As London’s largest local authority social landlord, Southwark Council is responsible for providing homes for over 55,000 tenants. According to the Southwark Council website, the organisation is “committed to making Southwark a great place for all 55,000 tenants and homeowners to live.” This includes a number of major promises designed to foster a fairer future for all.
While the Southwark Council may be a governmental body, they still face the same issues that all landlords face. To give you an idea of what they’re up against, we’ve put together a list of some of the most common scenarios the Southwark Council housing department deal with on a day to day basis.
HMO occupancy
While the majority of council homes go to families, for properties housing more than three people forming more than one household, an HMO license is required. If the property is three storeys or higher, houses more than five tenants forming more than one household or sees tenants shares a bathroom/kitchen with other tenants, it is considered a large HMO.
Property damage
With over 55,000 tenants in its inventory, the Southwark council is bound to run into the occasional case of property damage. Whether it’s to the physical building itself or to its furnishings, damage can soon become extremely expensive to fix. If the deposit does not cover the cost of the damages, landlords inevitably find themselves out of pocket. The best thing to do is to take out a comprehensive landlords insurance policy that covers the costs or repairing any damage, no matter how big or small.
Maintenance and repairs
As part of Southwark Council’s fairer future promise, the housing department offers the assurance that every Southwark council home is warm, dry and safe. To do this, they need to be prepared to carry out regular maintenance and repairs. From broken plumbing to malfunctioning heating, it’s the responsibility of the landlord to ensure that properties are safe and habitable. To avoid any unexpected costs, taking out landlords insurance is always strongly recommended, especially when taking care of 55,000+ tenants!
Rent arrears
According to the latest Tenant Arrears Tracker figures, an estimated 68,000 British households are currently severely behind with rent payments. For both private and government landlords, this is bad news. While landlords can take steps to minimise the risk of missed rental payments such as conducting reference checks and taking a deposit, the best way to quash the risk altogether is to take out a landlords insurance policy that includes rent guarantee insurance. This will ensure that you’re not out of pocket, no matter how unreliable your tenants are.
Whether large or small, governmental or private, it’s essential for every landlord to take out a comprehensive landlords insurance policy.
