Anexo Group plc (LON:ANX), the specialist integrated credit hire and legal services provider, has today announced the formation of a new team within its legal services division, Bond Turner, to deal with claims arising from housing disrepair.
Highlights
· Formation of a specialist Housing Disrepair (“HDR”) team within Bond Turner
· The HDR team is currently engaged in almost 1,600 cases and this figure is expected to rise substantially during 2022
· Housing trends indicate a move away from owner occupation towards either private or social rental
· 12% of social housing dwellings and 23% of private rented dwellings fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard
· 5% of social housing dwellings and 13% of private rented dwellings suffer from a Category 1 Hazard, defined as damp and mould growth
Alan Sellers, Executive Chairman of Anexo Group, said:
“It has been apparent for some time that large numbers of tenants, including many of our customers, are suffering from poor quality housing. The new HDR team will be able to help claimants by ensuring that their landlords, whether they be local authorities, housing associations or private landlords, are obliged to maintain their homes to a decent standard. This includes a reasonable state of repair, the provision of reasonably modern facilities, and reasonable thermal comfort, including the absence of damp and mould.”
“Bond Turner has built an excellent reputation for helping people who have been placed in an invidious position through no fault of their own. We believe that by addressing the problem of sub-standard housing, we are performing a socially useful function and helping to raise standards across the board. We look forward to growing our HDR casebook and believe that it will become a significant contributor to Group revenues.”
About Housing Disrepair
According to the Government’s English Housing Survey for 2019 to 2020, there were 4.4 million privately rented homes and 4.0 million socially rented homes in England. There has been a trend away from owner occupation towards either private or social rental. This trend is likely to continue, given the ongoing economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
12% (480,000) of social housing dwellings and 23% (1.01 million) private rented dwellings fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard, which is a technical standard for public housing defined by the Government. In addition, 5% (200,000) of social housing dwellings and 13% (572,000) of private rented dwellings suffer from a Category 1 Hazard, defined as damp and mould growth.
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act came into force in 2019 to ensure that rented houses and flats are fit for human habitation. The Act has given more power to tenants to take action against negligent or irresponsible landlords.
The specialist HDR team within Bond Turner has considerable experience in covering this area. Claims can involve both redress and compensation, where appropriate. Claimants are frequently identified through Bond Turner’s internal database. The team also uses appropriate social media marketing to identify possible claimants. The HDR team is overseen by Samantha Moss, Managing Director of Bond Turner.
The number of cases with which the HDR team is currently engaged is approaching 1,600 and this figure is expected to rise substantially during 2022.
