A flagship Tory borough plans to scrap lifetime tenancies — with contracts only extended if residents behave themselves.
Kensington and Chelsea council, where one in 10 households is on the social housing list, will initially put new tenants on a 12-month probation period. Their contract will be renewed for two or five years if they meet strict criteria, including no anti-social behaviour and paying rent on time.
The council will also take into account whether the property is still the right size for the household, and will look at tenants’ wages and savings. Households would not qualify if they had an income of more than £50,000 for those in one and two-bedroom flats, or £65,000 for those in larger properties. Households with savings of more than £25,000 would also not qualify.
In addition, town hall chiefs also want to restrict access to a council home to people who have lived in the borough for at least three years. However, local people, those in work, and former servicemen and women would all be given priority on the housing register of almost 9,000 households. Kensington and Chelsea has held talks with Peterborough council over a proposal to buy land there to re-house some tenants on its waiting list.
Tim Coleridge, housing spokesman on Kensington and Chelsea council, said: “We now need to make sure that this scarce and precious resource goes only to the right people. For us that means those in the greatest need, those with real roots in our borough, those who work and contribute, and those who have served our country.”
Kensington and Chelsea says it wants to cut its waiting list by removing residents who are such low priority they stand no chance of ever getting a council or housing association home.
It claims about 6,500 households on the list are not homeless, chronically overcrowded or in pressing medical need. The borough let just 558 properties last year. There will be a 12-week consultation period and then proposals will go through a voting process in the summer.
