Perth and Kinross Council is seeking to claw back thousands of pounds from council house tenants by tightening up its policy on charging for repairs.
A procedure that will allow the local authority to bill for damage caused by occupiers to their council-owned houses will be discussed by members of the housing and health committee on Wednesday.
The rechargeable repairs policy and procedure will allow the council to recover the costs of repairs, clearance and related works arising from tenant misuse of properties. The policy has been drawn up in response to a recommendation in a Communities Scotland inspection report that highlighted the recharge system as an area requiring improvement.
The actions for improvement highlighted in the external inspection were:
Improve the council’s approach to rechargeable repairs. Ensure staff are aware of tenant responsibilities in relation to repairs. Increase income from rechargeable repairs.
An internal review also highlighted that the system for rechargeable repairs needed more consistency. The policy and procedure was introduced during the financial year 2009/10 and saw income increase considerably.
In 2008/09 no charges were processed for “voids” but in the last financial year more than £43,000 was brought in by the council. Some examples where charges can be levied are:
Lost keys (stolen keys are exempt). Damage from forced tenant entry. Deliberate damage by the tenant, guest or household member. Clearance of internal rubbish or effects. Unacceptable internal decorations. Careless damage (for example, drilling through a cable or a water pipe). Infestation.
The housing and health committee convener, Peter Barrett, said, “The policy will ensure that we can recover costs in an accurate way from tenants in cases where the council has incurred expense due to repairs or clearance.
“It will also ensure the conditions of tenancy for our tenants are consistently enforced and deter the misuse of council property by future tenants.
“All charges must be supported by documentary evidence, which will clearly identify the reasons for the charges. The policy will ensure that all charges will be raised in a fair and transparent way.”
Members of the committee will be asked to approve the implementation of the policy and procedure.
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