Frequently Asked Questions.

An options appraisal is simply looking at a number of options for the future of the estate that take into consideration what is good about the current homes, what residents don’t like about the current homes and whether the options can be afforded.

As part of the process, One Housing has been holding a series of consultations, these will continue over the coming months, during which several different options will be developed with the community. This includes options such as; nothing changes, refurbishment, partial demolition and infill construction (building on vacant land) as well as demolition and redevelopment. It is not simply about demolishing homes, it is about considering all options which may mean homes remain untouched, refurbished or rebuilt.

We are currently in cycle 2 of the options appraisal process, which is typically carried out in up to 5 cycles. During these cycles’ residents are asked to comment on the options that they see. The options you have seen so far have not contained lots of detail, and you have not been asked to make any final decisions, this is because the design of the options will continue to change in consultation cycles 3 and 4 based on your feedback. In this way, we ensure that as far as possible, the options reflect the wants of the local community.

As these options become more detailed, they will continue to be assessed by residents and a number of consultants (planning & financial consultants for example) in order to settle upon a single, realistic preferred option.

That option will then be put to a resident ballot. In this way, residents will decide whether it goes ahead.

Resident feedback is used to inform the designs; therefore, your feedback is critical. At each stage the architects will present ideas, and these will change and develop based on your feedback.

Yes, at the end of the options appraisal process a resident ballot will be held on the preferred option. The proposal will only be taken forward if a majority of votes are in favour of the option.

The GLA (Greater London Authority) does not set out a minimum turnout for the number of votes in a resident ballot. The outcome of a ballot will be decided on a simple majority of the number of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ votes received from eligible voters. A ballot is only required to be held in any option which includes the demolition of any social homes and/or the construction of more than 150 new homes. However, One Housing wants residents to have the final say and will hold a vote on whatever is the preferred option.

The GLA (Greater London Authority) sets the eligibility requirements for voting. All social housing tenants are eligible to vote. If you have a joint tenancy agreement both tenants have a vote. Resident leaseholders who have been living on the estate for at least 12 months prior to the date that the landlord offer has been published are eligible to vote. If two or more people are named on the lease for their property, all leaseholders have a vote. Any resident who lives on the estate and has been on the London Borough of Tower Hamlets housing register for at least 12 months prior to the date the landlord offer has been published are eligible to vote.

Yes, this is called the ‘right to return’ if your home is demolished as part of any option, you would have the right to return to a new home that meets your needs on the estate. Your rent will also stay the same, for more information about your rent please see question 13.

Not all options will be able to solve overcrowding. As the options appraisal progresses, we will make it clear in the consultation booklet which options could solve overcrowding and those which will not. If your home is demolished as part of any option, you will be rehoused in a home that suits your family size.

The government has set a minimum space standard for all new build homes. This is not just about the number of bedrooms increasing, but the size of the home in general. For example, an example 1 bed flat in Montrose House is currently 39m2, the minimum size of a new 1 bedroom flat would be 50m2. If any new homes were built on the Kingsbridge Estate, they would be built to minimum space standards.

Yes, as long as you move to another One Housing property. Some tenants may voluntarily decide to transfer away permanently from the regeneration area and give up their right to return. These residents may move to a property that is not owned or managed by One Housing. These residents would retain their core rights as assured tenants, but some details may differ. We would advise any resident considering this, to review the new tenancy thoroughly before committing to it.

Advice is available from your Independent Resident Advisers: Christine Searle,
Rob Lantsbury and Iftekhar Ahmed from New Mill. The New Mill team can be contacted on the following freephone number: 0800 0304 588.

Maybe. Some options will require temporary moves and others will not. As the options develop further, we will make it clear how much disruption each option will cause. In a partial or full demolition option the architects would design things in a way that minimizes disruption as much as possible, and ensure as many people as possible only need to move once (from their current home, straight into a new home) this is called ‘phasing.’ If your home is demolished as part of any option, you may decide to move to a home away from the Kingsbridge Estate permanently, this will be your choice.

At this stage we do not know the mix of tenure on the estate, depending upon the option it could include the following; social housing, leasehold homes and shared ownership (part buy part rent).

At this stage it is too early to say, however our intention is to retain parking spaces allocated to tenants in line with the current permit scheme on the Kingsbridge Estate. Depending on which option is taken forward, the location of the parking spaces on the estate could change. If we were to take forward an option such as full redevelopment, this would need to be considered by the local authority as part of a planning application whereby they could seek to reduce the parking provision.

No, your rent will remain the same as it is now, unless you need to move to a home with more or less bedrooms. In that case you would pay the current rent for that size property. Your rent will continue to change in April each year, as it does already in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 1%.

Probably. At this moment we can’t say by how much because we don’t know which option residents will choose. New services such as a lift, CCTV or a door entry system, whether in a refurbished block or in a new block, will likely lead to an increased charge. One Housing will keep any increases as low as possible and residents will be involved in deciding on what the option will be and what services will be provided. Having said that, any refurbished or new homes should be cheaper to run (i.e. your gas/electric/water bills should be less) and it is hoped that this will offset any increase in service charges. We will provide an estimate of service charge before the ballot on the preferred option.

Usually not, in most cases resident’s utility bills will decrease. This is because a refurbished or new building is (in most cases) much more energy efficient than an older one. We will aim to provide some estimated utility cost comparisons as part of the options appraisal.

Possibly. If the regeneration increases the value of your home, then this could lead to an increase in council tax. Any new buildings constructed as part of a regeneration option are likely to have a higher council tax than the current homes.

At this stage we don’t yet know what the full extent of any proposed refurbishment will be, or whether refurbishment will be a viable option. We are working with our consultant team to develop this information and expect to have a much better idea at the events which will be held in the coming months.

Talking more generally, what works you can be expected to pay towards as part of a refurbishment is determined by your individual lease. Most leases allow the freeholder (in this case One Housing) to recover costs for works which involve repairs or maintenance (such as repairing the roof). In addition, some leases also allow the freeholder to recover costs for improvement works (such as adding balconies). Even leases that prohibit a freeholder recovering costs for improvements, may allow recovery of costs if the improvement is due to a law or regulation change (such as having to improve insultation due to environmental performance regulations).

In any instance, a Section 20 notice would be issued for costs we wished to recover as per normal procedure/the terms of your lease. Examples of improvements which have been shown in the options so far include the addition of lifts, balconies and improved insulation.

We understand this can be frustrating, but in order to ‘price up’ an option we have to design it to a certain level. It is considered best practice to involve the local community, including leaseholders, in those design stages. That is why the early stages of an option appraisal (and we are still in the early stages as of June 2021) focus on design and on what residents think would be good ideas to consider to improve their block, before moving into financial assessment at a later date.

Probably. At this moment we can’t say by how much because we don’t know which option residents will choose. New services such as a lift, CCTV or a door entry system, whether in a refurbished block or in a new block, will likely lead to an increased charge. One Housing will keep any increases as low as possible and residents will be involved in deciding on what the option will be and what services will be provided. Having said that, any refurbished or new homes should be cheaper to run (i.e. your gas/electric/water bills should be less) and it is hoped that this will offset any increase in service charges. We will provide an estimate of service charge before the ballot on the preferred option.

If required for the preferred option, you can appoint an independent surveyor who is a member of the Royal Institute of Charted Surveys (RICS) to value your property. We would cover the cost of this valuation. The valuation would be determined on the basis that any proposed regeneration does not exist.

If you are a resident leaseholder who has been living in your property as your only or principal home for at least 12 months prior to the date the landlord offer is published, you will be entitled to a ‘Home Loss Payment’ of 10% of the value of your home as decided by the surveyor described in question 4. If you are a non-resident leaseholder, you will be entitled to a ‘Home Loss Payment’ of 7.5% of the value of your home. The percentage of compensation payable in this instance is set by law and is only applicable if your property is demolished as a result of the preferred option.

Usually not, in most cases resident’s utility bills will decrease. This is because a refurbished or new building is (in most cases) much more energy efficient than an older one. We will aim to provide some estimated utility cost comparisons as part of the options appraisal.

Probably. If the regeneration increases the value of your home, then this could lead to an increase in council tax. Any new buildings constructed as part of a regeneration option are likely to have a higher council tax than the current homes.

We are unable to provide a conclusive answer to this question because we have not yet started to develop the ‘Landlord Offer Document’ which will provide you with the details of our offer to residents prior to the ballot. The landlord offer is usually developed during the latter half of an options appraisal process, and this is because elements of it can be specific to the estate or to the specific preferred option.

Having said that, typically outright sale is offered to both non-resident and resident leaseholders, with resident leaseholders also having the option of taking an equity loan or shared ownership option. Some details on each of these options can be found below.

It should be noted that the text outlining the options below was taken from the landlord offer for One Housing’s proposed regeneration of Kedge House, Winch House & Starboard Way and may differ from the final offer made to the Kingsbridge leaseholders.

Outright sale – Available to both resident and non-resident leaseholders. One Housing will purchase your property for the full open market value as determined by an independent RICS qualified surveyor, plus a 10% statutory home loss payment for resident leaseholders and 7.5% home loss payment for non-resident leaseholders. We will also reimburse you for the reasonable cost of your own independent valuer, legal fees, stamp duty and financial advice relating to the sale and removal costs. Reimbursed costs are to be agreed before they are incurred through the provision of quotes. If you take this option, you would not be automatically entitled to a property within the new development. The buyback process must commence at least 18 months before the expected start on site date.

Gain full ownership of a new home within the development with an interest free loan arrangement with One Housing if required (an equity loan) – Available to resident leaseholders. You invest the full market value of your current home, plus your 10% home loss payment (less £6,500 that can be retained) into a new property within the upcoming development area.

You must invest the full value of your property, less any mandatory deductions from the agreed value (for service charge arrears or other personal debts for example) and any existing mortgage most be ported across. You will not pay any rent on the remaining equity.

One Housing will fund the difference in value and secure it against the value of the property (in effect an interest free loan). If the property is sold in the future One Housing would be entitled to receive the same proportion of sale revenue as they originally provided. The lease may be passed on once to an immediate family member as a succession. At the point of a second succession One Housing’s share of equity must be repaid through the sale of the property.

Gain partial ownership of a new home within the development with One Housing as partner (shared ownership) – Available to resident leaseholders. This option allows you to part own and part rent a newly built home within the new development. This option is for homeowners who wish to have the option to ‘buy out’ One Housing’s equity share over time. You will be asked to pay rent on the unpurchased portion of the property up to the lower of:

• 50 per cent of the value of the new property, or the full market value agreed for your existing property.
• You will be required to invest your full home loss payment, in order to get as close as possible to either of the two above thresholds (whichever is the lower).
• You are required to purchase a minimum of 25 per cent of the value of the new property.
• Rent will be charged at 2.75% on the difference between the share purchase price and the full market value or 50% of the value of the new property, whichever is lower.
• Any existing mortgage must be ported across to the new property. You can pay off a proportion (or all) of One Housing’s share at any time, subject to a market evaluation at that time. This is often referred to as ‘staircasing’.

The eligibility requirement for voting is set by the Mayor of London’s office; The Greater London Authority and therefore we do not have discretion to set the voter eligibility criteria for resident ballots.

Eligible voters are as follows:

• Social tenants
• Resident leaseholders who have been living in their properties as their only or principal home for at least one year prior to the date the Landlord Offer is published and are named on the lease or freehold title for their property.
• Any resident whose principal home is on the estate and who has been on the local authority’s housing register for at least one year prior to the date the Landlord Offer is published.

Rob Lantsbury and Ifte Ahmed your Independent Resident Advisors specializes in leasehold matters. Please contact Rob or Ifte on the details below to discuss any matters independently.

rob.lantsbury@newmillconsultants.com 07961 532761
ifte@bia-consultants.com – Hindi, Bengali, Sylheti speaker.