LHP has revamped its approach to empty homes, cutting turnaround times significantly and improving community relations.
Lincolnshire: The Lincolnshire Housing Partnership (LHP) has over 6,100 affordable homes in North East Lincolnshire. Recently, they shared updates on managing empty properties at a community meeting.
Mark Coupland, LHP’s executive director, explained how they’ve revamped their management of empty homes. Since autumn, they’ve cut the time to get these homes ready from 121 days to just 64 days. That’s a big improvement!
Last year, LHP managed to relet 320 properties in the area. They’re also looking to hire more in-house workers to handle repairs, which should help speed things up even more.
Mr. Coupland mentioned they’ve appointed a new empty homes manager. This person will oversee a review of all empty homes, expected to wrap up by March 2025.
However, fixing up these homes isn’t cheap. Some repairs can cost between £10,000 and £20,000. In November, LHP paused work on 65 properties because they needed too much attention. They’re focusing on homes that can be fixed quickly first.
Previously, the average turnaround time was 80 days, which was too long. But once the homes are ready, customers are happy, with a 92% satisfaction rate.
LHP meets with the council every two months to discuss housing issues. Cllr Kevin Shutt noted that LHP hasn’t had the best reputation, but he’s glad to see changes happening. He suggested LHP could have a dedicated person to work with local councillors, similar to a successful program run by a partner organization.
Mr. Coupland admitted LHP hasn’t been the most active partner in the past. For the next few years, their focus will be on housing linked to developer agreements, aiming for 60 new affordable homes annually.
