Introduction
Proper management of housing stock is essential to the relationship between public sector landlords and their leaseholders. Major works projects and the consequent financial impact on leaseholders can be a prime source of tension. Getting to grips with good practice in this area should help landlords oversee projects effectively and to give confidence to their leaseholders that their interests are being looked after.
Standards
Raising and maintaining standards in service delivery is the objective of the two Good Practice Guides jointly produced by LEASE, housing professionals, leaseholders and independent advisors with funding from the Welsh Government.
The two separate guides focus on major works and are addressed respectively to social landlords and their leaseholders –
- Major Works Good Practice Guide for Social Landlords
- Major Works: A Guide for Leaseholders of Social Landlords
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Managing major works effectively can help to reduce potential areas of dispute and to keep matters out of the courts and tribunals.
Disputes over major works can be lengthy, costly, and often have no obvious winner at the end. Some may be settled through negotiations or using the landlord’s internal dispute resolution process. However, the parties may wish to look to an independent third party to consider matters afresh where matters have not been settled.
To this end the parties may wish to explore Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to resolve disputes amicably and avoid the need to use the more formal and potentially costly legal proceedings at the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) or the courts.
