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As the Tenant Fees Act came into force on June 1, a property expert has warned the legislation could be “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” and will put extra strain on already over-burdened councils and housing associations.

The new Act prevents landlords from charging deposits worth over five weeks’ rent, while letting fees are banned. Charges for damages will not be allowed, unless there is ample evidence of costs produced.

The problem of damp in the social housing sector is one of the most common complaints tenants make about their property.

Every year reports appear in the media highlighting such cases, with stories often linking to health fears over the issue.

With this in mind, national trade body the Property Care Association (PCA) has developed an in-house training programme to give specialists in the social housing and local authority sectors with responsibility for housing stock maintenance, a recognised route to qualification.

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is calling for a new, ground-breaking piece of legislation to transform the quality of new homes in England.

The Hyde Group, in partnership with Westerhill Homes, part of Chartway Group, has purchased the land next to the Old Thanet Way in Whitstable from Devine Homes plc. The housing association and construction company have come together with the intention of building around 400 new homes and making improvements to the Duncan Downs nature reserve.

The site will be one of the first in Canterbury to benefit from new affordable housing supported by grant funding from Homes England, thanks to its strategic partnership with Hyde. It means that more socially rented homes will be built on the site, as well as those for outright sale, shared ownership and affordable rent, creating a new, genuinely mixed, community.

If you are disabled, have a health condition or are a carer you could be overpaying Council Tax and not even know it, according to a new public guide.
 

Eight existing councils in Northamptonshire are to be abolished and replaced by 2 new councils of North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire to improve the delivery of public services across the county.