Your Housing Newsletter - Issue 19

Your Housing Newsletter - Issue 19 in this issue you will find information on:

• Foreword
• Housing Management
• Repairs and Maintenance
• Meeting the Needs of Homeless People
• Affordable Housing and Regeneration
• Tenant Participation and Involvement
• Project 101 - Youth Housing Project
• Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour
• Next Steps?
• Complaints Procedure and Further Information

Foreword

As Chair of the Housing, Health & Care Forum, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read the ‘Your Housing News’ tenant newsletter, which covers Housing and Property Maintenance services within East Dunbartonshire Council. The newsletter sets out a summary of the key achievements of housing, homelessness and Property Maintenance services for 2021/22 and highlights areas for further development.

The report details performance information on a range of service areas that we have reported on for a number of years, as well as some Scottish Social Housing Charter indicators, that have been set out by the Scottish Housing Regulator.

The Scottish Social Housing Charter is a way of monitoring how social landlords are performing and meeting customer expectations. The Charter sets out the standards and outcomes that all social landlords should aim to achieve when performing their everyday housing activities. This is the ninth year that we have reported on the Charter.

The heart of the Charter is about delivering good customer service and meeting customer expectations - something that we are committed to at East Dunbartonshire Council. The Charter aims to improve upon quality and standards of service across all social landlords. This will be achieved by customers having a clear idea of what they can expect from their landlords. These outcomes have been agreed through consultation with tenants.

In line with the Charter, we will also monitor our own performance and publish an annual performance report. In this report, we have detailed the Charter indicators in blue font, to highlight the differences between these indicators and our own local performance indicators. Figures stated within the report are accurate as of 31 May 2022.

The report will be made available soon and copies sent to tenants and residents' groups on demand.

Councillor Gordan Low.

Housing Management

About us

The Council currently owns and manages 3757 houses and flats across East Dunbartonshire. Table 1 shows a breakdown of Council stock per area.

Table 1 Current stock of houses and flats in East Dunbartonshire

Area	Mainstream	Temporary
Bearsden	293	6
Milngavie	574	6
Lennoxtown	400	4
Milton of Campsie	181	5
Torrance/Balmore	74	1
Twechar	195	1
Waterside	129	2
Bishopbriggs	577	6
Kirkintilloch	1262	22
Hillhead	19	0
Total	3,704	53

*this table is subject to change frequently due to movement of stock.

 

 

Customer Satisfaction

The Council commissioned an independent market research company, Research Resource, to carry out a Tenant Satisfaction Survey during early 2022. The purpose of the research was to find out tenants’ views on housing and repairs services provided by the Council, so that we can try to make improvements to those areas identified as being weak. Some of the key responses, which are a requirement of the Scottish Social Housing Charter, are detailed in Table 2 below. We have also included a comparison with the national average for satisfaction in these areas.

A copy of the full Tenant Satisfaction Survey or a copy can be requested by contacting housing@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

In addition to Research Resource carrying out an independent survey for Housing Services, Property Maintenance also undertook their own survey asking tenants to complete a short questionnaire after a repair was carried out to their home. Based on a total number of 9037 surveys carried out, 88% of tenants were fairly or very satisfied with the repairs service provided at completion of works. Satisfaction has increased in all areas but there is room for improvement.

Table 2: Customer Satisfaction

Satisfaction	EDC 2021	EDC 2022	*Scottish Average
% of tenant satisfaction with services overall	79%	76%	88%
% of tenants satisfied with being kept informed about services and outcomes	89%	83%	91%
% of tenants satisfied with opportunities to participate	93%	79%	86%
% of tenants satisfied with last repair carried out	93%	62%	88%

*Percentage satisfaction shown as a rounded figure

 

 

 

Collecting Rent

The Council is committed to maximising the rental income that we receive from rents. This is important as the rent pays for many of the housing services we provide. During 2021/22, the rent collected as a percentage of the total rent due was 98%. This compared to a Scottish average of 99%.

Total rent due from all properties has increased slightly from £13,851,254 in 2020/21 to £14,373,640 in 2021/22, and an average weekly rent increase of 2.5% was applied for 2021/22.

 A summary of our housing stock by size and average weekly rent is detailed in Table 3 below. The Council strives to ensure that our rents remain affordable and are currently below Scotland’s Housing Network (SHN) national average. The SHN figure shown includes Housing Associations as well as Councils in Scotland. If you require more information please contact the Housing service on 0300 123 4510.

Table 3: Stock Information 

		Property size	Number	EDC Average weekly rent	SHN Average Weekly Rents 2021/22
1 Apt	26			£69.17	£75.95
2 Apt	1,045			£78.13	£81.32
3 Apt	1,505			£84.24	£84.18
4 Apt	1,024			£86.72	£91.48
5 Apt	149			£90.59	£100.74
6 Apt	2			£104.93	-
Total stock	3,751			-	-

*An addition 6 units let as multi-occupancy are due for demolition.

Rent Arrears Trend

Current tenant rent arrears, as at 31 March 2022, were £1,074,474 compared to £1,084,226 the previous year. For the financial year 2021/22 the Housing Service had set a Quarterly target of £950,000 which was a challenging target to achieve against the financial climate in the years prior to the pandemic. Since the onset of the pandemic arrears have significantly increased, with restrictive engagement and escalation options available at various times. Officers continue to provide advice and support to all tenants in particular, those who engage and are financially affected as a direct result of the pandemic. 

Graph 1: Rent Arrears Trend

Former tenant arrears increased from £647,377 in 2020/21to £827,532 in 2021/22.  

 

 

Graph 2: Former Tenant Rent Arrears

 

Management of Empty Homes

As Graph 3 shows, the average number of days to relet a house/flat was 73.81 days, compared to a Scottish average of 50.97 days.

Relet times increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic due to no repair works being carried out on empty properties between April and September 2020 which created a backlog of void properties. Joint working with Property Maintenance is ongoing with the aim to curtail the number of long term properties, reduce the backlog and turnaround all voids within target timescales.

Graph 3: Average Relet Times

 

There was a decrease in lost income from empty homes from £310,856 in 2020/21

to £208,802 in 2021/22, as detailed below. This represented 1.41% of rent lost as a result of properties being empty, compared to the Scottish average of 0.74%.  Relet times were affected due to restrictions in place following the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in no work being undertaken in void properties. Joint working with the Void Team is addressing this issue and targets are now being met by reducing the average number of days taken to relet properties.

Graph 4: Void Rent Loss

 

Joint working with Property Maintenance and the continuous monitoring and assessing of performance is having a positive impact and void rent loss is improving.

Common Housing Register

The Council and Caledonia Housing Association share a Common Housing Register (CHR). The CHR enables applicants to register for housing with all participating landlords. One local landlord along with the Council has agreed a common system for prioritising housing applications. 

If you want information on applying for a council house call 0300 123 4510.

Key Achievements for 2021/22

• Continuation of local initiatives to ensure engagement with tenants using various communication methods.
• Allocated Housing Association new build developments.
• Allocated Council new build developments.

Capital Works

The Council is committed to improving the quality of tenants’ homes and has an ambitious Capital Improvement Programme in place. Work on the Capital Programme slowed significantly due to the pandemic, with only emergency works taking place to ensure the safety of EDC tenants and Council operatives. This has had a major impact on compliance of both SHQS (Scottish Housing Quality Standard) and EESSH (Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing).

The percentage of East Dunbartonshire Council homes meeting SHQS as at March 2022 was 14%, compared to the national average of 74%. The low pass rate does not mean that 86% of council housing stock is failing as the majority of these properties fall into an abeyance status. An abeyance is utilised when there is a solution to the issue, and in this case the major contributing factor in these abeyances is new legislation which was brought in during 21/22 and states that an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) is now required for each Council-owned property. Due to the pandemic the Capital Works team had a later start to the EICR inspection programme than anticipated; however this is now well under way and by the end of the financial year all Council-owned properties will have been offered an appointment to complete the EICR.

The Capital Works team are delighted to recommence its Programme following the imposed lockdown brought by COVID-19. The Property Maintenance Team have been provided with full programmes of work for financial year 2022/23 with work underway to replace kitchens, bathrooms, roofs and gas central heating systems. Unfortunately, some effects of COVID-19 remain which is making lead in times for materials longer than anticipated and is slowing down progress. The contractor appointed to carry out window and door replacements has unfortunately gone into administration leading to a gap in delivery; however, the team are working hard to appoint a new contractor to carry out this work.

Thanks to Scottish Government funding the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes (EES:ABS) programme of external wall insulation is well under way at Border Way, Kirkintilloch, the village of Balmore and Nithsdale Crescent, Bearsden.This scheme provides grant funding for owner occupiers to install costly insulation measures to non-traditionally built properties, this funding is hugely beneficial to the Council in mixed tenure blocks where this work would be unlikely to take place without financial assistance to home owners.

Re-rendering is currently taking place at Holyknowe Road and Crescent, Lennoxtown, and will bring a much-needed facelift to properties that were becoming tired looking. As the rendering programme has been so successful, the Council has begun engaging with Procurement colleagues to roll out a similar type of improvement programme in 2023/24 and beyond.

The Mixed Tenure Roofing Framework has been in operation since February 2021 and has produced fantastic results so far. A number of roofs which had become a cause of concern for both the Council and home owners alike have now been replaced. Work is set to commence on a further batch of addresses in the coming weeks; in addition to this, our Private Sector Team are working through an ever increasing list of roof replacement enquiries.

 

Repairs and Maintenance

The Property Maintenance service undertakes repairs and maintenance across the Council’s property estate, which includes circa 3,700 housing properties in addition to all operational and non-operational assets. Operationally this involves reactive repairs, void management, gas servicing,fixed electrical testing and portable appliance testing. The service also undertakes a range of capital works on behalf of both Housing and other Council service areas.

Day-to-Day Repairs

A high proportion of the day-to-day repairs are emergencies such as having no heating, blocked toilet etc. Table 4 below shows how this is broken down into emergency and non-emergency categories.

Table 4: Day-to-Day Repairs

Year	Emergency	Urgent	Routine	Total
2018/19	4400	2437	1887	8724
2019/20	4214	2511	2054	8779
2020/21	5471	1124	216	6811
2021/22	4950	1832	1972	8754

The average length of time taken to complete emergency repairs was 3.30 hours while the average length of time taken to complete non-emergency repairs (urgent and routine) was 12.02 days. The equivalent Scottish averages were 4.12 hours and 8.73 days.

  

Graph 6 below shows our performance against target timescales for each repair category.

 

Table 5: Percentage of repairs completed within timescales

Categories	Percentage	2019/20	2020/21	2021/22
Emergency	98%		85%	75%
Urgent	99%		91%	63%
Routine	100%		83%	82%

We will strive to improve performance in all repairs categories to ensure that customers receive the highest standard of service.

COVID-19 Impact

The service has continued to face significant challenges this year during the COVID-19 pandemic and has had to deliver the service whilst adhering to Government restrictions and guidelines. Despite this, the service has managed to achieve good and improved levels of performance across the majority of areas.

Aids and Adaptations

During 2021/22, 177 aids and adaptations were carried out to tenants’ homes, where the tenant had a mobility issue. There has been an increase compared to the number of completions during 2020/21 when 55 were carried out as a result of reduced access to properties during the pandemic as individuals were shielding.

If you require further information about aids and adaptations, please contact the Occupational Therapy Service on 0141 355 2200.

Meeting the Needs of Homeless People

The Homelessness Team provides a vital service to people who are experiencing homelessness or who are threatened with homelessness within 56 days. The team faces many challenges and is now implementing a fourth year of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan that was submitted to the Scottish Government in June 2020. A key challenge is reducing the length of time taken to permanently re-home homeless households in the area.

During 2021/22 Homelessness Officers received 299 homeless applications, which is significantly lower than previous years. There were also 146 Housing Options interviews carried out. In total, 445 interviews were undertaken and of these 146 were resolved at the Housing Options stage.

 

A range of temporary accommodation measures were used to accommodate homeless households which included temporary furnished accommodation and Bed and Breakfast (B&B). During May 2020 changes were made to the Unsuitable Accommodation Order. As a result, no households should be placed in unsuitable accommodation longer than seven days which represents the shortest average timescale in five years. The Council did not breach the unsuitable accommodation order during 2021/22. The average stay in temporary accommodation was reduced significantly.

The average length of stay in temporary accommodation is detailed in Graph 8 below.

 

Key Achievements 2021/22

• 299 Applications made (248 applications in 2020/21- average pre-COVID approximately 400 each year).
• Reduced Homelessness backlog – 98 awaiting offer. No applicants awaiting offer longer than three years.
• 99% of homelessness decisions made within 28 days.
• 146 housing option cases resolved (didn’t make a homelessness application).
• 90 cases referred to COVID-19 Hardship Fund to prevent homelessness.
• 81 households provided with advice re Rent Deposit Guarantee/Private Sector Scheme; 23 households supported to move to the private rented sector via the scheme.
• 158 referrals to housing support team (26% from homeless applicants and 74% existing tenants to sustain their tenancies).
• 206 calls to out of hours service.
• Reduced time spent in temporary accommodation – 161 days (all) 50 days in First Stop and three days in Bed and Breakfast.
• 161 applicants booked into temp self-contained.
• 17 properties flipped to settled accommodation.
• 28 anti-social behaviour complaints investigated/resolved.
• No breaches of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order.
• 161 households assisted from the Homelessness Furniture Grant Scheme (326 items).
• 242 new landlord registration applications. 50 rent penalty notices issued; 215 appeals (7 upheld and 8 not upheld).

 

COVID-19 Impact

During 2021/22 the Homelessness and Prevention Team continued to support homeless households in accordance with the Council’s statutory duty. The Team has worked remotely since March 2020; homelessness interviews have been conducted via telephone and/or video link.

In addition to COVID-19 restrictions/legislation there has been a number of changes to housing/homelessness legislation i.e. Unsuitable Accommodation Order 2020.The team has attended a number of partnership events/meetings throughout the year (online) and completed a number of training courses/qualifications i.e. Housing Diploma, Shelter Law Courses etc to ensure that they are aware of these changes.

If you are homeless or threatened with homelessness please contact the Homelessness and Prevention Team on 0300 123 4510or email us on homelessness@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Affordable Housing and Regeneration

Housing Development

The Housing Investment Team is responsible for promoting and facilitating the development of new affordable housing throughout East Dunbartonshire to meet local housing needs while also supporting regeneration projects.

The team works closely with the Council’s Planning Service,The Scottish Government, Registered Social Landlords (also known as Housing Associations) and developers to deliver new affordable housing for rent and sale over the coming years.

The development potential identified so far is considerably short of the numbers of houses required to meet the scale of need referred to in the Council’s Housing Need and Demand Assessment and to fulfil the Council’s homelessness obligations. The team continues to identify new development opportunities within the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) to maximise the supply of affordable housing, which is required throughout East Dunbartonshire.

Table 5 below shows details of new development opportunities since 2012/13. During 21/22 there were 161 properties built altogether, 93 properties were for Council rent while 68 were Housing Association Rent.

Year	Development	Area	No of Homes	Date Completed
2012/13	Taig Gardens	Waterside	16	April 2012
	Davidson Crescent	Twechar	41	July 2012
	Colston Road	Bishopbriggs	18	August 2012
	Crowhill Quadrant	Bishopbriggs	23	September 2012
	Campsie View	Kirkintilloch	8	November 2012
	Auchinairn Gate	Bishopbriggs	46	January 2013
	Roman Fields	Twechar	6	March 2013
2013/14	Fern Grove	Bishopbriggs	12	November 2013
	Lammermoor Place	Kirkintilloch	14	December 2013
	Meiklehill Loan	Kirkintilloch	34	February 2014
2014/15	Rob Roy Gardens	Kirkintilloch	4	June 2014
	Chesters Mews	Bearsden	5	June 2014
	Lenzie Road	Kirkintilloch	16	September 2014
	St Andrews Brae	Bearsden	12	September 2014
	Roman Fields	Twechar	32	December 2014
	Woodilee Village	Lenzie	41	February 2015
	Southbank Road	Kirkintilloch	65	March 2015
	Thomas Muir North	Bishopbriggs	9	March 2015
2016/17	St Andrews View	Bearsden	20	April 2015
	Highfield Road	Kirkintilloch	6	June 2015
	McGavigan’s Field	Lenzie	10	December 2015
	Roman Fields	Twechar	8	December 2015
	Villafield	Bishopbriggs	7	February 2016
	Lillyburn Works	Milton of Campsie	13	March 2016
	West Baldoran Gate	Milton of Campsie	40	November 2017
	Crossveggate	Milngavie	4	January 2017
2017/18	Kessington Road	Bearsden	20	August 2017
2018/19	Calico Way	Lennoxtown	44	May2018
	Glen Shirva Road	Twechar	9	June 2018
2019/20	MacGillivray Avenue	Torrance	4	May 2019
	Braes O Yetts	Kirkintilloch	30	September 2019
	Main Street	Torrance	19	November 2019
	Birnam Crescent	Milngavie	5	December 2019
	St Mungo’s	Bishopbriggs	16	February 2020
	Keystone Avenue	Milngavie	9	February 2020
2020/21	Bencloich Place	Lennoxtown	9	August 2020
	David Gray Drive	Kirkintilloch	6	August 2020
	Armour Drive	Kirkintilloch	3	August 2020
	Katrine Court	Bearsden	27	October 2020
	Birdston Road	Milton of Campsie	14	October 2021
	Townhead	Kirkintilloch	11	November 2021
	Craighdu Road	Milngavie	12	March 2021
	Clugston Court	Kirkintilloch	11	March 2021

Key Achievements for 2021/22

• Ongoing commitment to develop new homes across East Dunbartonshire to meet housing need, working in conjunction with Scottish Government, Housing Associations and Developers.
• Completed housing development at Tom Johnston Place, Kirkintilloch and Blackthorn Grove, Lenzie.
• Continued to progress housing development at the former Lairdsland Primary School, Kirkintilloch.
• Continue to develop and update the Council’s website on affordable housing.
• Submitted comprehensive Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) to Scottish Government.

Tenant Participation and Involvement

The Tenant Participation Team provides direct support to tenants and tenant organisations, monitors tenant and resident involvement in housing services and administers key elements of the Tenant Participation Strategy, such as tenant participation grants.

The key aims of the team are to:

• Promote and develop tenant participation, ensuring tenant involvement in the planning development and review of housing services.
• Support local tenant organisations and encourage the growth of opportunities to participate.
• Service the Tenant Participation Working Group (TPWG).
• Ensure tenants’ organisations have up-to-date and accurate information.
• Ensure there are no barriers to participation.
• Provide a range of services which support young tenants,or, those with accommodation issues.

 

Project 101 - Youth Housing Project

Project 101 is a youth housing information service for young people providing information and advice on housing and related issues. The project is based in Kirkintilloch and works with young people from across East Dunbartonshire.

Due to Government guidelines the Team have been unable to meet customers face-to-face for cooking lessons etc. however recipes have been provided in newsletters and advice and information has been provided via email, telephone and video link.

Key Achievements 2021/22

• A new Project Officer was recruited. Officers play a key role in ensuring that advice is provided to young people across East Dunbartonshire. 132 young people were referred to the service.
• 31 new tenant packs provided since April.
• Summer newsletter has been published for young people.
• Project 101 held a competition to name the new mediation service with the winner being announced in August.

Priorities for 2022/23

• Introduction of youth mediation service.
• Reintroduction of key tenancy sustainment modules including budget cooking, financial wizardry and independent living skills.

Further updates are available on the Project’s Facebook page. If you would like more information on Project 101 please call 0300 123 4510 or
email Project101@eastdunbarton.gov.uk, homelessness@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour

There were 74 cases of antisocial behaviour complaints reported by tenants to their Housing Officer in 2021/22. Of these complaints, 92% were resolved within timescale. This compared to a Scottish average of 95%.

Antisocial Behaviour Investigations

Antisocial behaviour is normally only addressed if you tell us about it and how it is affecting your quality of life. We need to know when and where it is happening so that we can target those causing the problems. You should also tell us the area in which it is happening before we can consider trying to introduce suitable and effective solutions. Any information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence. As an East Dunbartonshire Council tenant, you can make a complaint initially by contacting your local Housing Officer, who will help you to resolve the problem. In some circumstances, the Housing Officer may liaise with the Council’s Community Safety Team for assistance. As well as helping the housing service resolve antisocial behaviour complaints, the Community Safety Team also assist private landlords and owner occupiers tackle antisocial behaviour.

Antisocial Behaviour Night Noise

East Dunbartonshire Council has adopted powers underPart 5 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004,which allows the Council to deal with people who create unacceptable noise which affects other people and the dwellings around them and in particular the problems of night noise.

The Community Safety Team within the Council have officers (Community Wardens) who work each weekend Friday –Sunday 8pm-4am. These are the times when most domestic antisocial noise complaints occur (ie. loud music, etc).

If you are disturbed by noise from your neighbours during the above hours you can call0300 123 4510.This number will put you through to the Council’s out-of-hours Contact Centre who will take details of your complaint which they will then pass to the Community Wardens on duty. If you call 101, this will put you through to Police Scotland, who will take your complaint details and, if appropriate, they will pass the call to the Community Wardens on duty. Police Scotland will continue to respond to calls outwith the Community Wardens night shift hours. The Council’s night noise service is currently suspended following the pandemic, however the service will be reinstated when deemed safe to do so.

For every antisocial noise complaint received the Community Wardens will assess whether a visit is required and they may need to speak to you about your complaint. The Community Wardens are likely to visit the house or flat you are calling about and they may need to access your home to measure the noise levels to assess the extent of noise along with its source. If appropriate, the person causing the antisocial noise may be served with a Warning Notice. This can be followed by a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice. A case may be referred to the Procurator Fiscal if necessary (maximum fine £1000) and noise making equipment can be seized from offenders’ homes if officers deem it appropriate.

Next Steps?

Although the Council has continued to improve performance across housing and repairs related areas, Housing staff are aware that there is room for improvement. We would like your views on how this can be done. You can do this by writing to us or phoning with your views using the address or contact numbers below.

Complaints Procedure and Further Information

If you wish to complain about the service you have received,simply pick up a complaints procedure leaflet from your local Housing officer or call us on 0300 123 4510, or email us at complaints@eastdunbarton.gov.uk and we will send a copy to you.

If you would like to get in touch about the content of this newsletter, you require further information or you would like a copy sent out, please contact Housing on 0300 123 4510.

Alternatively, you can email us at:

Email: housing@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Or write to us at:

Housing Service
Place, Neighbourhood & Corporate Assets
East Dunbartonshire Council
William Patrick Library
2-4 High Street
Kirkintilloch
G66 1AD