Private Sector Housing Initiatives

Introduction

The private sector housing stock in Fareham provides accommodation to 92% of the borough’s residents. Its condition and use is of vital importance to the health, quality of life and well being of the majority of our residents and to the visual appearance and economic prosperity of the borough.

• Home Owners Maintenance Advice Service
• Disabled Facilities Grants
• Home Improvement Loans
• Empty Homes
• PUSH for Safer Homes
• Private Sector Housing Strategy

Over 86% of the housing stock in Fareham is owner occupied; a much higher proportion than both the county and national averages.  Although the responsibility for the maintenance and repair of privately owned housing lies with the owner, Fareham Council has a role to ensure that housing in the private sector is in good condition and safe and healthy for its occupants.  It does this by providing help and assistance to homeowners.  Services are also available to private landlords and their tenants. 

Fareham Council's  Private Sector Housing Initiatives are:

• Providing the Home Owners Maintenance Advice Service
• Arranging adaptations for disabled people (Disabled Facilities Grants)
• Providing assistance to vulnerable households to enable them to carry out essential repairs (Home Improvement Loans)
• Assisting to bring empty homes back into use
• Improving home energy efficiency
• Preparing a Private Sector Housing Renewal Strategy

Home Owners Maintenance Advice Service

The Council recognises that some home owners do not have the awareness, knowledge, or skills to identify the risks or hazards in their home, so we offer a Home Maintenance Advice Service helping home owners to identify serious hazards, prioritise essential repairs and give advice on the likely cost, options for financing the repairs and how to employ a reputable contractor to carry out the works at a reasonable price.

Disabled Facilities Grants

If you or someone in your home is disabled you may qualify for help towards the cost of providing adaptations and facilities, so that the disabled person can continue to live more independently in the property.  This work can be funded by a Disabled Facilities Grant provided by Fareham Council.  You can apply for the grant if you own your own home, rent or live with the family.  

Home Improvement Loans

Fareham Council is committed to help improve living conditions for those in private sector housing, ensuring that properties are safe and secure.

Subject to the financial resources of the applicant and the availability of funds, the Council is able to offer a Home Improvement Loan of up to £10,000 to help vulnerable home owners who are considered to be at risk and who can not afford to finance essential repairs.  The interest free loan is made available to meet the cost of remedying disrepair, eliminating serious hazards, installing modern facilities or an efficient heating system.

For further information on Home Improvement Loans please contact Department of Community and Streetscene on 01329 236100 or email customerservices@fareham.gov.uk

Empty Homes

Fareham Council encourages the return to use of empty dwellings as a means to meeting housing need within the Borough.  To assist owners, advice can be provided and in cases where the property requires works to eliminate serious hazard a Home Improvement Loan may be available to help prepare the property for occupation.

For further information on Empty Homes please contact Department of Community and Streetscene, Strategic Housing Division on 01329 236100 (extension 2666) or email customerservices@fareham.gov.uk

PUSH for Safer Homes

Under the umbrella of the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH), seven of the partner local authorities including Fareham, successfully bid for grant funding from the Regional Housing Board to develop a range of initiatives to help make private homes safe, warm and accessible.  Other partners include the Home Improvement Agency, the Landlords' Associations and the Energy Advice Centre.

The various products will be available over a three year period from 2008 to 2011 and specific funding has been allocated to each authority for each year that the scheme is in operation.

There are five products available:

• Home Improvement Loan (interest free loan available to households on low incomes to carry out essential repairs)
• Accessible Home Loan (help to adapt a home to meet the needs of a disabled occupier; this can provide a top-up to a Disabled Facilities Grant)
• Landlord Loan (help for landlords to carry out essential repairs to address serious housing hazards in their properties)
• Empty Home Loan (help to bring empty properties up to a standard for letting to meet local housing needs)
• Warm Homes Grant (an automatic top-up to the Government's Warm Front Grant ensuring that all vulnerable households receive free thermal improvements to their home)

Further detailed information and a copy of the leaflet is available for downloading from the PUSH website www.push.gov.uk/4_safer_homes (this is an external hyperlink)

 

Private Sector Housing Strategy

Fareham Borough Council has produced a Private Sector Housing Strategy 2006-2009 (214 Kb)

The strategy sets out the Council's plans, priorities and policies for maintaining and improving the quality of the private sector housing stock across the borough.  The main objectives of the strategy are:

• To reduce serious hazards in the private sector housing stock;
• To ensure that vulnerable and elderly people living in the private sector stock have the opportunity to live in a decent home;
• Where there is a disabled occupant, to provide assistance to undertake adaptations, enabling the occupant to access the dwelling and amenities;
• To reduce accidents in the home and reduce the fear of crime;
• To make best use of the private sector housing stock in meeting local needs by reducing the number of empty homes across the Borough.

The Council is currently developing a new Private Sector Housing Strategy to cover the period 2009-2012.  In recognition of the Council's multi-agency, multi-tenure approach to the provision of adaptations for disabled persons a separate Adaptations Strategy 2009-2012 is being developed which will include policies regarding disabled facilities grants.