FOI request (FOIR-656222087)

Housing Disrepair

Requested Fri 15 November 2024
Responded Fri 15 November 2024

1. How many homes do you own?

2. How many live housing disrepair cases are you managing? Please state if this figure does or does not include 'dormant' cases (those with no communication from claimant's solicitor in 12 months or more).

3. Is your approach generally to defend claims, or attempt early settlement?

4. For the financial years 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/23, and 2023-24, can you please provide the following:

· Disrepair claims received.

· Disrepair claims settled in the claimants favour (within that year, even if originally receive in a different year).

· Average cost of each claim settled in the claimant's favour.

· Disrepair claims settled in the defendant's favour (within that year, even if originally receive in a different year).

· Average cost of each claim settled in the defendant's favour.

· Total annual spend on external costs (legal and expert).

· Total Annual Spend on compensation for housing disrepair claims.

If it is not possible to provide all of the information easily, could you please focus on questions 1 to 3 and for the 4th, perhaps focus on just 2023/24?

Please include an email address if you would like a copy of the findings, which will include a claims/costs per 1000 homes, to help us better understand which approach is working well.

Response

Hastings Borough Council completed a large scale voluntary transfer of its housing stock in 1996 and now has a relatively small housing portfolio used for temporary accommodation.

The council owns 88 residential units, however the portfolio is growing weekly with the council's acquisition programme.

We have not had any housing disrepair cases as outlined.