UK Housing Services | Case Study

UK Housing Services Case StudyHousing and wellnessThe Housing Act 2004 introduced licensing for housing in multiple occupation, as in this example. The Act sets out the standards of charge which mustiness be met in assign for licensing to be achieved, and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is a new tool which is used to assess the potential hazards present in any(prenominal) property. Licensing is mandatory for the type of occupation in question since it is busy by more than louvre passel forming more than two households. In the menstruum state of the property it is possible that the council could refuse the property a license, which would of line of products be detrimental to the function which it shortly supplies in the region (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2007). It is therefore grand that inter-agency running(a) is utilized to identify wholly potential pretend beas and address them in a way which minimizes the pervert to the electric current residents.Inter-agency running(a)The following agencies should be involved in the working crowd to deal with the issues in this propertyLocal council environmental wellness departmentThis organization would be fitted to consult with the hostel concern in put to identify and correct any potential health problems in the property to ensure that they assume current standardsLocal open come a be service departmentThe local ardour service should be able-bodied to fire the management how they get to develop the property in order to meet current fire regulationsSocial ServicesThe social services department of the local council should be able to work with the hostel management to solve any problems which would adversely affect the tenants. They should form part of the working group to ensure that the rights of the current tenants ar preserved with regard to any changes agreed.The Housing DepartmentThese be an weighty member of the working group, since they shed referrals to the service, and would also be able to advise on the mingled issues relating to expression regulations and Housing Act which film to be communicate.Council, local or dominionSince the hostel is not a privately owned residence, but is funded partly through the council, they would be an burning(prenominal) member of a working group since they would be able to advise as to funds available to meet the required changes.Factors to be addressedAlthough there were a large shape of issues addressed with the property the five which argon considered roughly important are addressed below.Lack of adequate fire galoshThis is currently the most pressing problem, since there are large numbers of lives at risk in the event of fire, and current safety measures are considered to be on the whole inadequate. there is currently a lack of escape apparent in the typesetters case of fire, which direction that the outer doors are currently the only means of escape in the ev ent of fire. The downstairs door next to the kitchen is currently obstructed, which is in contravention of The Management of Houses in duplex Occupation (England) Regulations 2006, which states that all means of escape from fire must be kept gain ground of obstruction. The rear exit door was found to be locked for security reasons eyepatch the security of the property is important this is also in contravention of the presumption regulations.Disrepair of ventilation in kitchenWhile the report states the kitchen was found to be chiefly satisfactory, there are safety issues which are of importance. These are particularly important since they again affect the safety of a large number of pot, and by chance ranks equally important to the issues with fire safety. It has been identified that the kitchen in the property uses a bungle cooker. There is no statement made as to whether this complies with current gas testing regulations. The disrepair of the windows in the kitchen, and th e nailing shut of some windows mean that there is no natural ventilation available. This means that in the event of any type of leak the gas would be unable to dissipate and would obtain great risk of gas poisoning and possibly explosion. There are also issues relating to the crumbling of the chimney breast, since the manager is also required to ensure that any flues (the chimney) are kept in good repair this is particularly important if any gas fire is installed. presence of smashnessThe HHSRS would consider the various types of damp in the property to be causing un sufficient alive conditions. The presence of damp contributes to several disorders and illnesses, particularly in children, and has an effect on psychological well- world caused by the effect of subsisting in damp conditions. This has been ranked of slightly less importance than the fire and gas issues as there is no immediate risk to the life of the people living in the property.Space issuesThere are currently maj or issues with plaza in the property the Housing Act 2004 states that no habitable live should be occupied by more than two people, regardless of size, discounting those to a lower place 1 year old. It also states that two individuals aged ten or over of opposite sexes should not be sharing the same room under any circumstances, unless they are co-habitees. There is high risk of psychological harm in the current situation and some potential for natural harm however the likelihood and extent of this harm ranks below the otherwise issues above.Provision of conveniencesSince there are 24 people currently living at the property, there should be at least five bath board and five WCs. The previous issue highlighted that there were already too many a(prenominal) people living in the create, however even if the numbers are reduced the Housing Act 2004 electrostatic requires that there be at least one bathroom and one WC for every five people residing in the property. While this is an important issue it ranks lower than the other issues as there is a lower risk to the well being of the occupants caused by the issue.Action PlanLack of adequate fire safety wholly furniture and fittings should be assessed as to meet the requirements of the furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. Any that do not meet the requirements need to be assessed as to whether they are necessary, and replaced if this is the case otherwise they just need to be removed from the property. The local fire department should be able to advise as to the requirements which the furniture and fittings must meet. Although this does not directly correlate to the issue of the fire escape, it is still an important factor in reducing the risk from fire.The fire department should also be consulted as to the best means of installing a fire escape route in the property. This denotation should occur in consultation with the councils and other funding bodies in order to reach an affordabl e compromise for the property. This is one of the most important action points and should take precedence in proceedings.Disrepair of ventilation in the kitchenThe Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 state that all gas equipment must be maintained in good order and inspected per annum by a CORGI registered engineer. The current status of the equipment needs to be checked and a schedule drawn up for planned reviews of the current equipment. With regard to the windows there are two main options available to the hostel. The depression base is to simply repair the windows which are in place. This would involve extensive refitting of the timber to ensure that they are fully functioning. If security is considered an option, metal fittings could be installed on the outside of the windows. This would likely be the cheaper option initially, however the option of duple glazing installation should also be considered. This would ensure that the windows would last eagle-eye der than wooden framed windows, especially if there are problems with damp. It would also foster with safety issues, and would make the property more energy efficient there may also be grants available in the area which could aid in the costs. This would likely be the best option to choose when considering the long circumstance costs and benefits. Once the issues of damp are resolute in the property, an inspection should be organized by a building professional to advise on the best course of action with regard to the chimney breast.Presence of dampThe local Environmental Health department should be invited to claim the property to ascertain the extent of the problem and the best course of action. There is likely to be little choice as to a course of action since the damp appears to have reached a point at which major action is needed to correct the problem. If there are options presented which revolve most controlling the problem without extensive building work, these may b e pleasing since there are other causative factors which are already being addressed. One such causative factor is the current problem with ventilation, which has been addressed above. Once this ventilation is in place it will likely help to prevent further formation of damp. There may be options presented which would need large scale building work. This may not be in the interests of the hostel both in terms of money and disruption to the people living in the house, who have nowhere else to go while the building work takes place.Space IssuesThere are a number of solutions to this problem. The first is to simply take fewer families, although in the current state of the allowance this may mean that if the families taken had several children, it may only be able to accommodate one family at a time. There may be an option for the hostel to create an extension, creating extra rooms and amenities. This may be extremely costly, however it is an option if there are deemed to be funds ava ilable from the current funders. The best available option in the short term would be to look at converting the available spaces into rooms and bathrooms. There are spaces available such as the office and the cellar, and this may be less costly than building an extension. There is also a possibility that some of the present rooms may be able to be split into half, giving two smaller rooms. This will still leave restrain space, and so social services will need to work with the hostel to move the present families into independent accommodation as quickly as possible. An extension could be considered as a long term plan for the future, after projects to raise the required funding.It is not an crime for more people to be living in the property than it is suitable for, as long as the management can prove that they are in the process of resolving the issue. This means that the current occupants could continue to live in the property, but that the numbers of new occupants would need to b e limited as they leave, until the suitable number is reached. Social services should work in conjunction with the hostel in order to assure that the situation is resolved as quickly as possible, in the interests of all parties.Provision of amenitiesThis issue could be resolved along with the space issue as described above, through either conversion of existing space or purpose built extension.ReferencesDepartment for Communities and Local Government (2007) Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England. Available online at http// http//193.36.20.125/EnvironmentalServices/housingconditions/hmo_licensing_intro.asp. Accessed 17th May 2007.The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (United Kingdom).The Housing Act 2004 (England).The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006, no(prenominal) 372 (England).