Decision details

To approve the South and East Lincolnshire Housing Standards Policies.

Resolved:

That the draft Empty Homes Policy at Appendix 1 within the report, the draft HMO Policy at Appendix 2 within the report, and the draft Housing Standards Enforcement Policy at Appendix 3 within the report be approved.

·         To ensure the Council has suitable policies and procedures in place for responding to and dealing with housing standards issues.

·         These polices enable and ensure our Housing Standards Officers apply their work confidently and robustly across the three councils of the partnership and ensure we are ready for any changes that need to be applied as part of the Renters' Rights Act which comes into force this year.

·         For empty homes the main focus is introducing a scoring matrix to prioritise properties at greatest concern with each council of the Partnership enabling their tools available to them without committing to specific resources. For HMO licensing the policy introduces a new fee structure that is consistent across the Partnership and the Enforcement policy includes the revision of fixed penalty notice amounts reflected in the Renters' Rights Act.

Keep current policies – not recommended.