See below questions from Thomas Turrell to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, about the eviction of tenants at County House in Beckenham. County House was part of the Mayors flagship "London Living Rent" scheme.
Question No: 2024/3668
Question (Thomas Turrell AM): 21st November 2024
What support is being offered to the tenants who have been given Section 21 notices on London Living Rent tenancies at County House in Beckenham, given they entered these tenancies under a Mayoral scheme?
Answer (Sadiq Khan): 26th November 2024
GLA officers have asked Hyde to set out the support they are offering to residents, and Hyde have advised they are offering one-to-one advice sessions with residents who wants to discuss their options individually. They have also told us they have doubled the required legal notice period before residents need to move from two to four months.
While these steps are welcome, I remain of the view that they do not go far enough and my Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development has written to Hyde setting out our expectation that more should be done to directly assist residents. GLA officers are continuing to advise Hyde that they should provide all possible assistance to residents to find suitable alternative accommodation.
Question No: 2024/3669
Question (Thomas Turrell AM): 21st November 2024
Given the scheme promised “high quality rented homes on stable tenancies” – how many times a year did members of the housing team meet with Hyde Housing to ensure standards were being maintained at County House in Beckenham?
Answer (Sadiq Khan): 26th November 2024
My housing team meet formally with Hyde on a quarterly basis to discuss delivery of new and existing schemes. Meetings within the quarter are arranged as and when there are queries from either party that needs discussing.
The GLA relies upon partners to meet the obligations as set out within our grant agreements and to manage the homes effectively. Social landlords also frequently seek to go above and beyond their contractual obligations, recognising their social partnership role in our city.
Question No: 2024/3670
Question (Thomas Turrell AM): 21st November 2024
Will you be reviewing the relationship between City Hall and Hyde Housing given the treatment of London Living Rent tenants at County House in Beckenham, which contradict your public statements about greater security for renters?
Answer (Sadiq Khan): 26th November 2024
My Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development has written to Hyde setting out our expectation that more should be done to assist residents. All GLA housing delivery partners are required to enter into a funding agreement with the GLA, and if residents believe that Hyde have breached a condition of our funding agreement, I would advise them to write to me and officers will investigate further.
Question No: 2024/3671
Question (Thomas Turrell AM): 21st November 2024
Given that London Living Rent is a Mayoral programme which has promised to deliver “high quality rented homes on stable tenancies”, what mechanism exists (if any) for tenants in these programmes to escalate complaints to City Hall and to make the housing team aware of providers not meeting this standard?
Answer (Sadiq Khan): 26th November 2024
Where I fund London Living Rent homes or other affordable homes through my 21-26 Affordable Homes Programme, I make quality standards, related to design, building safety and sustainability, a condition of funding. The funding guidance for my current Affordable Homes Programme summarises these. My team checks that my Investment Partners (IPs) are meeting these requirements as part of its work with them. I’ve also recently introduced a requirement for IPs to carry out Post-Occupancy Evaluation, so they can understand and learn from residents’ experiences.
For LLR tenants and others living in affordable housing, their housing provider is the first port of call for complaints about the quality and management of homes. That is appropriate. The providers I fund are, in turn, subject to both the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman. They both have regulatory responsibilities and powers that I do not, and can intervene when providers fail to meet legal and regulatory quality standards.
