Chris Knowles Housing Strategy & Enabling Manager Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Alan White Project Manager Kent Homechoice

 Guidance to Registered Providers about the use of Affordable Rent & Fixed Term Tenancies  Statutory requirement for every LA to publish one by January 2013  Must have regard to the local: ◦ Homelessness strategy & allocations policy ◦ Housing strategy  Consultation (before adoption or modifying): ◦ Give every Registered Provider a reasonable opportunity to comment ◦ Consult others as prescribed in regulations (none actually prescribed)

 Common Sense!  Presents the factors KHG members think are important to consider in making decisions about tenancy length and Affordable Rent  No ‘one size fits all’ approach  Considers pros and cons from a range of perspectives and for different households  Describes what is needed in order for the impact of local decisions to be managed to contribute to our shared ambitions

 Spoke to Senior Officers and Managers in both Local Authorities and Registered Providers to discuss: ◦ Local and organisation position ◦ Opportunities and threats  Scenario planning workshop ◦ Social care & voluntary and community sector ◦ Strategic and front-line - drawing on experience ◦ 8 scenarios of Affordable Rent/social rent and fixed term tenancies eg, 5 year Affordable Rent v. lifetime social rent

 Clearly advertise AR homes & circumstances where Fixed Term Tenancies are used  Provide clear, easy-to-understand, information about tenancy on offer & length; process of starting and ending a tenancy  Take a consistent, fair and transparent approach to decisions at the point of tenancy review  Communicate decisions not to re-issue a tenancy early, and to other agencies, to ensure that homelessness & other negative outcomes are prevented

 Landlords advertising since October 2011  931 homes advertised  725 let so far (13% of all homes)

 Dover DC ran 12 week campaign on Kent Homechoice  Allowed Dover housing applicants to comment on draft strategy  Views 11,370, read documents 289, completed survey 47

 Minimum length of social tenancy

 Who should be given a tenancy for life?

 Localism Act 2011  Statutory allocations guidance June 2012  Grant tenancies for a fixed term  Support greater tenant mobility  More control over who can join waiting lists  Flexibility over priorities

 Role of Kent Homechoice  Promote common housing assessment  Develop flexible on-line assessment and registration  Direct customers to policies/plans  Access to HomeSwap Direct

 The benefits of a County Approach?  How to clearly define roles & responsibilities?  What circumstances should be taken into account when considering not to renew a tenancy?  What else should Kent Homechoice do to respond to the legislative changes?  Over to you!