukrainians and their sponsors in northern Devon through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

What is an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?

An EPC is a report that tells you how energy efficient your home is and where improvements could be made to help towards savings on your heating and power costs. Making your home more energy efficient can also reduce property carbon dioxide emissions helping you do your bit towards net zero.

Understanding the ABCs and 123s of EPCs

EPCs use A to G ratings to grade how well the property is performing, A being the top and unlikely to have recommendations for improvement and G meaning there is room for improvement.

The numerical scores range from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating a property that is kinder to the environment and your bank account.

The EPC shows at a glance how your home scores now and how it could look after the installation of some energy efficiency measures. Your EPC can show you recommendations for improvements such as insulation measures, boiler upgrades and even where solar panels may be beneficial.

Why do I need an EPC?

Your EPC may give you tailored advice on how to improve the energy efficiency in your home making it more cosy for you, cheaper to warm and better for our environment.  You can find your EPC here  Find an energy certificate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You may be eligible for funding to cover the costs of energy efficiency measures such as wall and loft insulations, heating solutions and solar panels.   Our webpages provide an overview of ECO4 scheme. Energy efficiency grants and loans | North Devon Council

Properties that are privately rented must have an EPC of at least an E under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards – Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard - landlord guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (exemptions apply)

Properties marketed for sale must also display a valid EPC in a timely manner.

No EPC, no problem

How to find an EPC assessor…Get a new energy certificate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or if your household meets the criteria for ECO4 or ECO Flex, an approved installer ECO Flexibility assistance | North Devon Council can provide an EPC for you as part of their assessment of your home.

We provide both mandatory disabled facilities grants and discretionary grants to adapt homes for people who are or could be, registered disabled and who, without the adaptation, would be unable to live safely and conveniently in their home.

You can apply for a grant if you own your home, rent from a private landlord or housing association or live with family.

Typical grant works include:

• installing stair lifts
• replacing a bath with a level access shower
• widening doorways
• providing ramps

In order to access a grant you’ll need to contact Care Direct at Devon County Council and they will arrange for an Occupational Therapist to carry out an assessment of your needs and make a referral to us if necessary.  Care Direct can be contacted on 0345 1551007.

Officers in our Housing teams are working hard to try and find solutions for those at risk of homelessness.  

Just a reminder that we are looking for landlords who may have accommodation available for rental. If you're a landlord or a prospective landlord, please come to us and we can work with you to find a tenant suitable for your property. 

We will offer some support at the start of the tenancy for those that may require it and also in some cases financial assistance with rent in advance or deposits.

Please do contact us for further information (01271 388870 or online).

Our Housing officers are extremely passionate about supporting those in housing need and work very hard to get the best results for their clients. It's lovely when they receive positive comments, and we thought we'd share a few of them with you...

"[Housing officer] has gone above and beyond to help me, even attending meetings with me and calling often to check on me after too." 

"I am writing this email to express my appreciation for your support and care. Thank you very much for your help."

I’d just like to let you know during my stay at [temporary accommodation] through yourselves... I would like to highly praise [housing officer] and the staff at the accommodation. They have gone above and beyond to make me feel at home and comfortable, even to the point of putting a reclining chair in my room as I’ve got arthritis in my hip to ease the pain while I’ve been here could you thank them for me please - five out of five stars, lovely welcoming people."

"You and your team have made everything so easy to manage for me and so helpful, brilliant team thankyou so much for all your hard work."

"I am extremely grateful for all the detailed advice you’ve sent me on Wednesday, thank you! It’s the most helpful guide to a new tenancy. Also, I would like to thank you for helping me with the temporary accommodation and getting a band B. I love my new rented home and I wouldn’t have been able to find to so quickly, if at all, without your help. Thank you for everything and take care."

"I would like to pass on how impressed I was with the service me and my young person received from [housing officer]. She was extremely responsive and helpful when I was unsure on what information was needed on each form. Her communications and hard work with me... have been noted and she has made a big difference to [young person] who now has a safe place to stay thanks to [housing officer]. One again, big thank you..." 

"Thank you so much for all the help and advice you have given me, to be honest I did not expect any the way my issue was handled, and in no way did I have any idea this help was available, I expected to be under a lot more stress, I just thought a housing officer would advise me on how to sort this issue I brought upon myself, to sort it out myself, when all the plans and moving forward was done by yourself and it's up to me now to stick to the agreements..."

"Thank you for all your kind help this year and last, you and your team do a wonderful job. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

"I would like to say how brilliant [housing officer] has been helping me with my homeless situation, she has helped secure a flat and given me full support with my problems. Well done thank you."

Last month saw the return of National Empty Homes Week.

In support of the national campaign, which started on Monday 4 March, we urged owners of empty properties to make the most of assistance available to them through North Devon Council.

National Empty Homes Week 2024 gives local authorities the opportunity to publicise the information and assistance available for owners of empty properties to help bring them back to use, as well as offering residents advice on how to report any empty homes in their neighbourhoods which are causing concern.

We have continued to work hard to reduce the number of empty homes in North Devon and are exploring a number of housing initiatives to support and encourage empty home owners to bring their properties back into use. These include:

• a continuing partnership with Lendology to provide affordable loans to empty home owners to renovate, develop and convert their properties to provide housing to people to live and work in North Devon
• a private sector leasing scheme for landowners looking for tenants. This reduces the demand for housing in North Devon, as well as ensuring landlords have their council tax paid for and receive a regular income
• a matchmaker service, connecting owners of empty homes with potential buyers, investors or developers. The service aims to match owners of empty homes (who would like to sell their property) with people who want to buy an empty home
• efforts to identify long-term vacant properties where the owner has passed away some time ago and the home remains unoccupied. The council is exploring ways to trace and engage with the next of kin of deceased owners of empty homes and will be exploring how they can provide help and advice to executors on probate - as well as supporting executors to dispose of an estate following grant of probate
• using new government powers to charge a council tax premium from April 2024 on properties left empty for more than one year. Currently, a premium is applied only on properties left empty for more than two years. From April 2025, the council will charge a council tax premium on all second homes, which it hopes will have a positive impact and further encourage empty home owners to act
• targeting those empty homes with large council tax arrears. The council has taken action to recover those debts and have been extremely successful. Some owners have decided to sell their empty home and paid their council tax debt out of the proceeds, whilst others have paid their council tax arrears and retained their property. The council has one current empty home case where they have secured an interim charging order to recover council tax arrears in respect of the empty home

Lendology is a social enterprise lender which provides empty property loans to homeowners which help spread the costs of renovation projects. Lendology is able to consider applications from individuals who may have inherited a property but are unsure of how to bring it back into use, through to companies converting a portfolio of properties. 

Owners can also opt to defer repayments for up to two years, allowing those with empty homes the time to complete their renovations before repayments start.

Information and advice on the Empty Homes project, including how to report an empty home and advice for home owners, is now available on the council's website at www.northdevon.gov.uk/empty-homes-project. 

For more information about the loan scheme, visit www.lendology.org.uk or call Lendology on 01823 461099.

Empty Homes Project