Homes for Reading closure forces tenants to find new homes

I would suggest a leaflet drop (Property118.com???) to all the tenants they do not leave on the expiry of their tenancies and wait for court orders and the Council to rehouse them (in the PRS) !

Leaflet drop to include links to Shelter, Citizens Advice, Renters campaign groups et al.

Irony – not just a metal thing then!

Reply to the comment left by David Houghton at 22/08/2024 – 09:53that’s how I read it too. Nuts!
So they replace the tenants with those paying less, yet this is more financially sustainable long term, bearing in mind this is only happening because the current situation is unsustainable because it can’t afford to operate?
Sounds to me like there is a new ‘pot of gold’ via a new type of funding available from central government specific to providing accommodation at ‘affordable rents to key workers’. Wonder if this is home grown key workers or the foreign workers who are exempt from restrictions/salary cap, who are being waved in from abroad to fill the social care/healthcare positions ….?
Affordable rents for key workers mean by their nature they can be offered according to the need to be located to a workplace.
Wonder if Shelter are going to go to town on this – after all isn’t campaigning against tenants being removed from properties their ‘ speciality’?

Interested to know on what grounds the tenancy would be ended.

Section 21 – the so called “no fault” eviction – will not be available once the government passes the legislation – surely before 2026.

I cannot see a reason under Section 8 to evict the tenants, unless they have arrears of rent.

Homes for Reading Ltd is a limited company and would need to comply with companies legislation.

There might be something in the tennancy agreement. But if it goes to court then the tenants would argue that they were worse off if they were forced to leave and the judge might give them the right to stay.

Maybe there is something else that I am not aware of? Compulsary purchase?

Reply to the comment left by Dylan Morris at 22/08/2024 – 10:43
I’d put money on it.

I’ve heard of private landlords evicting U.K. Nationals in order to provide homes for migrants. I guess it was only a matter of time before Councils did the same.

Reply to the comment left by Cider Drinker at 22/08/2024 – 12:02
it makes sense as the ‘new pots of money’ are only ever released for a council to claim when a crisis is deemed afoot and the government want to ‘incentivise’ councils into doing something…

Well, well, well! Pot and Kettle calling each other nasty names comes to mind? Or has someone threatened them with proceedings to rectify sloppy LL procedures?
I hope Shelter will advise the current tenants to stay put in the same way they do for PRS tenants and what will a Reading councillor or oficial advise? Will there be a continuing consistent approach?
It’s all a bit vegiue, are they seeking to sell with vacant possession (that seems to be so?) or would they sell to a LL from the PRS subject to the existing tenancy?
A lot of watching this space?

Reply to the comment left by Blodwyn at 22/08/2024 – 17:19
I think the council’s LtdCo is selling or transferring the properties to the council itself.

“The council will transfer the 101 homes to its housing stock and will be rented out as much-needed key worker homes at affordable rents.”

Reply to the comment left by Darren Peters at 22/08/2024 – 17:45Will the company have to pay tax on the sales/transfers?

Apologies to all other readers but I’m obviously being a bit dim here. The company will be wound up and the houses transferred to the council’s housing stock where they will be rented to key-workers at lower (affordable) rents than the company would charge. But as the loans still have to be serviced, won’t the council make an even bigger loss than the company managed? If dear Brian Rix was still alive, I’m sure he would make something of this! What a farce!
(Note to younger readers – Brian Rix specialised in dramas that were farces.)