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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1992

Hilary Davies

Reiterates the standard for fitness of human habitation set by the1989 revision of the 1985 Housing Act, section 604, and the majorchanges brought about by the revision…

Abstract

Reiterates the standard for fitness of human habitation set by the 1989 revision of the 1985 Housing Act, section 604, and the major changes brought about by the revision, (including hot and cold water supply to both sink basin and bath or shower, and ventilation standards). Suggests changes in the standard have caused a rise in the number of technically ′unfit′ properties from 5.6 per cent to up to 15 per cent of the UK′s housing stock. Concludes by questioning the need for and use of housing standards, suggesting that the market might more effectively dictate standards in practice, excepting the poorest sectors of the community, where standards should be both set and rigourously enforced.

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Structural Survey, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-080X

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 1995

Maggie Davidson

The first English House Condition Survey (EHCS) was carried out in1967. It was repeated in 1971, and since that time there has been asurvey every five years. The scale and…

609

Abstract

The first English House Condition Survey (EHCS) was carried out in 1967. It was repeated in 1971, and since that time there has been a survey every five years. The scale and complexity of the survey, the technical methods employed and the extent of its use by the Department of the Environment and other government departments have changed dramatically since the early days. Describes the history of the survey and documents how EHCS has grown with increasing understanding of the housing system, both leading and responding to concerns of the day. Also describes how it has continually strived to improve its methods and measuring tools to match the demands for more detailed, accurate and reliable information.

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Structural Survey, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-080X

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1985

David Chiddick

1. Introduction The most significant conclusions to emerge from a recent study of housing land1 were not with respect to residential development but to the role of housing in…

Abstract

1. Introduction The most significant conclusions to emerge from a recent study of housing land1 were not with respect to residential development but to the role of housing in urban renewal. This paper will consider the facts and figures which brought the Joint Land Requirements Committee to these conclusions and then attempt to develop the arguments further to the point of suggesting commitment to a comprehensive renewal ethnic for the urban (not just housing) environment.

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Property Management, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2010

David Ormandy

After ten years of development, the English government adopted the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) as the prescribed method for assessing housing conditions. Prior…

Abstract

After ten years of development, the English government adopted the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) as the prescribed method for assessing housing conditions. Prior to 2006, the assessment was based on the condition of the building and the presence of necessary facilities. Being ‘building focussed’, the basis of the severity of the condition was the extent and cost of any remedial works considered necessary to make the dwelling ‘fit for human habitation’. The HHSRS shifts the focus to the potential threat to health and safety from any defects and deficiencies. The assessment takes account of the likelihood of a hazardous occurrence, and the probable severity of harm that could result from such an occurrence. This approach acknowledges that defects that would be relatively inexpensive to deal with can pose a serious threat to health and/or safety.

Work on the development of the HHSRS included matching data on housing conditions with data on health outcomes. The analyses of the matched database provided information on, among other factors, the range and severity of harm outcomes associated with particular hazards. As the health data used was that available from hospitals and general practitioners, it meant that the health outcomes were those serious enough for the victim to seek medical attention. It has now been realised that it is possible to compare the one-off cost of works to remove or reduce housing hazards with the estimated annual saving to the health service. Using this approach, it has been estimated that poor housing in England is costing the health service around £600 million a year. This cost to the health service is estimated to be around 40% of the total cost of poor housing to society.

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Open House International, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2000

Christine Oldman and Bryony Beresford

This article is based on two pieces of work. The first, Homes Unfit for Children (Oldman & Beresford, 1998), was based on a postal survey and 40 in‐depth interviews with families…

Abstract

This article is based on two pieces of work. The first, Homes Unfit for Children (Oldman & Beresford, 1998), was based on a postal survey and 40 in‐depth interviews with families with disabled children. The second, due to be published by the Policy Press in the spring this year, reports the results of a programme of consultation roadshows with a range of professionals from housing, social services and health, in a series of regional consultation meetings.

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Housing, Care and Support, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2003

Sue Adams

The Government's drive to improve the overall health of the population, by tackling health inequalities and measures such as reducing falls and ending fuel poverty, has created a…

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Abstract

The Government's drive to improve the overall health of the population, by tackling health inequalities and measures such as reducing falls and ending fuel poverty, has created a policy framework to address the housing related aspects of health. Opportunities for the NHS and local authorities to work with the voluntary sector to achieve these aims mean that there are new possibilities for wide‐ranging, innovative responses to improving people's health by tackling housing issues.Care & Repair England has undertaken research which examines how home improvement agencies (HIAs) are working with health‐sector partners to bring about health improvement through housing‐related initiatives and services.The resulting report, Healthy Homes, Healthier Lives, brings together key evidence that demonstrates the beneficial impact of improved housing conditions on health and examines the current policy context. A spectrum of joint projects is profiled including schemes providing information and training for health and care sector staff, a range of joint approaches to falls prevention, hospital discharge services and initiatives to address fuel poverty and cold, damp housing.

Details

Housing, Care and Support, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2001

Sue Adams

The vast majority of older people (90%) live in the general housing stock and 70% are owneroccupiers. One of the major challenges for planners in the housing, health and social…

Abstract

The vast majority of older people (90%) live in the general housing stock and 70% are owneroccupiers. One of the major challenges for planners in the housing, health and social care sectors is the development of a coherent joint strategy which enables older people to live independently in their own homes. Home improvement agencies (HIAs) aim to meet the housing and related support needs of mainly older home‐owners. Research carried out by Care and Repair England has been tracking and studying the diversification of HIAs into services areas which ‘cross the housing and care divide’. The results of this work have recently been published. They demonstrate both the range and the extent of new service provision by HIAs and its value both to older people wishing to ‘stay put’ and to planners charged with implementing cross‐sector work and prevention strategies.

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Housing, Care and Support, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2003

Joseph Kangwa and JFemi Olubodun

Recent governments have highlighted the problems of unfitness and why individual homeowners should intervene to deal with the maintenance problems of their own homes. Current…

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Abstract

Recent governments have highlighted the problems of unfitness and why individual homeowners should intervene to deal with the maintenance problems of their own homes. Current estimates of the cost of comprehensive renewal are said to run into billions of pounds. There is also a genuine concern that the number of unfit dwellings will continue to increase regardless of the steady pace of renewal programmes. Arguably this concern has greatly influenced the dynamics of primary maintenance attributes of property owners. The primary attributes are recognised to be a product of increased owner‐maintenance awareness; enhanced owner‐maintenance skills and knowledge; and the owner‐maintenance management abilities. These attributes are interwoven, and therefore cannot be left out of current initiatives to improving the backlog of under‐maintenance in the owner‐occupier sector.

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Structural Survey, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-080X

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1996

Stephen Todd

Reports the results of a study carried out using interviews, household surveys, physical surveys, economic appraisal and observations of agencies’ contacts with residents, to…

235

Abstract

Reports the results of a study carried out using interviews, household surveys, physical surveys, economic appraisal and observations of agencies’ contacts with residents, to investigate whether rebuilding grants are viable as a complementary approach to urban renewal. Gives a detailed example of how to calculate a rebuilding grant. Concludes that rebuilding grants are a very valuable complement to urban renewal, with very few amendments required.

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Structural Survey, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-080X

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Book part
Publication date: 13 October 2008

Paul J. Maginn, Susan Thompson and Matthew Tonts

This chapter, together with those that follow, builds upon the ideas presented in the previous volume in this series (Maginn, Thompson, & Tonts, 2008). There we outlined our…

Abstract

This chapter, together with those that follow, builds upon the ideas presented in the previous volume in this series (Maginn, Thompson, & Tonts, 2008). There we outlined our vision for a ‘pragmatic renaissance’ in contemporary qualitative research in urban studies. We argued that to survive as an effective and frequently used tool for policy development, a more systematic approach is needed in the way that qualitative-informed applied urban research is conceptualised and undertaken. In opening this volume we build on these initial ideas using housing as a meta-case study to progress the case for a systematic approach to qualitative research methods. We do this to both stimulate broad debate about the ways, in which qualitative research in urban/housing scholarship might be of greater use to policymakers and practitioners, as well as to suggest a way forward in realising the ‘pragmatic renaissance’.

Details

Qualitative Housing Analysis: An International Perspective
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84663-990-6

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