Housing FAQ's

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Last revised: 6 October 2008

Question

Can you tell me if my home is overcrowded ?

Answer

The department will investigate any complaints of statutory overcrowding.

The current national statutory overcrowding standards:

the Room Standard

and

the Space Standard

are set out in the Housing Act 1985. Under the Housing Act a dwelling is overcrowded if either of these standards is contravened.

The Room Standard is breached if two people of opposite sexes who are not living together as husband and wife must sleep in the same room. Children under the age of 10 do not count for the purpose of determining whether the Room Standard has been contravened. The age limit of 10 years is arbitrary and not based on a view of sexual maturity.

The Space Standard specifies the maximum number of people who may sleep in a dwelling according to the number of rooms available as sleeping accommodation and the floor area of each room.

The number allocated to each room is used to calculate the maximum number of persons who can sleep in the dwelling. For rooms of 110 sq ft or more, the number of persons is 2. This is reduced for smaller rooms and for the smallest category of room (50-70 sq ft), the number of persons allocated is only ½.

Floor area of Room                                        Number of Persons

110 sq ft or more                                           2

90 sq ft or more, but less than 110 sq ft           1.5

70 sq ft or more, but less than 90 sq ft             1

50 sq ft or more, but less than 70 sq ft             0.5

Less than 50 sq ft                                          0

In determining the number of people sleeping in a house, no account is taken of a child under one year old and a child aged between one and 10 years is reckoned as one half of one unit (person). In the above mentioned legislation, living rooms are classed as bedrooms and must NOT be excluded from the overcrowding assessment.

If you believe your home to be overcrowded, please contact either your landlord, your Housing Association or Environmental Health on (01380) 724911 or email us at env.health@kennet.gov.uk

Visit Environmental Health's Housing pages

Question

My home has damp/condensation, what can I do?

Answer

The Environmental Health department will investigate complaints about dampness and offer advice on tackling condensation in the home.

Condensation is caused when water vapour contained in the warm atmosphere becomes sealed into a property. When the temperature falls, this vapour condenses on colder surfaces, such as windows and walls, which results in damp areas and mould growth.

This mould can be removed by wiping with a weak bleach solution. The only permanent solution is to improve the ventilation by opening windows and to ensure the property is adequately heated (18oC or above). If possible move furniture away from walls slightly to improve the flow of air.

Condensation is not the only cause of dampness. It can also come from:

Rising damp due to a defective damp-proof course

Leaking pipes or overflows

Penetrating damp resulting from rain seeping through the roof and around window frames, or spilling from a blocked gutter.

If you are renting, you should contact your landlord or Housing Association in the first instance.

Environmental Health can be contacted on (01380) 724911 or email us at env.health@kennet.gov.uk

Visit Environmental Health's Housing pages

Question

Can I apply for a Housing Improvement Grant ?

Answer

The Environmental Health department is responsible for allocating a range of mandatory and non-mandatory grants to home owners and private tenants. All grants are subject to means testing and are considered on a case by case basis. More details are given below.

Our partner organisation, Kennet Care and Repair, process the majority of the department’s grant applications. They may also be able to provide alternative sources of funding if a grant is inappropriate or to provide additional resources. They can be contacted on 01380 735333.

Kennet District Council does not have a stock of ‘council’ houses. Sarsen Housing Association (01380 720027) is now responsible for these properties, along with a number of smaller Housing Associations. Any problems with these properties should, in the first instance, be dealt with by the relevant Housing Association.

The Environmental Health Department is not involved with the allocation of rented property. Any queries should be passed to Homes@Kennet (External link) or the relevant Housing Association.

Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG’s)

These are mandatory grants that are designed to allow disabled or infirm people to remain in their own homes. All such grants are means tested following government set criteria. All works must be assessed by an Occupational Therapist prior to the application for a grant. If you wish to be assessed then you will need to contact Wiltshire County Council Adult Care Services on (01225) 713000. There is a £25,000 limit on DFG’s. In some circumstances the department may make a discretionary grant to cover costs above this figure.

Major and Minor Works Grants

The department may provide grants to renovate sub-standard accommodation. All grants are subject to a means test. Discretionary grants are dealt with on a case by case basis subject to the department’s criteria.

For more information, please click here.

Contact Environmental Health

email : env.health@kennet.gov.uk

telephone : (01380) 724911

Visit Environmental Health's Housing pages

Question

How can I apply for an energy efficiency grant ?

Answer

There are a number of different schemes offering advice and financial support for people looking to improve the energy efficiency of their homes or business.

Warm Hearted Homes is an organisation sponsored by Kennet to provide these services free to residents. They can be contacted on 0800 512 012

The Environmental Health Department can also refer people to the EGA scheme funded by the Government. We also support the WarmLet scheme for landlords looking to improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

Please contact Warm Hearted Homes on freephone 0800 512 012.

Visit our Energy Efficiency pages

Question

My landlord is harassing me/trying to evict me, can you help?

Answer

The department will investigate any evictions, attempted evictions or harassment that may breach the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 or the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

The law protects tenants from harassment and illegal eviction in two ways. Firstly, by making both a criminal offence and secondly, by enabling an aggrieved tenant to claim damages through the civil court. The protection from Eviction Act 1977 as amended by the Housing Act 1988 makes it an offence to:

▪ do acts likely to interfere with the peace of comfort of a tenant or anyone living with

him/her

▪ persistently withdraw or withhold services for which the tenant has a reasonable

need to live in the premises as a home

It is also an offence to take away someone’s home away unlawfully. A landlord cannot normally enforce his right to get his property back from a tenant unless he does it through the courts. A landlord seeking possession must generally serve a written notice to quit giving at least 28 days notice. The period of the notice is two months but this can depend on the grounds on which the landlord is seeking possession. The tenant is not required to leave the property until this notice expires.

For more information, our illegal evictions & harassment page contains a range of downloadable leaflets and online advice.

if you would like to speak to an officer for advice please contact Environmental Health & Protection Services on (01380) 724911 or email us at env.health@kennet.gov.uk