Governments Strengthening Consumer Redress In Housing Consultation closes TOMORROW

��IMPORTANT CONSULTATION CLOSES TOMORROW 16th APRIL 2018�� PLEASE COMPLETE. It includes provisions for supporting a statutory independent New Homes Ombudsman. It is vital that an independent new homes ombudsman is set up by government. All those who own leasehold new houses will be able to claim compensation and get rulings on unfair lease clauses retrospectively. There is no other solution for existing new home leaseholders that I can see happening any time soon. The government STILL hasn't even banned the sale of leasehold new houses yet. (due before end 2019 so no rush then!) This is in everyone's interests, those that have bought a new home and those that will in the years to come! https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-consumer-redress-in-housing Apologies in advance this guidance is long but hopefully it will help you consider the key points to raise when completing. Guidance for completing Government Consultation: Strengthening Consumer Redress In Housing This post offers some tips on responding to the government consultation on “strengthening consumer redress in housing”. It gives you links to some of the documents you might want to read and gives an explanation of some of the questions asked in the consultation as well as highlighting some of the issues you may wish to consider. Important documents some of which you may wish to read • The main consultation paper on unfair practices in the leasehold market https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/.../Stregthening... • The Housing White Paper published in February 2017 ttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/590464/Fixing_our broken_housing_market_-_print_ready_version.pdf Respond to the consultation here: The preferred option is online here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Housingredress alternatively you can email your replies to: Housingredress@communities.gsi.gov.uk Or you can post to: Social Housing Division Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Third Floor – Fry Building 2 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DF IMPORTANT NOTE It is very important that you give your own answers to the questions and do not copy and paste from someone else’s input. If you do there is a danger that your submission will be classed as part of a “campaign” and that those responses will then be consolidated as a single reply. DEFRA applied just this rule with their Water Bill consultation, counting the whole leasehold sectors input as one set of answers. Other recommendations • Avoid the temptation to write too much. Be as succinct as you can so there is more chance that your response will be read carefully. If you submit via email or post the government will have your details so can ask further questions if relevant. • Wherever possible comment by reference to factual information rather than opinion. • Don’t feel you need to answer every question. • The opportunity for your widest answers are in question 30. It asks you to suggest the most effective model for redress provision in housing that government should consider. They prompt with examples such as: single Ombudsman for all housing issues, etc. • The survey can time out if you take too long. If your worried about this read all the questions in the consultation document first and prepare your answers before opening the survey. Alternatively email them in to the address detailed. Notes on the Consultation Questions Questions 1-3 are administrative and ask whether you are responding as an organisation or an individual. Most of you will of course be responding as private individuals. Questions 4 onwards looks at the detail, but the same questions are asked whether you are an individual or an organisation. Questions 4-9 relate to current complaints and redress and your personal experience of making a complaint or contacting redress organisations. This is covered on pages 8-10 of the consultation. You may want to consider complaints that you have made about onerous leasehold terms in here as well as complaints relating to the quality of build and snagging issues. Q9 in particular needs comment especially if you are a freehold house owner who currently has fewer protections. Questions 10 relates to In House complaints. This is covered on page 13 of the consultation. This section is self-explanatory and asks for suggestions to improve in house (internal) complaints You may consider the current system is of little help to homebuyers as the process takes too long and the penalties for noncompliance are weak Questions 11-16 relate to the practices and powers of redress. This is covered on pages 14-16 of the consultation. These questions give you the opportunity to say what you think the practices and powers of redress should be, for example, how long it takes to deal with complaints and the levels of fines that a redress scheme should be able to impose. Whilst many of you will not have in depth experience in this area you can use your thoughts as a consumer of housing and you may point to other sectors that have good customer service and redress that you are more familiar with as a good model to consider (e.g. financial services). You may want to comment on the fact that a timing limit on complaints could be impractical in some cases – for many leaseholders they are only now realising the implications of buying a leasehold home many years ago and as such are only now in a position to complain. One of the problems faced under the current system is that the detail of complaints found against members are not published this seems to prevent the consumer from becoming aware of problems so they can be avoided Question 17 relates to gaps in current provision. This is covered on page 19 of the consultation. This question is self-explanatory and asks if you have fallen between the gaps when making your complaints under the current model. With multiple redress schemes it is inevitable that many issues fall out of scope and that different agencies assert particular issue fall to some other body. You may have a view on ways to improve this system, Questions 18-21 relates to new build houses. This is covered on page 19 of the consultation. This is your opportunity to ask for an ombudsman to cover new build homes and comment on what you think developers can do to improve complaint handling. Questions 22-28 relates to “future issues”. This is covered on page 24 of the consultation. These questions relate to tenants of private landlords (not leaseholders) and are not likely to be relevant for most NLC members completing the consultation. Question 29 relates to whether freeholders should be required to join a redress scheme. This is covered on page 24 of the consultation. This question is self-explanatory. Questions 30-31 relates to the potential creation of a new single ombudsman. This is covered on pages 25-26 of the consultation. These questions give you the opportunity to comment on what you think should be the right model going forwards for housing redress. You may wish to use examples from other sectors that you think work