Private sector stock condition survey June 10, 2008
What is it for and who will it affect?
The Council has commissioned a survey of the private sector homes in the city to determine what condition they are in and the number of different types of home in the city. Local authorities have a duty to keep their housing conditions under review and it is recommended that a survey of the stock is carried out every 5 years. The last survey was carried out in 2002.
The results of the survey will help us to target our future strategies, bid for Government money for housing renewal programmes, make Government statistical returns and target resources in areas where the housing is in the worst condition. For reference, the private sector includes any houses or flats that are owned by the people living in them (owner occupiers) and any private rented properties, both rented to individuals, families or groups of un-related people (houses in multiple occupation). It will not include any Housing Association properties or anything owned by the Council.
Who is carrying out the survey?
The company carrying out the survey is CPC Ltd. They are very experienced in stock condition surveys and have recently carried out similar surveys for Portsmouth City Council and Bournemouth Borough Council. A team of surveyors working for CPC Ltd will be carrying out inspections of peoples’ homes in order to identify any defects or problems. They will also be asking some questions about the household. All surveyors are experienced and trained in carrying out this type of survey and all survey information collected is confidential between the surveyor and householder.
All surveyors will carry a Southampton City Council photo ID card with their name on. The card also carries the name of the company (CPC Ltd), the fact that they are contractors and their job title (Surveyor). They will show this to householders when they arrive at the property to carry out an inspection.
How will inspection appointments be made and when will the surveys start?
All householders will be sent a letter on Southampton City Council headed paper inviting them to take part and allow surveyors into their home. The letter asks householders to call the CPC Ltd freephone number to arrange an appointment for the inspection.
If you receive a letter asking you to take part, please contact CPC Ltd as soon as possible to arrange for an inspection. A large number of completed surveys are needed in order to provide a statistically relevant report at the end of the process and therefore, to inform the Council’s future actions with regard to private sector housing.
The surveys will start on 10th June 2008 and run through the summer. They should all be completed by the end of September. The information collected will then be compiled into a report, which will be available in November 2008.
Information and contacts for queries about the survey
Despite receiving appointment letters, some people may still have queries about the survey, purpose of the inspection and the surveyors themselves.
If anyone receiving a letter has any specific queries about the survey itself, or need to arrange or change their appointment, please call the CPC Ltd freephone number 0800 783 1079. The Council has no information about appointments or which surveyors will be inspecting individual properties.
If anyone would like general information about the survey and has not been able to obtain this from the CPC Ltd telephone number, or from this web page, please contact Private Sector Housing on 023 8083 2606 or e-mail shared.housing@southampton.gov.uk .
Last updated: 16 June 2008
