Darryl Lawrence from Rochdale Housing Initiative guest speaked at Camelot's Manchester Seminar.

1. Empty properties and all
that .
By Darryl Lawrence
Director

2. Overview of presentation
 Historical delivery issues
 The “ Rochdale “ approach
 Issues with lenders
 Case study

3. Who are RHI ?
 The Boroughs housing partnership
 Company part funded by RP’s and RMBC
 Develop a wide range of projects
 Employment training schemes
 Facilitating new developments
 Develop new ways of working
 Securing funding
 But lately we have been specialising in EP
work

4. National Strategy
 To increase the number of empty
homes brought back into use
 Concentrating on properties that
without LA intervention would remain
empty
 No fixed delivery model
 Improve and Lease, P & R
 Finance available

5. Historical Issues

6. Historical issues
Housing Associations
 Asked to tackled worst first
 But tools not fit for purpose or fitted with market
dynamics
 Nominations
 Lease agreements not FFP
 Lack of practical help and sharing of information
by LA
 Labour intensive compared to new build

7. Historical issues
Local authority
 Use of enforcement tools – rarely used
strategically
 Recovery of debt ineffective
 Mostly reactive
 Lack of pro active tools (i.e. offers to
owners)

8. The Rochdale approach

9. The Hub
 Only so many way to bring a property
back into use
 Development of a hub
 All action revolves around it
 Co-ordinates all reactive action
 Co-ordinates all positive action

10. What does it do ?
 Take the lead on co-ordinating all EP work
 Develop partnership working
 Co-ordinate action between Council sections
 Proactive and reactive work
 Develop and market test proactive tools
 Develop processes for enforcement measures
 Guides enforcement through legal
 Main point of contact for both residents,
officers and owners

11. The remit
 Target all properties
 Reinforce owners
 Responsibility and accountability
 Zero tolerance approach
 Creative use of existing tools
 Fast and swift response
 Direct contract with residents
 Broker deals with owners
 Oven ready referrals to partners

12. Tools - proactive
 Management only offer
 Repair and Lease
 between 2 – 10 years
 Guaranteed rent – level depends on the
capital input
 Purchase
 At market value ( whatever that is !! )

13. Tools - Enforcement
 Maximising the existing legislation
 Liberal interpretation of legislation
 Pincer movement to solve the problems
 Identification and collection of debt
 Secure Charging Orders
 Enforced Sales or Order of Sale
 EDMO’s

14. Lenders – an emerging issue
 Refusing permission to borrowers to
enter schemes
 Stymieing delivery
 Audit showed a min of 30% have
mortgages
 HBOS possibly the biggest market share

15. Case Study

16. The problem
 BTL gone bad
 Owners no money to repair property
 Wanted to enter into a Improve and
Lease Scheme
 HBOS refused permission

17. The solution
 Empty Dwelling Management Order served
with owners consent
 Lenders cant stop it
 Spliced together with the HCE / DCLG EP
funding
 Added value
 No public funding needed
 All money recycled
 Success !

18. Any questions ?