Housing

Question

Evictions:

If you have council owned, residential property (i.e. housing subject to the housing revenue account, owned by

your council), please provide the following:

1. The number of properties - if any - managed by the council?

2. The number of properties - if any - managed by an ALMO?

3. If any property is managed by an ALMO, please provide the name of the ALMO(s).

For council owned, residential properties that are managed by the council (not by an ALMO), please provide:

4. The number of possession claims issued against tenants in these properties for the year.

5. The number of evictions of tenants from these properties for the year.

Please also provide:

6. The total rent account losses in the year due to the writing off of outstanding rent arrears accrued by tenants

who have been evicted from these properties that has been deemed non-recoupable. (Tenants may have

been evicted in any financial year, we would like to understand the total losses accrued by evicted households

that have been written off as non-recoupable in the year).

If the council does not hold or is unable to provide the total rent account losses, I request that the council

provides instead information it does hold from which this figure may be calculated. If the council does hold and is

able to publish the total rent account losses, then I do not require the information described at 6.1-6.3 and I

respectfully ask that this is not considered when assessing the time needed to respond to this request in the first

instance. In particular, I request:

6.1. The total rent arrears of tenants evicted in the year at the point at which they were evicted.

6.2. The total rent arrears of all tenants who ceased to be tenants (for all reasons, eg eviction, abandonment,

tenant passing away) in the year at the point at which they ceased to be tenants.

6.3. The total amount of outstanding rent written off during the year because it is deemed non-recoupable.

Legal:

1. The number of evictions of tenants from council owned, residential properties that were managed by your

council (not by an ALMO) during the year.

2. The average amount spent by the local authority per eviction including:

2.1. The average amount spent on legal advice per eviction (including advice from in-house lawyers and

external legal providers) for the year.

2.2. The average amount spent on other (non-legal) costs per eviction (for example, non-legal staff time

spent preparing paperwork) for the year.

If the council does not hold or is unable to provide the amount spent on legal advice, I request that the

council provides instead information it does hold from which this figure may be calculated. If the council

does hold and is able to publish the amount spent on legal advice, then I do not require the information at

Questions 2.2.1-2.2.6 and I respectfully ask that this is not considered when assessing the time to respond

to this request in the first instance. In particular, I request:

2.2.1. Whether the council has sought advice from a. an in-house legal team and/ or whether the council

has sought advice from b. external legal providers on evicting tenants from council owned

residential property (not managed by an ALMO) during the year.

2.2.2. The amount spent on fees of external legal providers on legal advice relating to evicting tenants

from council owned residential property (not managed by an ALMO) during the year.

2.2.3. The total amount spent during the year on the salary of in-house housing solicitors and a

breakdown of how much of their time is spent advising on evicting tenants from council owned

residential property (not managed by an ALMO)

2.2.4. How the cost of this advice is recorded.

2.2.5. If the amount spent on legal costs relating to evicting tenants from council owned residential

property are recorded in their own budget, the name of this budget and the total amount spent

during the year.

2.2.6. If the costs are only recorded as part of a wider budget, then the name of this budget, the total

amount spent during the year, an indication or estimate, if it exists, of the proportion of this wider

budget or monies that is spent on legal advice relating to evictions and a list of the other major

costs which fall under the same wider budget.

Re-Lets:

1. If you have council owned, residential property (i.e. housing subject to the housing revenue account, owned

by your council), please provide the following:

1.1. The number of properties - if any - managed by the council?

1.2. The number of properties - if any - managed by an ALMO?

1.3. If any property is managed by an ALMO, please provide the name of the ALMO(s).

I would also like further information relating only to council owned residential properties that are managed by the

council and not by an ALMO ("council managed properties"). This information should relate only to re-lets taking

place during the year 01 April 2015 to 31 March 2016.

2. The total number of re-lets of council managed properties. These are lets of properties that previously had

tenants and were made vacant for any reason (e.g. eviction, abandonment, tenant passing away) during the

year.

3. The average number of weeks from the council managed properties becoming empty (for any reason) to them

being re-let during the year.

4. The total amount of rent not collected in the void period between one tenant leaving and another moving in

during the year.

If the council does not hold this specific information at Questions 3 or 4 I request that the council provides the

information it does hold from which these figures may be calculated. I request for each re-let:

4.1. The dates a residential property is vacated.

4.2. The dates when new tenants start to pay rent.

4.3. The amount of rent not collected due to voids between 01 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 (even where the

property is not re-let in the year).

4.4. If the data described at questions 4.1 to 4.3 is held in a database or spreadsheet then please provide this,

with any information classed as personal information under the Data Protection Act removed or

redacted.

5. The total amount spent on clearance, repairs, maintenance and/or cleaning in the period between a property

becoming empty and it being re-let, at all council managed properties and re-let during the year.

If the council does not hold this specific information described at Re-Lets, Question 5 I request that the council

provides the information it does hold from which this figure may be calculated. I request:

5.1. Any one database or spreadsheet holding data relating to the amount spent on clearance, repairs,

maintenance and/ or cleaning on each property during the year; and whether the property where the

maintenance takes place is vacant or occupied at the time. Please provide this after excluding any

information which would be considered personal information under the Data Protection Act.

Answer

Nil return.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar stock was transferred to Hebridean Housing Partnership, registered social landlord, on 12th September 2006, therefore we do not hold the information requested. You may wish to contact HHP and request the information as held by them. The following contact details are as provided on their website.

Hebridean Housing Partnership (Opens in a new window or downloads a file)
HHP Offices
Hebridean Housing Partnership
Creed Court
Gleann Seileach Business Park
Willowglen Road
Stornoway
HS1 2QP
Tel:      0300 123 0773
Fax:     01851 707 949
E-mail:customerservices@hebrideanhousing.co.uk (Opens in a new window or downloads a file)