This policy statement summarises Leicester City Council's approach to the refurbishment of Housing stock. It explains how the Housing Improvement and Repair Service works to achieve one of the Adults and Housing department’s main objectives – ‘to resolve unfitness across all sectors’.

Whilst the City Council will always carefully consider the strategic options for the management and maintenance of its stock, the current position is that the Council will continue to own the stock.

Capital maintenance and improvements will therefore continue in line with current plans as long as the funding continues to be available. The plans demonstrate that the decent homes target of 2010 can be met.

Worst First
In deciding how capital allocation is spent on the stock the overriding principle has always been to tackle the ‘worst’ first. This was the subject of a report to the Housing Committee in 1997 and is reaffirmed each year in the reports on the Capital Programme.

However, where properties are subject to problems of low demand then their inclusion in any programme of works is suspended regardless of their conditions relative to others. This situation continues until a decision is made about their future - whether to demolish, sell on, refurbish or repackage, etc.

Decisions about when a property element will be refurbished depend on two criteria (depending on the particular element in question). The following table shows how this works:

Element Criteria for replacement/refurbishment

Windows Condition from condition survey

BISF Cladding Repairs Condition from condition survey

Boiler Replacements Condition from gas servicing inspection

Central Heating On Demand for those that do not yet have it

Chimney Replacements Condition from condition survey

Electrical Testing/ Age (30 year cycle)

Rewiring Programme Condition from periodic testing

Kitchen and Bathroom Age (of property or years since last modernised)
Improvements - further criteria to be decided

MHC Cladding Replacement Condition from condition survey

Re-roofing Condition from condition survey

Structural Works Condition from condition survey and from DPC inspections


Condition Survey
A condition survey takes place every four years with supplementary sample surveys each year to check on rates of deterioration. To allow for this the programme for each element is drawn up annually - depending upon the amount of money available - to ensure that the worst properties are dealt with.

The condition survey is confined to external elements only. Tracking internal condition in the same way is seen to be an inefficient use of resources and is affected markedly by the behaviour of the current tenant. The essential internal elements are covered by regular inspection and testing (electrics and gas). Any problems that exist at tenancy changeover are dealt with as void repairs.

Consultation
Once recommendations have been drawn up based on the technical data, consultation sessions on the capital programme are undertaken with the relevant community associations and elected members.

Decent Homes Standard Policy
Work is currently under way to establish a local policy on the decent homes standards that will be incorporated into this Capital Programming Policy.