Pathmeads, part of Genesis Housing Group, has completed the refurbishment of a two-bedroom bungalow in Bishops Stortford, East Hertfordshire, which is now ready to let.

Pathmeads arranged a 100% grant-funded refurbishment by East Hertfordshire Borough Council to bring the house up to a lettable standard, at a cost of approximately £38,000.

A prospective tenant has been identified by East Hertfordshire Borough Council's housing register. The new tenant will pay an affordable rent. The rent money will cover management and maintenance costs during the three-year lease with Pathmeads. After this either the property will be returned to its owner, or a new lease will be taken out with Pathmeads.

The Private Lease Agreements Converting Empties (PLACE) scheme represents a model that has been developed to suit the needs of the consortium of authorities involved (Chelmsford Borough Council, Epping Forest District Council, East Hertfordshire District Council, Harlow Council and Uttlesford District Council).

However, Pathmeads can tailor a responsive service to suit individual authority needs. Pathmeads is committed to working with local authorities and other organisations to tackle increasing numbers of long-term empty properties.

Some schemes use local authority grant under a voluntary agreement with the property owners, whilst others may focus on enforcement action that has been taken by a local authority, such as issuing empty dwelling management orders, as a way of bringing the property back into use.

Elaine Sanders, Deputy Director for Temporary Housing at Pathmeads, says "We are proud to be working with a number of partner authorities to bring these wasted properties back into use. The PLACE scheme is an excellent example of the work that we are doing and we hope to be able to deliver similar initiatives in other areas."

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For further information or images, please contact Diana Evans on 020 7563 0028 / diana.evans@ghg.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

Pathmeads Housing Association is a leading provider of property management services for around 20,000 homes. Its operations cover a number of key areas, including:

• Temporary housing provision whereby Pathmeads manages privately leased homes around London;
• A contracts division which manages homes for other landlords, such as local authorities, housing associations, primary care and NHS trusts, developers and private investors;
• Has developed a range of 'temporary to settled' leasing schemes;
• Works with local authorities across the south of England on refurbishing and managing empty homes;
• Provides a range of contract management, block management and mixed tenure management services for local authorities and private investors.

Genesis Housing Group provides homes and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east, with the overiding aim of putting customers first and providing excellent service to all. The Group consists of PCHA, Pathmeads and Springboard housing associations. Genesis also has a charitable foundation, Genesis Community and is one of the largest and most diverse housing groups in the UK, owning and/or managing more than 38,000 homes.