There’s nothing as safe as houses, or so the old saying goes. Certainly in the UK, many people are proud of their properties – and for many more they’re as much an investment as a place to live. But for residential properties, a ‘void’ period of not being rented out and/or lived in can be hugely problematic. What’s more, for housing associations with sizeable housing stocks, voids are a fact of life – but with React Specialist Cleaning, the effects of voids can be minimised.
Housing associations have a sizeable housing stock
According to government figures, there were some 4.14 million social housing units in 2018. Over a twenty-year period, 'right to buy' sales and demolitions have slightly reduced the total size of the social housing stock. Around two-thirds of social housing in the UK in 2018 was owned by housing associations – or as the government now calls them, Private Registered Providers (PRPs). This housing association housing stock of 2.54 million units represented 10.5% of residential property across the UK. The trend over the last twenty years has been for local authorities to transfer housing units to specialist PRPs. Source: Local authority housing statistics: Year ending March 2018, England
Given the size of this PRP housing stock, there is a certain proportion which at any time is void. Indeed, separate government figures suggested that there were nearly 220,000 long-term vacant properties across the UK in October 2018. (These properties have been vacant for more than six months, as reported in The Guardian.
Of course, there can be all sorts of reasons why housing association properties may be vacant. Sometimes these reasons can be quite distressing, and may mean there are severe challenges to returning a property to a safe, hygienic and usable state. It will all depend on the precise circumstances under which it became vacant. And even if the reason is simply that a tenancy has come to an end, there may be specific issues. There may be the need to undertake a house clearance and, in extreme cases of hoarding, this can be a major undertaking.
The nuts and bolts of void property clearance for housing associations
When a property has been vacated or abandoned, our team will return it to a safe, hygienic and usable state. Our full-service property clearance and decontamination covers every necessary aspect. We quickly eliminate health hazards, remove waste and will provide a deep clean to the required standard. With our expertise as licensed waste carriers, we can remove hazardous waste, including needles and sharps. And if the property has fallen foul of vermin, we can perform every aspect of vermin management, from waste removal to preventative measures that will stop the creatures returning.
And, as approved suppliers to a number of UK housing associations, we’re on hand for housing association contract cleaning too. We provide a wide range of services focused on social housing clients to maintain properties to ensure optimal levels of cleanliness, hygiene and visual appearance. Services can be delivered on a scheduled or reactive basis including emergency 24/7 response in the event of a flood, fire, tenant misuse, eviction or house clearance.
For housing associations, we can help secure their housing stock – and ensure that houses really are as safe as the saying implies.
To find out more about our void property clearance service for housing associations, contact one of the team today.
Telephone: 01283 550 503
Email: info@reactplc.co.uk
Website: www.reactsc.co.uk
Post by Shaun D. Doak
Shaun is the Managing Director of React Specialist Cleaning. He is deeply committed to making sure that every one of our company’s clients receives the highest possible level of service. An expert in HVAC and commercial and industrial cleaning methodologies, Shaun has extensive experience in the facilities management and renewable services sectors.