Since 2023 the council has been buying properties in the borough and bringing them up to standard for households who have been living in private temporary accommodation to move into. The council has now bought enough properties across the town to provide more than 100 homes. This will reduce the amount being spent on privately owned temporary accommodation, and provide a stable, secure and high-quality home.
Cllr Glenn Haffenden, lead councillor for housing, and Cllr Julia Hilton, leader of the council, visited some of the properties that have been bought and met the residents that are living there.
Cllr Haffenden said: “We loved seeing some of the properties that we have bought through our housing acquisition programme, the team have been working incredibly hard on the programme, and it is making a real difference to residents’ lives. Providing a proper home for every resident in Hastings is one of the top priorities in our new Corporate Plan. Not only is this better for families, but it also helps our finances by reducing the amount we have to spend on temporary accommodation.
“We are committed to spending another £10m on the programme for the 2025-26 financial year and are working to secure more external funding to continue it in future years as we work to reduce the number of people in privately owned temporary accommodation.”
As part of the work being done, properties bought are refurbished and brought up to the council’s fit to let standard, which includes an EPC rating of C or above, to improve the quality of the town’s housing stock, reduce fuel poverty and address the climate emergency.
The council has been working with SimplyPhi on the acquisitions programme, using the team’s experience and expertise in sourcing, purchasing and refurbishing properties to support officers managing the programme.
The initial funding for the programme came from Homes England’s Affordable Homes Programme. Following the success of the first year of the programme, the council was able to attract additional funding through central Government to expand the programme. This includes funding through Funded by UK Government, the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme and the Local Authority Housing Fund.
Since the start of the programme, the council has acquired more than 100 homes; more than 40 homes are now tenanted with the remaining homes in the process of being refurbished. This includes two office-to-residential conversions, two homes being adapted for wheelchair accessibility and three Houses of Multiple Occupation.
Many of these homes have been bought in the last couple of months and are due to be tenanted shortly once work is completed. Our larger and more complex schemes coming forward will have longer turnaround times however on average it has taken us less than four months for tenants to move in from when they were purchased.
To tackle the housing crisis, the council is also developing its site at Land to the Rear of 419-447 Bexhill Road to build 16 Affordable Rent homes which will be capped at Local Housing Allowance rates. This project has been awarded funding from Funded by UK Government, the Brownfield Land Release Fund and the Affordable Homes Programme.
The acquisitions and development programmes are only one part of the work being done to address the housing crisis. Council officers are also working closely with households at threat of homelessness to help them secure alternative accommodation. We can offer support to pay deposits or mediate in relationship breakdowns, and we are encouraging landlords to work with us to rent out their properties to tenants with a good experience of renting privately who are looking to settle in long term tenancies.