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Home and community
Decent Homes standard
All property owned and managed by the council must meet the Decent Homes standard. To meet the standard, property must have reasonably modern facilities, be warm and weatherproof.
Improving standards
The government wants all social housing to be brought up to the Decent Homes standard by 2010.
To improve its housing stock, some councils may need further investment to assist with the financial cost. Three schemes designed to help local councils are:
- transferring stock to a non-profit housing association - which can borrow money from banks
- creating an Arm's Length Management Organisation (ALMO); a company owned by a council
- entering into a Private Finance Initiative (PFI); a partnership between the private and public sector, with funding provided by the government
Contact your council or local housing office to find out which scheme operates in your area.
What can you expect?
Your council will survey your home to find out exactly what improvements need to be made. A home may need a new bathroom or kitchen or the electrical wiring may be insufficient and need replacing. Some houses will need greater improvements than others to ensure they meet the standard. In some instances you may need to move out of your home for a short while during the renovations.
A Decent Homes plan may often include wider community issues such as play areas for children, parking issues and the general communal standard of where you live.
Your council will provide full details of its Decent Homes standard and how this will affect you and your home.
The following link will let you enter details of where you live and then take you to your local authority website where you can find out more council home modernisation.
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