A contractor guarding void property is urging social housing providers not to overlook the role specialist vacant property services can play in turning around existing stock as a way to reduce council waiting lists. With more than 360,000 households on council waiting lists for new homes, there is a significant need for social housing landlords and providers to ensure they’re doing everything in their power to bring properties back into use, quickly, especially in the face of constricted government funding, according to VPS.
Metal theft and squatting, can prevent or frustrate the turnaround of stock. Vacant property services, such as the installation of security, such as steel security screens and doors and electronic security, can help to protect empty homes until reoccupation. Proactive measures such as draining down the water system in a vacant property can also help to prevent catastrophic damage if metal pipes are stolen.
The vacant property firm VPS is to discuss methods of protecting social housing stock at this year’s Annual Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Conference.
Nick Tubbs, UK Managing Director of VPS, said: “We believe this year’s CIH Conference will provide real insights into the provision of affordable housing. As vacant property experts, we work closely with social housing landlords and providers to reduce void property stocks, which if not managed properly can lead to significant loss of income for councils and housing organisations. We understand that a quick turnaround helps to make sure tenant waiting times are kept to a minimum and every available property is being used. However, hurdles continue to undermine this and there are increasing threats to vacant property being occupied, such as damage caused by metal theft, which is why we encourage the implementation of effective security solutions, such as state-of-the-art alarming technology.”
The CIH Annual Conference is taking place in Manchester between June 12 and 14. You can visit VPS at stand number D10. For more information about this event, visit: http://www.cihhousing.com/
VPS advises social housing landlords and providers to take the following steps to ensure their assets are well protected during these turbulent times:
– Undertake a comprehensive risk assessment by a specialist company to assess potential risks, such as fire hazards and public liability exposure as well as the exposure to damage from squatters/criminals.
– Drain down services are a cost effective preventative measure, which include the drain down of all water systems, as well as the switching off of other utilities such as gas and electric services. This prevents catastrophic damage to vacant properties if metal pipes are stolen, and makes the property less attractive to squatters.
– High security steel screens and doors can prevent unauthorised access to the building and in turn protect the internal fabric of the building. These methods are much more effective than plywood boarding which is easy to breach and can be used by arsonists as flammable material.
– Electronic security, such as the VPS SmartAlarm Gold, can be deployed to provide visual monitoring and protection. Sensors provide detection and report on a range of incidents including intruders, flooding and fire. Verifeye Visual camera sensors are motion activated and take full colour video clips, which are relayed to VPS’ 24/7 national monitoring station. This real time footage helps validate any alarm activations, and can act as evidence when applying for an Interim Possession Order – an eviction process.
Pictured is Hastings pier, gutted by fire and closed to the public.
