A recent report from the BBC shared that there are currently thousands of privately rented flats that are in dire need of basic repairs. This has prompted many housing charities to call for changes in the law to help make changes to improve the lives for the tenants whose landlords cannot, or will not, make the necessary repairs.
In Britain there is an estimated 8.5 million private tenants who currently rent homes from a landlord or housing association. In the BBC’s report they detailed that there is a rising gulf between the standards of each home, using the deteriorating qualities of some tenement flats in Scotland as an example.
One depicted a tenement owned by a landlord, the front communal door was insecure and dilapidated and appeared to be subject of vandalism, it also showed the main stairway had a temporary banister. There are of course reasons for these situations, and each Council and Housing Association has its own challenges to maintain good living conditions. The importance of maintaining your property can have a big effect on the lives of the tenants and communities.
Shirley Duffus, Director at SPS Doorguard, commented on how SPS looks to provide a solution to the problem detailed in the report: “Working closely with Councils and Housing Associations is a passion of ours.
Listening to their sometimes challenging problems,is essential if you want to be able to react quickly and provide a cost effective solution for the organisation and their tenants.
Over the years we have built a business that recognises the need to be there, and service everything from a broken communal door to responding to an alarm, 24/7.
The report on BBC news shows how difficult it can be for Housing Associations and Councils to action essential common repairs. Once an agreement has been made to proceed with the repair, we want to make that process as effective as we can, as fast as we can – regardless of the time of day, night, weather or problem.
We work with our customers regardless of the complexity – because if we don’t it’s the tenants that suffer, and that’s not our business.”
For more information and updates from SPS about how we can help improve the lives of your tenants, please visit our website. Stay posted right here on our blog and follow us on Linked In, Twitter and Facebook for more news from SPS.
(The report can be seen here until 29/04/2015 on BBC iPiayer)