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63-552: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive's website cites its main functions as being: The organisation is also the home energy conservation authority for Northern Ireland. It has statutory responsibility for homelessness and also administers the housing benefit system and Supporting People programme in Northern Ireland. Prior to the establishment of the Housing Executive, public housing in Northern Ireland

126-473: A 'points' system in determining priorities and making allocations (iii) misuse in certain cases of discretionary powers of allocation of houses in order to perpetuate Unionist control of the local authority The Housing Executive was established by the Housing Executive Act (Northern Ireland) 1971. A single all-purpose housing authority for Northern Ireland had been advocated as early as 1964 by

189-512: A bedroom in a shared household and other benefits they can claim are lower. Matt Downie of the housing charity Crisis said, "This report highlights just how much housing benefits for private renters are falling short of the levels needed, leaving many homeless people stuck in a desperate situation and putting yet more people at risk of homelessness". In October 2022, Home REIT was established to invest in properties occupied by tenants who qualify for Housing Benefit payments. On 7 December 2022,

252-495: A disability and over 25s who have spent at least three months living in hostel accommodation, subject to meeting further conditions. The maximum payable under LHA was also set to £400 per week, or £20,800 per annum. These changes will mean significantly lower amounts of benefit will be paid, especially in Central London. Transitional protection will apply to existing claimants, their eligible rent will be reduced based on

315-483: A great deal of support and the benefit cap disproportionately prevents them from getting what they need. Single parent families comprise more than 70% of the households which got their housing benefit capped, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies reckoned that out-of-work single parents lost more than £3,000 annually since 2015. Polly Neate of Shelter said, "The money put forward [by the government for social housing]

378-495: A group of shareholders claimed the company had misled the market by investing in properties occupied by tenants who are not vulnerable and therefore would not qualify for Housing Benefit payments. The company denied the allegations. Housing association In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, non-profit organisations that provide low-cost " social housing " for people in need of

441-502: A home outright. Housing associations provide a wide range of housing, some managing large estates of housing for families, while the smallest may perhaps manage a single scheme of housing for older people. Much of the supported accommodation in the UK is also provided by housing associations, with specialist projects for people with mental health issues or learning disabilities , with substance misuse problems ( alcohol or illegal drugs ),

504-425: A home. Any budget surplus is used to maintain existing housing and to help finance new homes and it cannot be used for personal benefit of directors or shareholders. Although independent, they are regulated by the state and commonly receive public funding . They are now the United Kingdom's major providers of new housing for rent , while many also run shared ownership schemes to help those who cannot afford to buy

567-622: A landlord shall: If a landlord refuses to repair a rented property, the tenant can take action to require them to carry out necessary works and claim compensation. There are four industry bodies representing housing associations working in the UK, each covering a respective country. They are: The NHF (formerly the National Federation of Housing Associations) claimed that at the start of 2003 they had around 1,400 non-profit housing organisations in their membership, owning or managing approximately 1.8 million homes across England. In

630-433: A large discount. This, combined with cost-cutting initiatives in local government and a housing benefit scheme that was more generous to housing associations than local authorities, led to many councils transferring their housing stock to housing associations. These organisations are often referred to as large-scale voluntary transfer organisations or local housing companies. The Housing Acts of 1985 and 1988 facilitated

693-503: A mid year estimate and a final claim. The final claim must be submitted to the DWP by 30 April. The final audited claim must be submitted by 30 November. The Department for Work and Pensions pays local councils an administration grant based on the numbers of new claims and overall case-load; as well as various other cost factor adjustments to take into account the relative staff and accommodation costs. The level of Administration Grant awarded

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756-566: A new government policy of "affordable rents" for its 2011–15 funding round, requiring associations to set rents at up to 80% of market rents so that less up-front capital subsidy would be required. In September 2013, a group of London boroughs initiated a judicial review to challenge this policy. A landlord's obligations are set out in several pieces of legislation, including the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 , which applies to tenancies entered into after 1961. In summary, section 11 provides that

819-478: A relevant decision can ask the council to revise its decision (Look at the decision again). It also states that a person affected can appeal against the decision of a Local Authority to an independent appeal tribunal (the First-tier Tribunal) within one calendar month. This means that every time a decision is made about Housing benefit a Decision notice must be sent, notifying the 'person affected' of

882-521: A result could be subject to judicial review in certain circumstances. The court stated that the housing association sector was 'permeated by state control and influence with a view to meeting the government's aims for affordable housing, and in which RSLs work side by side with, and can in a very real sense be said to take the place of, local authorities'. This issue had wider political significance since housing associations' borrowing (which stood at approximately £30 billion in 2006) does not contribute to

945-501: Is announced annually by the Department for Work and Pensions . Some elements of the subsidy claim are subject to penalty, to encourage local authorities to control that element of expenditure. This includes high rents for care and support homes and the raising of overpayments. Overpayments of benefit are not fully funded in order to ensure that the local authority takes recovery action where appropriate. From April 2017 people between

1008-479: Is awarded as a rebate, reducing the level of rent payable by the tenant. Private tenants' benefit is normally paid to the tenant, who has the right to decide to whom payments are made, but in other cases it is paid to the landlord . Local authorities reclaim the housing benefit that they have paid from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by means of submitting heavily audited subsidy claims. Three subsidy claims must be completed each year: an initial estimate,

1071-539: Is because benefits are frozen below inflation for the third consecutive year. Pensioner poverty had halved during 20 years, but started to rise in 2012–13. In 2016–17, 16% of pensioners were in poverty, reaching 31% for those in social housing and 36% for private renters. Campbell Robb of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said, "For middle-aged people who have been struggling over the past few years, who don’t have many savings and don’t own their own home,

1134-510: Is being cut due to uncertainty whether prospective tenants will be able to pay the rent. Schemes affected include homes for war veterans, for people with learning disabilities helping them live independently. New schemes are postponed or cancelled and existing schemes are being closed. David Orr of the National Housing Federation said, "With social care in crisis, the role supported housing plays in alleviating pressures on

1197-419: Is only a fraction of what’s needed, given just how bad this crisis has become. Building new homes also takes time, and time is not on the side of the million private renters who could risk being tipped into homelessness by the freeze on housing benefit. Whether a struggling family or a young person in low-paid work, the freeze is stripping away the help people desperately need to pay their rent. (...) We are urging

1260-714: Is rising. For those hit by the freeze, housing benefit is failing to bridge the widening gap between escalating private rents and incomes that simply can’t keep up. (...) We’re calling on the government to abandon the freeze in the short term or risk making more people homeless. Ultimately, if the government wants to cut the welfare bill in the long term, they should concentrate their efforts on building genuinely affordable homes that low earners can actually afford". Housing benefit has been frozen for four years to 2018 while private sector rents have been rising. This has caused hardship among poorer tenants who do not have enough money to heat their homes, to buy food and also to pay their rent,

1323-921: Is the technical name for social landlords that in England were formerly registered with the Housing Corporation , or in Wales with the Welsh Government. From 2010 to 2012, associations were termed registered providers under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 , irrespective of status (private, public, for-profit or not-for-profit). As of 2012 , the terms registered social landlord and private registered providers of social housing are both used as alternative names for housing association. Housing associations are generally considered as private entities in that they are not owned or directly controlled by

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1386-529: The Chartered Institute of Housing has found. Terrie Alafat of the CIH said, "Our research makes it clear just how far housing benefit for private renters has failed to keep pace with even the cheapest private rents. We fear this policy is putting thousands of private renters on low incomes at risk of poverty and homelessness". Over 90% of Local Housing Allowance rates throughout the UK now do not cover

1449-439: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)). It usually meant that the landlord was not willing to consider letting to a tenant who would be dependent on housing benefit to pay the rent. Performance of councils has improved after millions of pounds in public money were poured in to support the worst-performing councils. The DWP requires councils to process claims within an average of thirty days from receipt to payment. Changes in

1512-537: The Housing Act 1988 , the proportion of the cost of new homes met by capital grants was scaled back by the government, so borrowing became the primary source of funding for investment. Much of this was simply borrowed from banks and building societies , but after the 2007–2008 financial crisis , these institutions ceased to offer long-term loans, so developing associations are increasingly turning to corporate bonds to raise funds for expansion. The HCA implemented

1575-726: The Metropolitan Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes . They increased in importance over the last decades of the twentieth century due to changes to council housing brought in by the Thatcher government, when rules were introduced that prevented councils subsidising their housing from local taxes, channelled grants for construction of new social housing to housing associations and allowed council tenants to buy their homes at

1638-962: The Northern Ireland Labour Party but it was not until the British Home Secretary, James Callaghan , visited the Stormont Government in the wake of the Belfast Riots of August 1969 and pressed for a unified housing body that the Stormont regime took the idea seriously. Although the Bill was proposed by the Ulster Unionist Minister of Development, Brian Faulkner , it was strongly opposed by Unionist right-wingers and by followers of Ian Paisley . The new organisation took on

1701-557: The Communities Minister, Sinn Féin's Carál Ní Chuilín announced plans to allow the Housing Executive to borrow to invest in its housing stock. Housing benefit Housing Benefit is a means-tested social security benefit in the United Kingdom that is intended to help meet housing costs for rented accommodation . It is the second biggest item in the Department for Work and Pensions ' budget after

1764-521: The DSS. Its full transfer took place in 1989 as part of a major reform of social security legislation which also saw the introduction of Income Support . Due to a benefit cap many claimants have had their housing benefit reduced to 50p a week, as they are receiving £23,000 in London or £20,000 in the rest of the country in other benefits. In 2017, new building providing supported housing for vulnerable people

1827-477: The Housing Executive owned 170,000 dwellings in Northern Ireland. By 2016, the housing stock had reduced to less than 90,000. The Housing Executive stopped building new homes in 2002, this function being taken over by housing associations . A commission led by Judge Robin Rowland QC was established in 1977 to investigate Housing Executive contracts. It reported in 1979, finding that public money had ended up in

1890-492: The NHS is ever more important. These changes have not even come in yet and they have taken 7,000 homes for vulnerable people out of the pipeline. The proposed changes in funding bear no relation to the real cost of providing this type of housing. It is time government put supported housing on a secure and sustainable footing". The most vulnerable people, elderly people, severely disabled people and people with mental health problems need

1953-517: The UK's public sector borrowing requirement, the control of which is both a stated government objective and part of the EU's criteria for membership of the European single currency. A feature of housing associations is that, although the larger housing associations usually have paid staff, a committee or board of management made up of volunteers, or paid non-executive members, has overall responsibility for

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2016-449: The ages of 18 and 21 will not ordinarily be entitled to housing benefit. There are fears this will increase homelessness. Housing benefit was transferred from the Department of Health and Social Security to local authorities in 1982. This was to coincide with increasing deregulation of the private sector rental market as it was felt at the time that local authorities would have a better understanding of local rental market conditions than

2079-442: The amount of Housing and Council Tax Benefit awarded, overpayments/underpayments, and terminations. Discretionary housing payments are available to those who need further help to meet their Housing costs. To be eligible to claim for a DHP one must qualify for Housing or Council Tax Benefit (at any rate). The funds for DHPs are cash limited. The DWP publishes how much is available to for DHP funding to Local Authorities each year. In

2142-429: The anniversary date of when they first made their claim for benefit. The government has stated that the purpose of these reductions is to reduce the fiscal deficit and to increase the incentive for people to work. The reduction in benefits will mean that some families will have to leave their existing homes and find cheaper ones. Families of people in work have been unable to pay their rent and have become homeless through

2205-553: The benefit for the property would be restricted would have been to obtain a Pre Tenancy Determination. These had to be requested through the local authority and The Rent Service decision was treated by the Local Authority in the same way as any other referral to the Rent Service. Requests needed to be made by a prospective tenant and the landlord of the property. If the circumstances of the individual claimant were broadly

2268-579: The benefits freeze and build really affordable housing. Robb further stated "These figures are part of a wider increase in poverty across all age-groups. If we don’t tackle the causes now, we fear that we are going to see poverty – particularly among pensioners – rise even more". Due to the freeze housing benefit no longer covers rent and low income people risk being forced into poverty and homelessness . Matt Downie of Crisis stated,: 'This ( Chartered Institute of Housing ) report highlights just how much housing benefits for private renters are falling short of

2331-552: The borough that placed them. For those areas where there are two or more tier local government structure, Housing Benefit is administered by the district or borough council layer of local government. This is the council responsible for the billing of Council Tax. Additionally, local authorities in Great Britain, but not Northern Ireland, may contract out the administration of housing benefit to other local authorities, or to private companies. Council tenants' housing benefit

2394-539: The cheapest 30% of homes in any area, as they were originally intended to do, the Chartered Institute of Housing research shows. In November 2017 over 30 homeless charities, faith leaders and MPs issued a letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond, urging him to lift housing benefit cap or a million households would face homelessness in the coming two years. Single people under 25 years old are specially vulnerable as they are only entitled to housing benefit covering

2457-624: The circumstances of claimants must be decided on within a target of twelve days. After a review of performance indicators, the DWP combined these targets into one indicator – the right time indicator. Very few councils are now reporting backlogs, although the recession has seen an increase in case-load which has resulted in the Government granting Local Authorities an additional £45 million for 2009/10 in order to ensure continued good performance. In practice, lettings agencies will usually obtain credit references on prospective tenants and, once

2520-473: The formerly homeless , young people , ex-offenders , asylum seekers , and people fleeing domestic violence . In Australia, the term "housing association" refers to larger, growth-oriented 'not-for-dividend' community-housing providers. Smaller community housing providers may include trusts, cooperatives etc. State and territory-owned public housing represents about 80% of social housing in Australia. Over

2583-818: The functions and staff of the Northern Ireland Housing Trust in 1971, the housing functions and staff of 61 local authorities in 1972, and the housing functions of the New Town Development Commissions for Derry , Antrim , Ballymena , and Craigavon in 1973. It became the landlord of more than 150,000 dwellings, and introduced a points-based policy intended to ensure impartiality in allocations. However, despite efforts to encourage integrated housing, sectarianism persists, and as of 2011 90% of all Housing Executive estates are predominantly one religious identity. A House Condition Survey in 1974 found that Northern Ireland had

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2646-473: The funding by the Housing Corporation for new house building has been channelled to fewer than 80 "developing housing associations" that have achieved "partner status" through partner programme agreements. Long-term lender option borrower option loans (LOBOs) have been taken out in the past by housing associations. Housing associations borrow money to pay for new homes and improvements. After

2709-415: The government to abandon the freeze on housing benefit in the autumn budget or risk making more people homeless". The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) stated that in 2018 one in six pensioners is in poverty due to falling home ownership, rising rents and the benefits freeze. It is feared many pensioners will have to choose to pay for heating or buy food this winter not having enough money to get both. This

2772-671: The hands of front organisations for the IRA. In the 1980s, the Executive was scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee for irregularities in public liability claims and district heating . A report published in June 2010 by Queens University Belfast stated that social housing in Northern Ireland was not adequately funded. In 2016 it was estimated that the Housing Executive's existing housing stock needed £7bn investment over

2835-414: The housing benefit freeze. The cost of maintaining these families in bed and breakfast accommodation is far higher than the cost of paying the families a higher rate of housing benefit would be. Roger Harding of Shelter stated, "We have grave concerns that the current freeze on housing benefit is pushing hundreds of thousands of private renters perilously close to breaking point at a time when homelessness

2898-828: The late 1960s. Following civil disturbances in 1968–69, a commission appointed by the Northern Ireland government and led by Lord Cameron found that "grievances concerning housing were the first general cause of the disorders which it investigated". Lord Cameron's report concluded: A rising sense of continuing injustice and grievance among large sections of the Catholic population in Northern Ireland, in particular in Derry and Dungannon, in respect of (i) inadequacy of housing provision by certain local authorities (ii) unfair methods of allocation of houses built and let by such authorities, in particular; refusals and omissions to adopt

2961-639: The levels needed, leaving many homeless people stuck in a desperate situation and putting yet more people at risk of homelessness. In Northern Ireland, tenants must apply to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive regardless of whether they rent from a private landlord, from the NIHE itself, or from a housing association. Before the introduction of the Local Housing Allowance the only way of finding out whether

3024-585: The majority do not depend on donations for their general activities. New housing generally receives economic subsidies, the source of which will depend on where the association is based: Subsidies for new homes (often termed 'social housing grant') amount to sizeable public investments. In its 2008–11 prospectus, the Housing Corporation stated that in the three-year period to 2011 investment would be "at least £8 billion". The majority of this would go to housing associations for use in development projects. Since 2003, in an effort to seek greater value for money, much of

3087-635: The next 30 years. In 2013 the DUP's Nelson McCausland , then Social Development minister in the Northern Ireland Executive , announced a plan to break up the Housing Executive, retaining its strategic function in the public sector and transferring its landlord responsibilities to housing associations. McCausland left the Department of Social Development in 2014, and his proposals were not put into action by his successors. In November 2020

3150-399: The prospect of being a pensioner is very challenging". Roughly 20% of pensioners rent their home, and the proportion is rising. The benefits freeze since 2016 increases to the problem. Robb added, "As rent goes up faster than housing benefit, pensioners have a huge gap to fill. This tips people into poverty, and forces them to choose between food and heating". The JRF urged the government to end

3213-524: The qualifying age for Pension Credit (regardless of whether it has been claimed) it is governed by the "Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006". It is normally administered by the local authority in whose area the property being rented lies. In some circumstances, normally council tenants in "out of borough properties", some claimants may be required to obtain Housing Benefit from

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3276-485: The same as that of the prospective tenant who made the request for the PTD the decision remained valid for a year. Many larger councils suffered from delays in processing Housing Benefit claims. Delays of up to a year were reported. Delays and rent restrictions were so endemic in the system that it became common to see classified advertisements for lettings stating No DSS (the then- Department of Social Security , now called

3339-492: The spending review of 20 October 2010 George Osborne announced a series of changes to housing benefit. From April 2011 claimants will only be able to claim a rent based on the 30th percentile of rent in their area (previously 50th percentile). The age at which most single people can claim for a self-contained one bedroom flat (rather than the shared room rate) was increased to 35 years. Exceptions to this apply to some groups, including care leavers aged under 22, some people who have

3402-513: The state pension, totalling £23.8 billion in 2013–14. The primary legislation governing Housing Benefit is the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 . Operationally, the governing regulations are statutory instruments arising from that Act. It is governed by one of two sets of regulations. For working age claimants it is governed by the "Housing Benefit Regulations 2006", but for those who have reached

3465-575: The state. This status, however, has been challenged by a number of legal rulings. In 2004 the British government accepted an EU ruling that considered housing associations as public bodies for the purposes of procurement. Subsequently, the English High Court in Weaver v. London and Quadrant Housing Trust [2008] EWHC 1377 (Admin) ruled that housing associations were public authorities and as

3528-707: The tenants have moved in, they are ambivalent as to whether tenants claim housing benefit or not, as long as the rent is paid on time. Local Housing Allowance is designed to ensure that landlords do not have a reason to discriminate against tenants on Housing Benefit, as in most cases there will be no need for a landlord to know that the tenant is on Housing Benefit, and the tenant can know in advance if rent will be met in full. Some landlord organisations have raised concerns about Local Housing Allowance as they believe it has made rents more difficult to collect from those on Housing Benefit. The Housing Benefit (Decision and Appeals) Regulations 2001 state that any 'person affected' by

3591-415: The transfer of council housing to not-for-profit housing associations. The 1988 Act redefined housing associations as non-public bodies, permitting access to private finance, which was a strong motivation for transfer as public sector borrowing had been severely constrained. These new housing associations were also the providers of most new public-sector housing. By 2003 36.5% of the social rented housing stock

3654-481: The work of the organisation. A board might include residents, representatives from local authorities and community groups, business people and politicians. There are more than 30,000 voluntary board members running housing associations throughout England . Housing associations' day-to-day activities are funded by rent and service charges payments made by, or on behalf of, those living in its properties. In this sense, housing associations are run as commercial entities and

3717-598: The worst housing conditions in the UK, with almost 20% of houses unfit for human habitation. The Housing Executive embarked on a programme of house building, seeing over 80,000 new houses built between 1975 and 1996. It moved away from the high-rise buildings commonly constructed in the 1960s, concentrating on two- and three-storey houses. It introduced a renovation grants scheme in 1976, enabling privately owned houses to be improved. A second House Condition Survey carried out in 1979 found that unfitness had fallen to 14%. A third survey in 1984 saw it further reduced to 8.4%. By 2011 it

3780-564: The years these public housing entities have had different names including: 'housing commissions', and 'housing trusts'. Housing associations first appeared in the second half of the nineteenth century as part of the growth in philanthropic and voluntary organisations brought about by the growth of the middle classes in the wake of the Industrial Revolution . Early examples are the Guinness Trust , Peabody Trust and

3843-516: Was 2.4%. A right to buy policy, allowing tenants to buy their homes at discounted prices, was introduced in 1979. Derelict houses were sold on the open market, for prices as low as £100, accompanied by loans and grants to help buyers renovate them. The Housing Executive piloted a joint ownership scheme, which led to the foundation of the Northern Ireland Co-Ownership Housing Association. In 1991

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3906-677: Was held by housing associations. Currently, some of the biggest housing associations in the UK are Clarion Housing Group , Sanctuary Housing , L&Q and Peabody Trust , to name just a few. Some housing associations have partnerships with real estate investment trusts : Civitas Social Housing is the largest social housing real estate investment trust , working with 15 housing associations. Housing associations may be constituted using various forms of legal entity . Many are industrial and provident societies , but there are also trusts , co-operatives and companies. They may or may not be registered charities . Registered social landlord (RSL)

3969-434: Was managed primarily by local councils. Only ratepayers and their spouses could vote in council elections - sub-tenants, lodgers, and adults living with their parents could not - so allocation of housing was "distorted for political ends". This largely took the form of discrimination against Catholics to ensure Unionist control of councils, opposition to which was a major plank of the Northern Ireland civil rights movement of

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