Research Articles Base: Housing Management

Housing is a profitable business for improved and developing countries

Introduction In developed countries, housing conventionally costs three to four times the combined annual incomes of the owners so that virtually all housing is bought or built with finance. With a typical deposit of between 5 and 20 percent of the total price, finance is needed to cover about 80 percent of costs and is usually repayable over twenty years (1999).  For most borrowers this debt burden is manageable because, although the finance is repaid at positive interest rates, income growth is likely to be relatively constant and predictable, and the family cycle dictates that most households will have reduced outgoings over time. Unauthorized housing is a universal problem, accounting for about 30 to 60 per cent of housing. Although differences in the ability of low-income households to acquire finance alone are unlikely to explain cross-country differences in housing conditions, the data indicate that while average income in some countries might be greater the availability and type of finance are of critical importance (1999). Housing is profitable business for improved and developing countries. There is an ever growing need for housing facilities because of the increase in population and migration. For a person or organization wanting to start a new business in new market housing is one of the best ventures they can engage in.  Housing costs less than other business but can provide considerable income and profits. In lieu of this the paper intends to report on what should be done to build and open a new Housing facility in Hong Kong. The paper will provide details on the housing facility, its probable features and other useful information on housing facility. Site context and Appraisal  The new housing facility would be located in a 10 hectare property in an urban city in Hong Kong. The housing facility would be constructed near a highway and would be accessible to all types of clients. The housing facility is near business establishments as well as a historical park. The housing facility will make sure that it will provide efficient service to all this will be done through a service process design. In the establishment of a new housing facility, service process design is an important aspect because it makes use of chronological steps to plan and organize people, infrastructure, communication and material components to provide the best service.  The Hong Kong government has rules that protect the interest of clients.  It makes sure that the housing facility operating in their country has passed tests that will show their willingness to provide service to the clients. The Hong Kong government always checks on the implementation of a housing facility’s service process design, contact numbers are available for clients if they need to complain about the service given by the administrators of the housing facility. The service process design makes sure that the components to provide service will be organized well and will help in providing heavenly experience to the clients.  The service process design will help the administrator of the housing facility check for flaws in its service processes. For instance, housing facilities in Hong Kong make sure that it has a working service process design so that they will have a good relationship with clients.  The process design helps the housing facility to make sure that the hotel will provide quality services. The building Facilities management may be in the hands of a large structured organization that accepts contracts for integrated or specialized facility management. Building asset management must make decisions on how maintenance, repair and renewal should be carried out. This task can be executed by in-house staff, or contracted out on a one-off or permanent basis. Facilities management requires technical and management skills. It also includes leadership functions for co-coordinating an organization’s internal and external relations ( 1998). Throughout the 1990s the construction industry operation has remained labor-intensive despite the labor shortage and consequently high wages. The private building sector had shown little sign of any significant technological advancement.  The housing sector was such a context and the incubator for the development of advanced technology and management techniques, to be applied, adopted and adapted by the construction industry at large. There has always existed the need for continued strife for greater efficiency and raising standards (2003).   Housing is now perceived everywhere as a commodity with an exchange value, rather than as a basic need with a use value allocated, as of right, outside the marketplace. The facts concerning the existence of housing markets and their critical role in the provision of housing are indisputable. Individual market transactions are also by their very nature relatively silent, and there is no a priori reason to believe that the housing market is always alive and well ( 2000). The housing market is a sensitive, complex, and largely unknowable entity, subject to fits and starts, unpredictable, merciless, unstable, and almost totally dependent on forces outside itself. It is a valuable and irreplaceable social construct, one that needs to be handled with care; especially since it is the now the repository of vast personal wealth and this great wealth was largely in the hands of home-owning families. Fortunately, many of the housing policies which have ignored the market have been abandoned ( 2000).There is no doubt that each new housing policy must face the housing market take it by the horns, so to speak, and make it behave. There is too much at stake. The challenge then is to understand, limit, and support the housing market in a manner that serves the fundamental interests of society in other words to enable the housing market to work (2000).   Anyone interested in housing policy now has no choice but to confront the issue of housing market performance. A new vision and an effective voice for housing require dismantling the public institutions myopically engaged in the construction and management of public housing. New knowledge-rich government institutions must come into being, agencies that accumulate information about the workings of the housing sector as a key economic sector, monitor the pulse of the sector, understand the effects of the housing policy environment on the sector’s performance, and implement minimal corrective mechanisms to support it in the attainment of realistic social objectives (2000). There is no alternative to articulating market-sensitive housing policies that can better gauge, limit, or support housing activity, and campaigning for their acceptance. Individual actors and institutions in the housing arena be they political parties, government agencies, research institutions, international organizations, non government agencies, professional associations, nonprofit organizations, community groups, builders, financial institutions, landowners, land and housing developers, squatter movements, and dwellers themselves have now attained different degrees of understanding of how to formulate such market-sensitive policies. (2000). Housing is an important policy of the government. Governments are trying to make sure that housing will be once again a solution for people’s basic needs and they are making sure that its use as a profiting tool will be minimized. Housing provides a place for people to stay. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the house belongs to the one living in it. People get a place to live in through either buying a house or renting a portion of somebody else’s property. There are different policies on renting and how a person can allow his property to be rented. To follow government policy the housing facility would feature safety features such as emergency exits and smoke detectors. The housing facility would feature spacious rooms; it would make sure that people can move around freely.   The housing facility would feature various unique facilities that fit every need of the client. The housing facility would feature a spacious parking space.  The housing facility would be good for the clients because it is near a highway thus it is accessible for clients who commute or use their personal car. Due to its nearness to business establishment it would reduce the client’s travel to their work area. Research studies Precedent studies The key players in housing include landowners, the construction industry, banks, building societies, the financial markets and homeowners, as well as a range of public and other agencies. While none of these has had a consistent influence on housing policy, there have been many examples of such interests influencing the direction of change. Housing policy will generally be implemented through the imposition or alteration of legally enforceable rules and regulations, so it is important to understand how the law affects whether a policy will be successful. Decent housing was recognized as essential to good health more than a century ago, and the concern about ill-health led to the development of housing policy ( 2000). As slum clearance and new build programs brought significant housing improvements, and the focus of health services shifted away from environmental effects towards a medical approach, housing and health policies gradually separated. However, there is now a renewed interest from both sides in the links between housing and health. Poor housing conditions such as damp, mould, condensation and cold persist and can cause poor health (2000).   Changes in housing policy were part of a new approach to public services in general, with the state becoming a purchaser rather than a provider, and competition between independent agencies to provide services under a contract. The complexity of housing issues also inhibits radical revision. Housing reflects and affects the economic and social framework in which it is located. Housing is influenced by demographic, economic, fiscal and social trends, while housing policy changes have their own impact on all of these aspects. Programs designed to deal with one issue often have unintended. The long-term political consensus on housing policy quickly evaporated in the early 1980s, for example, under a government prepared to question long-standing assumptions and goals (1990). Looking into the future is a hazardous exercise, in danger of being rapidly over-taken by events, but any wide-ranging analysis would be incomplete without an attempt to pull out some of the significant threads for the future. Housing debates are beginning to focus on several long-term questions which are predicted to challenge housing policy well into the twenty-first century ( 2001). Housing is a welcome business in Hong Kong. The government has housing policies that does not prohibit housing businesses. The government has a long tradition of affordable social rented housing. It has its own home ownership options wherein people can share the house’s ownership with the landlord. After some time the government introduced a scheme wherein the tenants have the right to buy the property with a discount of 60%.   Many housing facilities that were under the local government were transferred to new housing associations.  These housing associations have rents that are higher than the council housing.  This causes housing issues in the country. The government formed agencies that try to find solutions for the issues in the price of housing and the issues of what organization will have the responsibility for leasing a housing facility. Brand/market analysis With the possible exception of true innovations, a target market must preexist if the new venture idea is to succeed. If there is a target market, it is probably already partially satisfied by the offerings of one or more competitors. Who are these competitors? How do they compete? Are they strong, moderate, or weak competitors? How will they respond if the proposed new venture enters the market and tries to capture market share? Questions such as these can help entrepreneurs realistically estimate the percentage of the target market that might possibly switch their loyalties and purchases to the entrepreneur’s new venture ( 1994).  It is also necessary to include consideration of any other factors that might further reduce the market potential for a new venture’s product or service. Examples of other factors include legal or environmental challenges championed by competitors, or possible conflicts that the new venture may encounter within the distribution system that traditionally services the target market. Such factors are likely to have a negative impact on the size of a new venture’s market potential, and should be incorporated into this analysis of the portion of the target market that might be available to the new venture (1994).   After the entrepreneur has measured the target market, evaluated the competition, and developed a marketing plan, he or she should attempt to integrate these three components in such a way as to arrive at a realistic sales or market-share forecast for the new venture. The concept is to start with the size of the entire target market, and to realistically reduce that market size to reflect the number and effectiveness of competitors. The more realistic market potential arrived at should further be modified to reflect the effectiveness of the marketing plan. With a near perfect marketing plan, it may be possible for the new venture to achieve 80 to 90 percent of the more realistic market potential. With a weak marketing plan, the new venture might achieve no more than 10 percent of the market potential (2001). Such forecasts cannot be very precise, but they can be realistic. If a marketing plan is expected to result in the new venture’s product/service being distributed in only 60 percent of the outlets serving the target market, then only 60 percent of the more realistic market potential is likely to be available to the new venture. Further, if during the screening and evaluation of the new venture idea, only 40 percent of the members of the target market liked the idea associated with the new venture, then it would be expected that the new venture would be able to achieve no more than 40 percent of he above 60 percent of the more realistic market potential, or only about 24 percent of the more realistic market potential. Incorporating such expected results of the marketing plan into a market potential forecast can result in a more realistic estimate of the market potential that the new venture could achieve ( 2001). The market would involve business people and individuals who would like to rent an affordable housing facility.  This market can be a good source of profit since there are many business people/ working citizens in Hong Kong and it has a good number of tourists coming from various countries.  Identifying the Audience The motivation for tenants to buy their houses has been a mixture of a positive view of the benefits to be gained from home ownership along with a negative view of the consequences of remaining in the council sector. Clearly many tenants can take advantage of large discounts to buy their homes at well below the market value. The 1980s and early 1990s have been a period of considerable change for public rented housing (1997). The government has been successful in its attempts to reduce capital expenditure on council housing and to reduce central and local revenue subsidies. There has been a growing fragmentation of the provision of public rented housing with the role of councils as providers in decline and housing associations, tenant management co-operatives and other forms of rented housing on the increase ( 1997). Privatization has taken place, most notably through the sale of council housing, but also through measures such as the use of loans from private financial institutions in housing association developments and the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) into housing management ( 1997).   Increasingly, the market and its values have penetrated the provision of rented housing, shown most clearly by reforms in the housing association sector, but also by CCT and other changes in council housing management such as the increasing use of performance measurement. There has been increasing involvement of tenants as users of the service in the management of public rented housing through an increase in co-operatives and in other tenant participation initiatives (1993). The motivations of housing managers for involving tenants were a mixture of self-interest and recognition of the knowledge and rights of tenants. Tenant participation was widely seen to lead to a better housing management service and in the long term to make housing managers’ jobs easier by reducing management problems on estates by providing a means of communication to managers as well as changing the attitudes of tenants. At the same time, enlisting the support of tenants was seen by many as crucial to the survival of council housing and, therefore, to the continuance of their own jobs. The balance in the motivations of housing managers between self-interest and altruism was different for individual housing managers and there were variations between different types of authority. In traditional authorities there was less emphasis on the rights of tenants than in the other kinds of authorities (1993). The audience of the housing facility to be built includes the potential clients, the government and the competitors.  The potential clients are an audience because they need to see how the facility is built and determine whether the facility fits their standards.  The government is an audience because they have to see whether the construction of the facility will be according to their requirements, rules and procedures. The government has to see whether the construction affects safety of the society. The competitors will be an audience because they will observe how the housing facility will be, planned, constructed and how it will be presented to the general public.   Experience Aspirations and needs Research method This study employed the qualitative research method, since this research intends to find theories that would explain the relationship of one variable with another variable through qualitative elements in research. The qualitative research method will make use of studies and literatures to determine the available means to measure electricity use (1998). Qualitative research designs in the social sciences stem from traditions in anthropology and sociology, where the philosophy emphasizes the phenomenological basis of a study, the elaborate description of the meaning of phenomena for the people or culture under examination. Qualitative research involves the studied use and collection of a variety of empirical material such as case study, personal experience, introspective, life story, interview, observational, historical, interactions, and visual texts on the described routine and problematic moments and meanings in individuals’ lives. Observation is the most frequent data-collection method used in qualitative research (1998).Qualitative research intends to find theories that would explain the relationship of one variable with another variable through qualitative elements or components in research. The qualitative research is described as multi-method in focus, involving an interpretative, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that a qualitative researching procedure acts on studying things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of situations, or interpret events in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Research Findings In a place that is well known for its residual welfare system, the co-existence of a strong state housing program in Hong Kong is beyond the understanding of many people. In 1999, 38 per cent of households in permanent housing in Hong Kong rented public flats, 14 per cent purchased public sector built for sale flats, 12 per cent were in the private rented tenure and 33 per cent were owner occupiers in private housing (  2002). In other words, over half of Hong Kong’s households are currently housed in public sector rental and sale flats of a reasonably high standard. The remainders are in private sector housing, of diverse quality and price ranging from the highly expensive houses in the Peak area to average priced rural houses in the remote New Territories. The housing system is also dominated by geography. Housing 6.84 million people in a built up residential area of only 58 square kilometers, Hong Kong is one of the worlds most densely populated urban. As a result of the terrain, the limited land supply, high land prices, and the locational preferences of the populace, the most intensive form of housing development in high rise flatted blocks has had to be adopted ( 2002). There are many challenges one will face once they decide to open housing facility in Hong Kong. The challenges include the geographical limitations and prices of land. The challenges would be worth it because there are many opportunities and benefits for a housing business. Since Hong Kong is highly populated, it would provide an opportunity for the business to attract clients.  Due to the challenges a housing facility would face lesser competition. Summary The new housing facility would be located in a 10 hectare property in an urban city in Hong Kong. The housing facility would be constructed near a highway and would be accessible to all types of clients. The market would involve business people and individuals who would like to rent an affordable housing facility.  This market can be a good source of profit since there are many business people/ working citizens in Hong Kong and it has a good number of tourists coming from various countries.  Housing is a welcome business in Hong Kong. The government has housing policies that does not prohibit housing businesses. The government has a long tradition of affordable social rented housing To follow government policy the housing facility would feature safety features such as emergency exits and smoke detectors. The housing facility would feature spacious rooms; it would make sure that people can move around freely.   The housing facility would feature various unique facilities that fit every need of the client. The housing facility would feature a spacious parking space.  The housing facility would be good for the clients because it is near a highway thus it is accessible for clients who commute or use their personal car. Due to its nearness to business establishment it would reduce the client’s travel to their work area. The audience of the housing facility to be built includes the potential clients, the government and the competitors. There are many challenges one will face once they decide to open housing facility in Hong Kong. The challenges would be worth it because there are many opportunities and benefits for a housing business. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Housing is a profitable business for improved and developing countries

Introduction In developed countries, housing conventionally costs three to four times the combined annual incomes of the owners so that ...

MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN HOUSING

Housing Managemet   Threshold nuisances created by neighboring owners   Neighbour relations have become an increasingly important housing issue in both the public and private sectors. Social housing landlords report they now spend more time dealing with disputes, ranging from trivial to very serious incidents (, 2005). Anti-social behaviour is generally defined as behaviour that unreasonably interferes with others’ rights to use and enjoy their home. This can involve a clash of lifestyle where different social groups have different norms of behavior (, 2005) . Crime is more specific and disputes commonly relate to drug dealing, assault or burglary. Harassment is defined as behaviour deliberately intended to intimidate or harm an individual or certain group, and includes racial harassment. All these problems are often subsumed under the umbrella term ‘nuisance’. There is a number of reasons why social landlords are increasingly drawn into dealing with neighbour relations. The residualization of the sector has resulted in a concentration of poor and vulnerable tenants into housing which may be high density and poorly designed, often lacks good sound insulation and is inadequately maintained .( , 2005).  New tenants are predominantly young households who may have different lifestyles and expectations from the older tenants. The care in the community policy has resulted in more tenants with unconventional behaviour living in ordinary housing, and exacerbated prejudice and fear between neighbours (, 2006). The drive towards efficiency in the housing service has focused attention on the costs of disputes, including repairs, re-housing, legal costs, loss of income from empty properties and reinforcement of the unpopularity of certain estates. The most frequent nuisance problem between social tenants is noise, followed by disputes over gardens (, 2006). Other common issues include verbal abuse, criminal behaviour, harassment, damage to property, dogs, physical intimidation and vehicle repairs. Social landlords use a wide range of measures both to prevent or minimize nuisance and to deal with disputes when they arise. Under the provisions of the 1996 Housing Act, local authorities may give all new tenants temporary Introductory Tenancies, which after twelve months automatically become Secure Tenancies ( 2006. This new power has been adopted by a number of authorities, although in practice where tenants are evicted from Introductory Tenancies it is more often for rent arrears than for anti-social behaviour (, 2005). Dealing with neighbour disputes requires clear procedures, prompt action and close liaison with other agencies. Some social landlords designate specialist officers to handle conflicts. In many areas there is a mediation service, providing an independent third party which aims to open up channels of communication between the conflicting tenants (, 2006) . This is generally provided by a local voluntary agency and can prevent disputes from escalating. Support for victims is important, especially where there is a threat of violence, and this sometimes involves re-housing. It is also important to work with the perpetrators of anti-social behaviour, especially where they may be vulnerable themselves and in need of guidance and support.     In housing management the landlord may apply, Housing plus schemes normally involve three elements (, 2006 :             1 The physical housing development to be located close to jobs and services, environmentally sensitive with energy-efficient homes, deter crime, and include a community training programme or local labour scheme.             2 Housing management to involve tenant participation and support tenant organizations, and adopt a range of sensitive approaches such as a tailor-made local lettings policy to foster social balance, the involvement of specialists such as youth workers, community safety initiatives, adult training schemes and education.             3 The provision of community facilities to be an integral part of the development such as community buildings, play facilities, crèches, childcare and holiday schemes, youth clubs, sports and games facilities and adult education classes. The housing plus approach goes far beyond traditional housing development and management roles, and sees housing as a potential catalyst for enhancing a range of services (, 2006). It stresses multi-agency working between housing and a range of social, environmental and economic agencies, and associations may be involved with the local health trust, social services, police, and adult or further education colleges (, 2006). This mirrors the partnership approach increasingly adopted by local authorities in housing regeneration programmes. However, inter-agency working is often very difficult to achieve in practice.   Unauthorized Parking on Estates According to Housing Management Regulations, any vehicle parked in an unauthorized location or any unauthorized manner, the landlord have the right to intervene and may have the tenant’s vehicle removed if it constitutes a danger or obstruction is parked for example on a footpath, grassed area or in other tenant’s driveway . (, 2005). The owner of the vehicle shall remove and will be required to pay an amount that the estates required or else the vehicle will be detained. The owner must claim the vehicle or the vehicle will be post for public bidding. Although there is a clear regulation on unauthorized parking in estates, the landlord is also required to provide proper parking area for their tenants, in order for them to have an adequate place to park their vehicle and also to avoid some unfortunate conflicts in parking their vehicles in estates areas (, 2005). Parking areas should also be included in the monthly rental of the tenant, meaning the landlord should not be charging extra cost for the parking area.       Antagonism on the Management: Deed of Mutual Relationship Tenants according to the Housing Management are allowed to keep pets in their rented house or apartment without permission provided that the animals will not cause any nuisance to other neighbors. For those tenants who wish to have a pet dog, they need to get a permit from the landlord and the Housing Management. This permission should be written and formal. According to the dangerous dogs act 1991(, 2005): • The Neighborhood Office will inform the tenant of its decision to grant permission to keep a dog or other large pet within 15 working days of receipt of the tenant’s application. • Immediate neighbours must agree to the tenant in keeping a pet. • The tenant must have a licence to keep that type of animal. • The tenant can keep only one dog. • The tenant must keep the pet under control. • The pet must not foul the landing, the stairs or the close outside. • The pet must not foul the back garden or drying area. • The pet must not disturb other neighbours or cause a nuisance. • Tenants living in multi-storey or sheltered flats are not allowed to keep a dog, except a guide dog. • If reasonable, where corroborated complaints are received from neighbours, permission to keep a pet may be withdrawn. • Tenants are NOT allowed to keep poultry, livestock or animals covered by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. To quote the memorandum of the Hong Kong Housing Management (, 2005). Memorandum for the Subsidised Housing Committee Keeping of Dogs in Tenants Purchase Scheme Estates We have received a Member’s request for discussion of Paper No./2004 on Keeping of Dogs in Tenants Purchase Scheme Estates. With the agreement of the Chairman of the Subsidised Housing Committee, the proposals contained in the Paper will be discussed at the next Subsidised Housing Committee meeting. 2. This paper is issued for Members’ information.                               References Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN HOUSING

Housing Managemet Threshold nuisances created by neighboring owners Neighbour relations have become an increasingly important hou...

Registered Social Landlord’s are business and should conduct themselves accordingly

Overview Housing associations/organisations and housing companies are independent, private and not-for–profit. There are 2, 200 housing associations in England. Their goal is to provide homes for people with housing needs while operating for a communal benefit. Housing associations can be a charity, a trust, a company or an Industrial and Provident Society (). Social landlords are considered as housing organizations. When they register to Housing Corporation under Housing Act 1996, practically, they will become registered social landlords (RSLs) with a full registry maintained for inspection by Corporation’s Maple House office in London (The National Affordable Homes Agency).             Further, there are ten types of RSL namely: 1) abbeyfield, 2) almshouse, 3) co-operative, 4) co-ownership, 5) hostel, 6) letting/hostel, 7) letting, 8) sale or lease, 9) stock transfer and 10) YMCA/YWCA (The National Affordable Homes Agency). In general, all RSLs are run by a Board of Management which includes Council nominees, residents and community members and regulated by the Housing Corporation ( ). Since RSL is basically a business which operates on the basis services and finances, RSLs are needed to be regulated, registered, governed and monitored. RSL Regulation             The Housing Corporation is the statutory regulator of RSLs (2005). Their main responsibility is to assess the RS compliance with the Regulatory Code and Guidance as mandated in Section 36 of the Housing Act (). The corporation, in lieu, monitors the performance and funding use of the housing associations through a risk-based regulation approach. The Housing Corporation Assessment (HCA) is the key element of the regulatory approach (). To comply, the RSL are require to submit self-assessment compliance statement, annual accounts including internal controls assurance statement, auditor’s management letter, five year financial forecast (FV5) and Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR) (). Moreover, non-compliance and underperformance will be subjected to corporation’s supervision, either intervention or enforcement, depending on the materiality of the problems identified (p.13). The corporation, in connection, also regulates on viability of the business based on a traffic light system: green – the RSL meets the expectations set in the Code though it might be vulnerable to deterioration, amber – the RSL’s financial viability is a concern and red – the RSL’s financial viability is of serious concern (2005). The corporation requires a submission of the documents such as accounts (FVA), FV5 and the Private Finance Regulatory Return (Form PFRR) ().             Governance is also regulated by the Corporation through the requirements of the Code to: operate according to the law and constitutions, be headed by an effective board with expertise and leadership and control capabilities; maintain highest standards of probity; protect public investment; seek and be responsive; deal with the Corporation in an open and co-operative manner; demonstrate commitment to equal opportunity, equitable approach to the rights and responsibilities of individuals and promote good relations and operate a framework of effective identification and management of risks (2005).               The Code also requires management regulations including: setting of rents that reflects size, property value and local earnings; having management arrangements, resources, skills and systems; delivering continuous improvements and value for money; developing and managing of good quality homes; providing of good quality housing services and working with local authorities (2005). RSL Registration             Section 5 of the Act sets out different registration criteria for organisations who wished to be a RSL (2004). The three main criteria to register are viable, properly governed and properly managed. Registration requirements for viability are financial planning and funding, demand and stock condition, risk management and financial control (pp. 9-10). For governance, the requirements include constitution and control, board composition, executive and skills, probity, protect public investment, tenant involvement and equality and diversity (). Management requirements are rents, management structures and systems, best value and continuous improvement, stock condition, asset management and new development, housing services, local authority relationships and strategic housing roles ().             Whereas, the registration process follows nine major steps as: 1) consideration of the registration criteria and registration requirements, 2) confirmation of the association as eligible for RSL status, 3) completion of preliminary application form, 4) agreeing on a timetable, 5) completion of a pre-registration assessment period, 6) completion of a more detailed formal application form, 7) arrange for a final compliance review visit with a regulator, 8) pre-registration assessment reports and recommendation and the formal application for registration and 9) confirmation and notification of RSL registration number (). RSL Governance             Essentially, good governance will sustain the status of RSL in Europe. The Housing Corporation conforms to the Good Practice Notes in maintaining governance of RSLs’ performance. In Scotland, the governance is guided by ethical standards (2005) and the Good Governance Standards for Public Sector or the Langlands principle ().             There are instruments to measure governance in general.  According to  (2003), these are specify governance arrangements as a communication tool for stakeholders while protecting the integrity and the basic purpose of the organisation; require public reports for transparency, efficiency and effectiveness; leverage financial in undertaking programmes, joining collaborations and decision-making and set and inspect standards to ensure developmental functions, identify weaknesses and transfer of good practice (). In effect, RSLs must be nagged in statutory and regulatory reporting requirements such as Rent Surplus Fund (RSF), Accounting Order, Code of Audit Practice and reports on tax relief grants ( 2001). RSL Monitoring             The monitoring processes conform to statute’s requirement to produce accounts in a particular form and have it audited. Copies of accounts and the auditor’s report will be submitted to the Housing Corporation along with business plans, financial performance reports and responses about audit and monitoring reports ( 2000).             In England, regulation and monitoring are largely carried-out by the Corporation through a regular inspection is conducted by the Audit Commission and the monitoring for local housing authorities are done by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) (2000). Still, a Housing Inspectorate is a body appointed by the government in-charge in monitoring the performance of local authorities and the RSLs (2001).                           Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Registered Social Landlord’s are business and should conduct themselves accordingly

Overview Housing associations/organisations and housing companies are independent, private and not-for–profit. There are 2, 200 housing ...

Housing Development / Management of Property Maintenance Systems

TASK 1 Repairing houses has been made mandatory for landlords as stated in UK law. Specifically, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 have been instrumental in making this aspect become an obligation on the part of the landlords. The tenants on the other hand, have the similar obligation to report the areas of the house that needs repairing. It is also required of them to notify them as soon as possible. The need for the tenant to actually inform the landlord forms the latter’s liability to the former. This means that once the tenant has posted a notice of disrepair, then the landlord have to attend to this problem.   There are some forms of communications that are available for tenants in informing any type of disrepair in the house. The traditional means would be through written correspondence. This is rather the most convenient and certain way to convey a notice of disrepair to the landlord. In instances of a refusal of the landlord to mend the disrepair, the tenant could use this as evidence to courts if ever legal actions are taken. On the part of the landlords, the use of this written correspondence is a convenient way to keep a tangible and reliable record of any changes made in the house. Recently, social landlords now employ some sort of customer relationship management by instituting a customer assistance hotline. In this manner, the complaints held by the tenants could be forwarded to the landlord through the telephone. This provides additional convenience for the tenant, especially in terms of emergency repairs. However, installing this system would be rather pricey on the part of the landlords.     TASK 2 There are certain maintenance and repair methods that are available in the UK setting. These include day-to-day repairs, emergency repairs, planned maintenance, and cyclical maintenance. The day-to-day repairs constitute of refurbishing activities that would last over two weeks. This includes carpentry repairs, external repairs, and certain mending of fixtures inside the house. Normal areas that consume most of the day-to-day repairs include kitchen and bathroom maintenance. On the other hand, emergency repairs would be carried out overnight at the most. The landlord would be considerably liable on this part considering that such instances that require this kind of repairs would be rather severe. Such instances would be loss of amenities like the service of water, electricity, heating, and gas. Other areas includes gas leakages or pipe breakage in the house and leaks on the roofing. Basically, these types of repairs are covered by those disrepairs that pose danger to the tenant. Planned maintenance is carried out by the landlord by implementing regular monitoring of the life cycle of certain areas of the dwelling based on the agreement between the tenant and them. This means that this is done through routine checks and carried out sparingly as areas and amenities of the house tend to become obsolete. This is often confused with cyclical maintenance. This type of maintenance, on the other hand, is a way for landlords to improve the aesthetic value of their property. This is carried out at a specified period and constitutes major changes in the house.     TASK 2A Looking at the discussions above, it appears that cyclical maintenance and planned maintenance are to be considered capital expenditures. Essentially, these forms of maintenance are carried out by the landlord to improve the value of his/her property. This means that the repairs made are not essentially a means of mending disrepair. Instead, it is a form of improving the property. As seen in the context of planned maintenance, the landlord is obligated to replace fixed assets because they have ceased to operate. Such examples of these fixed assets would be centralised air-conditioning or the central heating boilers. These add up to the overall value of the property, having newly acquired fixed assets. On a similar note, the case of cyclical maintenance also takes on an instance where the condition of the property is improved. Such activities that tend to be carried out in cyclical maintenance include repainting of the façade of the property, changes on fences and gateways, or redecorations in the property’s foyers. All in all, these two forms of repair methods reflect not only a means to address disrepair but also an improvement of the physical value of the property.           TASK 3 Housing voids tend to be the problem for social landlords whose properties are located at a non-appealing part of the town. Voids in this context tend to become open to certain risks. Aside from having a clear and present risk of vandalism and squatting, presence of voids tends to become a maintenance nightmare for landlords. Keeping a complete record on all the voids could minimise cost in managing these areas for the landlord. Maintenance could be easier given a documented system is provided. Moreover, some landlords maintain a system for key security. In this context, vandalism and squatting would be averted significantly.   Some of the practices that social landlords take to minimise these is to let these areas on a much cheaper rate. On this case, certain parts of the populations would be able to afford housing. There have been instances where homeless individuals were offered to dwell in the property for a certain period. At this point, the maintenance of the property is kept within reasonable costs and at the same time addressing the social problem of homelessness. Other practices refer to this as a housing option called temporary accommodation.          Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Housing Development / Management of Property Maintenance Systems

TASK 1 Repairing houses has been made mandatory for landlords as stated in UK law. Specifically, the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 have b...

Appreciation of the current state and future development of the maintenance management of private residential buildings

Appreciation of the current state and future development of the maintenance management of private residential buildings

Introduction Building maintenance is essential, for different reasons: The first reason for the importance of maintaining a building is...