Issue - meetings

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Communities to submit a report seeking Cabinet approval to consult stakeholders on a draft tenancy agreement.

Having considered the content of the draft Tenancy Agreement, Cabinet APPROVED the commencement of the consultation.

Councillor Alan Pearson, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Communities introduced the report, the purpose of which was to seek Cabinet approval to consult stakeholders on a draft Tenancy Agreement.

Councillor Pearson gave a summary of the report, highlighting that a robust Tenancy Agreement would underpin a transparent and efficient Housing Improvement Plan and help to facilitate good housing and positive relationships with tenants.  The draft Agreement, which had been subject to engagement with the Tenants Forum Executive Committee (TFEC) and benchmarked against those of other councils, set out the responsibilities of the Council and its tenants.  All current tenants would be involved in the forthcoming Consultation on the draft Agreement.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         This issue was a high priority for the Council and formed part of improving the Council’s housing service.

·         The content of the draft Tenancy Agreement was robust but the formatting needed to be corrected to ensure the page numbers corresponded to those stated on the contents page.

·         To encourage tenant compliance with the Agreement (specifically the principles detailed at section 8 of the draft Agreement, relating to anti-social behaviour) and support the Council’s protection of others, the term of all new tenancies would be for an initial 12 months.  Providing tenants had complied with their responsibilities, as detailed within the Agreement, they would transition to secure tenancies.  Current law and regulations, as well as the Council’s procedure of consultation, written warnings, Housing Officers intervention would also support this. 

·         Tenancies and applications for tenancies had to be considered on a case by case basis.  The content of this Agreement gave the Council robust management of its tenancies.  It enabled the Council to refuse applications from those with a history of anti-social behaviour and provided a framework for court proceedings against non compliance of tenants.

·         It was important to ensure that Leicestershire County Council met their agreed obligations to vulnerable people and this Council.  Discussions would take place on a case by case basis.

DECISIONS (KEY DECISION)

Having considered the content of the draft Tenancy Agreement, Cabinet APPROVED the commencement of the consultation.

Reasons for decisions:

The Tenancy Agreement would assist officers in appropriately managing tenancies, with particular regard to rent collection, antisocial behaviour and providing tenants with information regarding their rights and responsibilities whilst living in their home.

The proposed agreement would allow officers to effectively enforce the conditions of the agreement whilst providing additional reassurance to tenants that their agreement with the Council was relevant and continued to uphold their rights.