Residential estate strategy

Report: 7
Date: 19 November 2001
By: Commissioner

Summary

This paper, based on the report previously presented to the Estates Sub-Group on 2 February 2001, reviews the Residential Strategy. It seeks endorsement of a number of actions taking due account of the current priority to recruit and retain more police officers and civilian staff and the implications of the Housing Act.

Agreement is sought on the future policy for the sale of residential quarters - depending upon any change in the status of secure tenants - and section houses (including Trenchard House); and endorsement for seeking temporary use of accommodation planned to be vacant for more than 6 months.

It also considers the current scheme for renovating hostel accommodation for recruits at the Training School; modernising Section Houses at Greenwich and East Ham; the Starter Homes Initiative and the MPA equity share scheme.

This report has not been amended to reflect more recent proposals for further police recruits following the events of 11 September.

A. Recommendations

That Members endorse:

1. the purpose of the Residential Strategy: "To maintain sufficient residential accommodation to offer to all new recruits who meet the criteria' whilst maintaining an appropriate vacancy level;" and,' "to dispose of surplus residential accommodation consistent with those requirements and in support of the capital programme";
2. a strategic vacancy level of 7% in the short term and subject to regular reviews (paragraph 8);
3. the introduction of a maximum entitlement period of 3 years in relation to residential quarters occupied by pre-Sheehy officers and complementing this with the re-instatement of entitlement reviews for those tenants who are not secure (paragraph 23);
4. introducing a maximum entitlement period of three years for post-Sheehy officers when the law permits (paragraph 23);
5. making MPA residential accommodation available to police officers and civil staff as a recruitment incentive (subject to further work in respect of eligibility criteria) (paragraph 30);
6. the programme for upgrading section house accommodation over the next 4-5 years, at Maurice Drummond Section House, Greenwich and Norman Kendall House, East Ham (paragraph 38);
7. the disposal of surplus properties on the open market or on the MPA equity share scheme as means of sustaining the vacancy level (paragraph 32); and
8. that in the event that legislation exempting the MPA from the provisions of the Housing Act does not proceed, to extend the existing lease and partnership arrangement with Crown Housing so that in return for exclusive nomination rights vacant residential quarters are made available to recruits in accordance with allocation criteria (paragraph 21).

Members are also reminded of the following decisions already taken since the first issue of this report in November 2000.

• improvements to residential accommodation for recruits at Peel Centre;
• the sale of Trenchard Section House with part of the receipts being utilised to modernise two section houses;
• the provision of affordable housing through the Starter Homes Initiative and the MPA equity share scheme.

B. Supporting information

1. At their meeting on 8 November 2000, the Estates Sub Group considered a report that gave a preliminary assessment of the MPS residential estate strategy.

2. An interim paper was presented to the Sub Group at its January 2001 meeting and a further report was presented to the Estates Sub- Group on 2 February 2001.

Background

3. Difficulties in being able to obtain affordable housing in London are recognised as affecting recruitment and retention in the Metropolitan Police Service. In the past, the MPS has offered housing for police officers in lieu of housing allowance. In recent years, the demand has dropped and police officers have sought to purchase their own homes. Since 1994 (post Sheehy Report), new police recruits have not received housing allowances and accommodation has been provided for rent. Financial constraints have limited the modernisation of the housing stock which has reduced their popularity, whilst London's rising property prices have placed most properties outside the affordability of probationary officers and junior civil staff in particular.

4. The MPS has held residential accommodation since before the turn of the last century. After the First World War, houses and flats became available for all ranks unless an officer was single, when he was provided with a bedspace in a Section House. The size of the estate peaked in 1965 with some 5000 quarters and 3500 bedspaces.

5. Following a review of the management of the MPS Estate by the National Audit Office (1987/88) and a Parliamentary Accounts Committee Hearing (1989), the Home Office and MPS conducted a joint review of the residential estate in 1992. It established the need for its retention and future size. As a consequence the current Residential Estate Strategy was developed. The criteria established reflected the estate's purpose, which was primarily to meet operational need (at a time when recruitment was not such a critical issue). Short and medium term targets were set and achieved to reduce the size of the estate to 1500 quarters and 1500 bedspaces. The need for longer-term targets was acknowledged and this aspect was kept under annual review against demographic changes and vacancy levels. A limited number of quarters have also been used to assist with exceptional welfare needs and a few units are furnished to accommodate newly appointed ACPO officers for a short duration.

6. Throughout the 1990s demand for residential accommodation fell, resulting in further reductions in the size of the residential estate. It currently comprises some 1175 residential quarters and 715 bedspaces excluding those awaiting disposal or possible alternative use. Residential quarters comprise a mix of flats and houses providing 2, 3 and some 4 bedrooms. They are available to officers with their family if they are either married or in a long-term committed relationship. A total of 382 quarters are leased to housing associations through a partnership/management agreement under which the MPS has reserved nomination rights. There are six section houses for single officers. They comprise single bedrooms (not en-suite), and with shared communal facilities (kitchen and dining facilities, lounges and a games room or gym.). Some section houses have been converted to alternative uses - mainly offices - to meet operational demands.

7. The current allocation criteria (8th Edition 1st July 2001) are attached at Appendix 1. Tables are provided showing the levels of demand (Appendix 2), vacancy levels (Appendix 3) and the disposal programme (Appendix 4 and Appendix 5)

8. The MPS can offer residential quarters or a section house room on request to those officers who meet the criteria. Historically, vacancies have been held at or below 4%, but more recently levels have fluctuated from month to month averaging 7%. In part, this has been a result in the reduction of the disposal programme to enable more accommodation to be available anticipating an increased demand from the higher numbers of recruits leaving Hendon.

Residential tenure

9. Until September 1992, an officer could occupy a quarter for the duration of his/her service. Time limits were introduced to complement the reduction in the size of the estate and ensure a turnover of quarters so that the estate continued to meet operational need. It also encouraged officers to make their own arrangements at an early stage, thereby avoiding the financial difficulties faced by some who had failed to make any timely provision in the past.

10. Immediately prior to July 2000, the time limits were 2 years for a quarter and 5 years for a section house. Consideration was being given to extending the time limit for quarters to 3 years (one year longer than the probationary period) but this was suspended due to implications arising from The Housing Act 1985 (see paragraphs 14 - 18 below). The Housing Act has no effect on section house accommodation.

Rents

11. Police officers recruited prior to 1st September 1994 are entitled under Police Regulations to a housing allowance or accommodation free of rent. Since September 1994 (Sheehy review), new police recruits have been granted assured shorthold tenancies for a set period in accordance with the allocation criteria. They are charged a rent (or service charge for a section house room) with rent levels linked retrospectively to average housing association rents in London and the Council Tax Band for each property. Rent for a typical 3-bed flat is £346 per month. The Service Charge for a section house bedspace is standardised across the estate and currently set at £309 per month.

12. All rents and service charges are normally reviewed annually in April following consultation with the Federation. All residential tenants and occupiers receive a minimum of one month's notice of any changes in rents and charges before these are implemented.

13. The London Research Centre, the responsibility for which has been taken over by the Greater London Authority, publishes the source data for the Service's residential rents. A delay occurred this year with publication and revised data was not available. As a result the Service's rents and charges were changed in June based on information from the Housing Corporation.

Housing Act

14. The Greater London Authority Act provided that the Metropolitan Police Authority be deemed a local authority for the purposes of the Housing Act 1985. Local authorities can only grant secure tenancies. These are not subject to a time limit and convey rights of succession along with a statutory "right to buy" at a discount (up to £38,000 maximum) after 2 years occupation.

15. There are exemptions. Temporary 1-year tenancies can be granted to recruits who are notified prior to their employment and are moving to a new district to take a job. Occupation free of rent under Police Regulations is also exempted - but this does not apply to post Sheehy officers who do not have a statutory entitlement to free accommodation or housing allowance. At present 120 tenancies are secure.

16. Pending any change in secure status for 'post-Sheehy' officers, new recruits are provided with accommodation where appropriate under a temporary tenancy of one year less one-day to avoid creating a tenancy with security of tenure.

17. If the MPA grants secure tenancies, these would eventually embrace all quarters, which would be subject to tenants exercising their statutory rights to buy. There would be little turnover of accommodation, which is needed to enable recruits to be offered quarters. The Home Office has been approached to assist in enabling the MPA to revert to a position previously enjoyed by the Receiver, Metropolitan Police District. Discussions between Home Office and the former Department of Environment Transport and Regions (DETR) led to the drafting of a Corrigenda Order to change (amongst other matters) the secure tenancy issues arising from the Housing Act. However, the tenancy issue did not proceed and it has now been ruled that primary legislation is required. It has been proposed that an appropriate clause be included in the forthcoming Bill to enact the police reform programme.

18. At the present time, seven temporary tenancies used to provide quarters to police recruits have expired. If a change in legislation is not forthcoming, steps will have to be taken to recover possession as temporary tenancies expire to avoid claims of security of tenure.

19. Several initiatives have been explored to assist with the provision of affordable housing. These are equity share schemes that might be attractive to MPS staff. However, these initiatives do not address the needs of those staff whose preference or ability is to rent property.

Crown Housing Association partnership

20. Partnership arrangements with two housing associations have been established whereby surplus blocks of flats were leased during the 1990s in return for an income and reserved nomination rights. One of the housing associations, Crown Housing, draws its tenants' base from the public sector and offers accommodation at rents that are very attractive and affordable for those on low wages or at the beginning of their career and salary structure.

21. An alternative approach would be to seek a partnership with Crown Housing Association. The partnership and lease could be extended so that in return for exclusive nomination rights Crown Housing would grant assured short hold tenancies. Although there would be a management cost implication, an extension to the current lease (expiring 2003) would enable the vacant residential estate to be recycled, ensuring that accommodation continues to be available to recruits in accordance with the Service's allocation criteria.

Entitlement reviews

22. Legal opinion has confirmed that pre-Sheehy officers are not secure. Once the committee has approved the strategy and the change suggested in 23, then entitlement reviews for pre-Sheehy officers can recommence.

23. To complement the entitlement review process and the clearance of the backlog, it is recommended that the standard entitlement for new allocations should be extended to 3 years. This would provide a longer transition period for officers to settle in London and would make effective use of vacant properties.

Recruitment and retention

24. The Metropolitan Police Service is facing a challenging recruitment and retention environment for both its police and civilian staff. Many cite affordable housing in and around London and assistance at the outset of their careers as key factors in their decision whether to join, or stay with the MPS.

25. The recruitment targets for police officers for the period 2001/02 to 2005/06 are:

26. Just over 50% of MPS recruits come from outside London, often having family roots elsewhere. The lower cost of living elsewhere in the UK makes it attractive for them to return. The price of property is increasing faster in London than in the rest of the country. Despite a reported downturn in house prices across the country, London and the Southeast prices are still rising. Exit surveys show that accommodation, a wish to leave London and a lack of family life are the prime issues for police officers leaving the MPS. It has not yet been possible to measure the effect that the increased London pay lead for post-Sheehy officers has had on attracting and retaining officers.

27. At constable level, Police Regulations preclude any flexibility in starting salary and this has an obvious adverse effect on attracting more mature recruits. For officers transferring to the MPS from other forces, the increased cost of housing and/or commuting appears to be a major influence. The MPS remains a net exporter of officers.

28. The recruitment target for civil staff is to achieve the budgeted workforce target during 2001/02 and to maintain the strength thereafter. Assuming current levels of wastage, this requires the recruitment of 2,400 civil staff in 2001/02. Recruitment in following years would replace wastage, currently running at around 1500 per year.

29. The role of civil staff is key to the delivery of an effective police service. Civil staff do not have provision of housing as a part of their employment conditions. Many of the staff employed are at the lower end of the pay spectrum (such as administration officers, communication officers and caterers) yet are essential to the smooth running of the MPS.1

30. Traditionally, the residential estate has only been made available to police officers. Affordable housing aspects equally affect the recruitment and retention of civil staff, if not more so for junior civil staff on lower rates of pay. The availability of residential quarters and section house bedspaces to civil staff would assist with recruitment and retention. It is therefore recommended that consideration be given to making residential accommodation available to civil staff subject to the development of eligibility criteria.

31. There may be implications arising at present from Operation Calm. Officers from outside London may need to be housed in the short term, but at the time of writing there has not been any demand. Some immediate secondments have been placed in hotels.

Estate disposal policy

Residential Quarters

32. PSD has identified key blocks of flats that for reasons of either their central location or their leasehold tenure will not be subject to any disposals. Otherwise, vacant houses and flats have been considered for open market sale consistent with the strategy of maintaining sufficient properties to meet demand from recruits and to assist the Service achieve its capital programme. Occupied quarters have in the past been sold to officers in residence but are currently suspended. Sales to officers have been at open market value, assessed by external valuers and not subject to any discount. Unless legislation is changed, discounts will apply to secure tenancies after two years (i.e. from July 2002). This is expected to encourage more sales and the MPA would not be able to refuse because of the statutory right to buy.

Section Houses

33. Section House accommodation identified as surplus to requirements is sold if the building is "stand alone." Any sale follows a review to see if conversion to alternative uses offers better value. Surplus section houses that are attached to police stations are generally converted to office accommodation – either by permanent works or on a temporary basis pending future review.

Section house refurbishment and disposal - implications

Trenchard House

34. This section house, situated in Soho, had 200 bedrooms before it closed at the end of 1999. It required major amelioration at an estimated cost of £4m without the cost of upgrading to provide en suite facilities. At its meeting on 19 June 2001 the MPA FPBV Committee approved a proposal to sell Trenchard House and to "earmark" some of the receipts for various schemes including the upgrading of Maurice Drummond House and Norman Kendall Section House.

35. An issue being investigated with the city planners before the sale is the proportion of affordable housing that may be included. If nomination rights were retained for MPS staff and provided the process could be kept at a reasonable level, the provision of single accommodation could be useful in answering some of the criticism of the closure of the section house. It may be that the balance of office to residential accommodation could be adjusted to compensate for some of the income loss from a reduction in private flats for sale, which would have attracted premium prices at that location.

Maurice Drummond House & Norman Kendall House

36. Maurice Drummond section house is at Greenwich. It was closed due to lack of occupants and demand and because of the cost of bringing the accommodation up to present day standards, although operational use of the basement had to continue for about 2 years. It has been let in the intervening period to the "Knights Institute for Sport" but is now vacant. The suitability of the location for resident officers has now improved with the opening of the Jubilee Line and the extension of the Docklands Light Railway.

37. Norman Kendall Section House situated on the site of East Ham Police Station had been taken out of use because of its unpopularity. The station was also planned for closure and replacement by an office but that is not now likely to proceed. Discussions had been held with Newham College who occupy adjoining land and would have been interested in purchase.

38. A scheme to upgrade accommodation at both, funded from part of the capital receipt from Trenchard House, has been approved.

Hendon residential accommodation

39. There are 904 bedrooms at Hendon Training College in three tower blocks. The complex in which they are situated is almost thirty years old and is now in need of refurbishment. The MPA has approved the scheme and additional housing at the former Ingliss Barracks has been taken to re-house recruits. Some of the MPA houses on Rowan Drive (adjoining Peel Centre) have also been modified for shared occupancy by recruits.

40. Refurbishment involves a rolling programme of works over 3½ years and may require Finchley Section House to be reserved for use by trainees during some of the period.

41. An important factor in considering residential provision at Hendon is the increased recruitment planned for the coming years. All options are being examined including the displacement of other residential training. The sustained, substantial increase in expected recruit numbers will, in any event, put significant pressures on the Hendon residential estate.

Independent research reports

42. Government figures reported in January showed that wages in London are rising more slowly than in the rest of Britain whilst the Land Registry reported that London homes became more unaffordable, with the average price rising to almost £185,000.

43. A report by the London Housing Federation and Chartered Institute of Housing suggested that more people would be squeezed out of the "overpriced" London housing market. It reported that single young professionals and key workers are among 600,000 people at risk of being priced out of London and the South East over the next decade.

Internal Survey (Hendon Training School)

44. Typically, some 8% of recruits seek married quarters. 30% to 40% of recruits seek section house accommodation and the average length of stay has reduced to 9 months in the current year. Significantly, more than half of those seeking residential quarters or section house rooms are recruits coming from outside London.

45. In order to gain an up to date understanding of the accommodation issues affecting recruits, a survey was conducted of current recruits at Hendon. The results were:

• 33% of respondents suffered problems in arranging housing in the capital.
• 90% think that the lack of housing provision may have affected people who might have been considering applying to the MPS.
• 87% of single recruits and 71% of other recruits would apply for subsidised housing if it was available.
• Single recruits have higher expectations of the Service in terms of the provision of housing. 42% expected when selected for their job that housing would be provided. A further 7% expected help with the cost.
• 63% of single recruits had considered the option of MPS housing.
• Half of single recruits applied for MPS accommodation.
• 22% of other officers applied for MPS accommodation.
• (Single officers are defined as unmarried, not cohabiting and without an immediate family).

46. The Service's policy for charging residents is based on there being no subsidy. If a subsidy were introduced, it would create a taxable benefit and create inequity between the minority post-Sheehy officers in MPA accommodation and their colleagues.

Affordable housing initiatives

47. In addition to the provision of accommodation at affordable rents and charges, the MPS also acts as an intermediary in seeking to facilitate shared private accommodation for officers.

48. A bid for an allocation from the Government's Starter Homes Initiative to encourage the availability of affordable housing for key-workers has been successful. A scheme to provide interest free mortgages will shortly commence; details are reported in a separate paper.

49. The current planning process requires house builders to provide a percentage of new affordable housing as part of many new developments, although the current level of Housing Action Grant (HAG) is insufficient to meet the scale of the evolving cost. (In discussions with DTLR, we have sought greater flexibility in the availability of HAG.) We are seeking recognition for such housing to include nominations for MPS staff.

50. The MPA has approved a pilot scheme to sell up to 30 properties from its own stock on equity share. These have been targeted initially at those who hold 1-year tenancies, but the response to date has been slow.

51. Two existing equity share schemes in Hackney have invited MPS staff to participate and a considerable number of enquiries through a "Job" article were referred thereto. Two other schemes have been at the planning stage for some considerable time and have experienced difficulties because local authorities appear to wish to control the nomination rights.

Other initiatives

Information packs

52. Early notification of accommodation assistance will help to reduce the loss of prospective applicants who might otherwise be deterred because of the reported cost of living in London. The information packs sent to prospective candidates are to include details of assistance schemes available.

Earlier postings

53. Changes are being made to the process for posting recruits to their first place of work to make it as early as possible in the induction stage of recruitment. This will provide the maximum amount of time for recruits to obtain accommodation in an appropriate location, whether in private accommodation or in MPS quarters or a section house.

Accommodation Shareline Index

54. An Accommodation Shareline Index was set up in October 2000 to assist recruits in finding accommodation during their two-year probationary period. Other staff can also use the facility. It provides details of rental accommodation much of which is made available by serving staff; e.g. spare rooms. Details of the facility, available to all members of the MPS, are circulated in joining instructions.

55. Officers who let accommodation can take advantage of the 'Rent a Room Scheme'. Under the scheme, a certain amount of gross income can be received tax-free by letting furnished accommodation in ones only or main home.

56. A drawback for both these schemes is that if an officer rents accommodation to another serving police officer, the entitlement to housing allowance is halved for each officer. This rule also applies to officers serving in other constabularies.

Housing re-generation scheme

57. A partnership between London Borough of Newham and four Housing Associations has created Passmore Urban Renewal Ltd., a new housing regeneration company set up as part of the Forest Gate and Plaistow Single Regeneration (SRB) programme. Their aim is to help with the regeneration of the Forest Gate and Plaistow area by acquiring some of the worst of the private sector housing, rehabilitating it to a high standard and letting it to ''key workers', such as newly qualified teachers, health workers, police, fire-fighters, transport workers and other public sector employees.

Barking and Dagenham

58. London Borough of Barking & Dagenham introduced a housing initiative in 1997 to assist with the re-housing of applicants who had found employment within the borough but were unable to secure accommodation. This was taken up with some success and includes workers in the health authority, police, fire service, etc. The scheme is being extended to provide a greater number of flats for letting to key workers.

Conclusion

59. The full impact of our challenging recruitment targets on the residential estate has not yet been precisely determined, though indications are given in Appendix 6 (see Supporting material). There will need to be interim reviews of the position to take account of actual activity to assess availability and appropriate vacancy levels.

60. There is a contingency of a further 34 properties that could be made available, which are currently leased to central government agencies. There would be a resultant loss of income of approximately £400k per annum.

61. It has been assumed that the increased level of recruits will be retained over future years. However, the impact of secure tenancies for post-Sheehy officers will effectively prevent the MPS from having more than a small number of quarters to offer recruits in the longer term unless they continue to be offered as temporary one-year tenancies. The following recommendations assume this continues or that current efforts to return the MPA to the position previously enjoyed by the Receiver for the MPD are successful. If not, the Service's residential strategy will be affected.

62. Retaining a section house estate of 715 units and disposing of Trenchard Section House will require bringing back into use Maurice Drummond and Norman Kendall Section Houses. These are to be provided with en-suite facilities, conversion costs will be in the order of £6m - with lost capital receipts totalling £4m. This should provide sufficient bedspaces to meet projected demand from single officers, at least until mid 2003, based on Personnel Department's predictions for future intakes of recruits. Since the earlier report there has been an increase in the number of months in which recruits will pass out from Hendon. The forecasts have been adjusted accordingly (see Appendix 6 in Supporting material).

63. However, if it is decided to upgrade all existing Section House bedrooms by forming en-suite facilities, a further £12m will need to be invested. It will reduce the estate by almost 200 bedrooms.

C. Financial implications

Capital Receipts for 2001/02 are targeted at £38m but revised projections anticipate an out-turn of £35m. To date receipts of £16m have been achieved. The receipt from Trenchard House is not anticipated until year 2002/03.

The refurbishment of Maurice Drummond Section House is estimated at £3m (subject to a detailed survey), its current disposal value is estimated at £3m. Norman Kendall is estimated at £3m and the sale would have been a receipt of about £1m.

Improving residential blocks at Peel Centre is estimated at £16m (the Land & Building Capital Programme includes a provision of £14m for this work). It excludes upgrading the facilities for students by forming en-suite facilities, or replacing accommodation that would be lost through upgrading.

Extending the current lease to Crown Housing Association to cover recycling of vacant residential quarters will incur an annual management fee of approximately £600 for each residential quarter. If the lease were to be extended to include the existing secure tenancies, the annual management cost would be approximately £72,000. This cost would reduce the income received from officers paying rent.

The current annual income from the flats leased to central government agencies is approximately £400,000 which would be lost if these flats were taken back into use for MPA residential quarters reduced by approx. £43,000 at present levels the rents to MPS officers. The income could be increased at the next review of MPA residential rents.

The Residential Estate Strategy and the level of any disposal are to be reviewed annually, together with accommodation charges.

D. Background papers

• Previous reports to the Estates Sub Group 8 November 2000 & 2 February 2001
• Joint Home Office/MPS report on the MPS Residential Estate (1991)
  National Audit Office Report "MPS Estate Management" (1989)
• Hansard - Minutes Parliamentary Accounts Committee Hearing 1989
• MPA/MPS Briefing material for the London Assembly Affordable Housing Scrutiny (October 2000)
• MPA Resource Allocation Committee - Hendon Residential Accommodation.

E. Contact details

Report author: Trevor Lawrence, Director, Property Services Department and Michael Shurety, A/Director Personnel Business Services, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendices

• Appendix 1: Metropolitan Police Service -Allocation criteria for residential accommodation
• Appendix 2: Residential trends in demand - year 2000 & 2001
• Appendix 3: Residential vacancy levels
• Appendix 4: Number of residential quarters owned
• Appendix 5: Residential disposals and section house closures/disposals
• Appendix 6: Section houses demand forecast (see Supporting material)

Appendix 1: Metropolitan Police Service -Allocation criteria for residential accommodation

8th Edition - 1 July 2001

Policy statement

The Metropolitan Police Service seeks to employ a workforce, which reflects the diversity of backgrounds and cultures within which we operate and to provide a working environment free from ally form of harassment, intimidation, bullying, victimisation or unjustifiable discrimination.

We shall treat individuals openly and fairly with dignity and respect. We shall value their contribution towards providing a quality service to the people of London.

All members of the Service will demonstrate their commitment to these principles and will challenge behaviour which is unacceptable, in particular on grounds of gender, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation or marital status.

We shall ensure that our policies and procedures reflect these principles.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 The Commissioner would like to be able to offer residential accommodation to all members of staff who seek it, but the availability of residential premises is limited. Whilst it is the responsibility of every applicant to obtain suitable accommodation either in the private sector or elsewhere in the public sector, the Commissioner will endeavour to make all offers of accommodation subject to the Service's Allocation Criteria.

1.2 Applications will be considered for all allocation of accommodation on the following basis:

1. Applicants who are police recruits undergoing training at Peel Centre and who do not own a property or hold a tenancy, and whose partner (if any) does not own residential property or hold a residential tenancy within the Metropolitan Police District.
2. Applicants who are serving police officers and do not own their property or hold a tenancy, and whose partner (if any) does not own residential property or hold a residential tenancy within the Metropolitan Police District.
3. Exceptional welfare cases subject to the support of Occupational Health

1.3 To assist with the management of the waiting list for residential accommodation priority is given to police recruits.

2.0 Applications

2.1 The following procedures must be observed by the applicant to enable the Residential Accommodation Officer to consider all applications for residential accommodation.

2.2 Residential accommodation will only be made available to serving police officers who apply in writing the application from supplied by the Residential Accommodation Officer.

2.3 Before an application can be considered as valid the applicant must declare on the application that neither he/she nor partner, has a legal ownership, or a tenancy of any residential properly that is otherwise available for occupation by the applicant.

2.4 The length of an applicant's entitlement to occupy accommodation is determined by the date that the applicant was first allocated MPS accommodation.

[A] All allocations of residential accommodation (houses and flats) made up to and including 2 July 2000 will be subject to the following maximum periods of entitlement.

1. for residential accommodation (houses & flats) allocated prior to 1 August 1992 the allocation is for the duration of the resident's service as a serving police officer with the Metropolitan Police,
2. for residential accommodation (houses & flats) allocated after 1 September 1992 and before 31 August 1994 the allocation is for an aggregate period of up to seven years.
3. for residential accommodation (houses & flats) allocated after 1 September 1994 and before 28 February 1998 the allocation is for an aggregate period of up to five years, subject to:
   1. the resident being able to serve notice on the Metropolitan Police Authority within the first six months of allocation that the resident proposes to quit after 14 days from the date of the notice, or,
   2. the resident being able to serve notice on the Metropolitan Police Authority after the expiry of the first six months of allocation that the Resident proposes to quit after one month from the date of the notice.
4. for residential accommodation (houses & flats) allocated after 1 March 1998 and before 2 July 2000 the allocation is for a continuous period of up to a maximum of two years subject to.
   1. the resident being able to serve notice on the Metropolitan Police Authority within the first six months of allocation that the resident proposes to quit after 14 days from the date of the notice, or,
   2. the resident being able to serve notice on the Metropolitan Police Authority after the expiry of the first six months of allocation that the Resident proposes to quit after one month from the date of the notice.

[B] All allocations of residential accommodation (houses and flats) made after July 2000 are subject to the Housing Act 1985 and its security of tenure provisions. Since this date, the Service has to make a distinction between its applicants depending upon whether the applicant is a pre-Sheehy or post-Sheehy officer.

5. An allocation to a pre-Sheehy officer is exempt from having secure tenancy status by way of paragraph 2(2) in Schedule 1 in the Housing Act 1985 and is subject to the entitlements.
   1. for residential accommodation (houses & flats) allocated to a pre-Sheehy officer after 3 July 2000 and before 30 June 2001 the allocation is for a continuous period of to a maximum of two years,
   2. for residential accommodation (houses & flats) allocated after 1 July 2001 the allocation is for a continuous period of up to a maximum of three years.
6. All allocation to a Post-Sheehy officer would generally mean the officer becomes a secure tenant. As it is the Service's policy to avoid granting secure tenancies, all allocations to post-Sheehy officers will be made only when the applicant is a recruit undergoing training at Peel Centre. The tenancy will be temporary in accordance with paragraph 5 iii Schedule 1 of the Housing Act 1985 and therefore subject to the following entitlement:
   1. for residential accommodation (houses and flats) allocated to a post-Sheehy officer after 3 July 2000 the allocation is for a temporary period of one year less one day.

[C] All allocations of residential accommodation (section house rooms) made after 1 January 1995 will be for an aggregate period of up to five years.

2.5 Until such time as Estates, PSD 11, receives a completed application no consideration can be given to offering accommodation.

2.6 Applicants should state on the application form the preferred location for residence, identifying, a geographic area within the MPD. It might not be possible to make an offer that meets a specific postal address.

2.7 It must be stressed that because of the limited accommodation that is available no guarantee can be given that an applicant's location preferences will be met.

3.0 Type of residential accommodation

3.1 The residential accommodation will take the form of either a room in a section house/hostel, a flat, a maisonette or a house. Which type of accommodation is offered to an applicant will depend upon that applicant's personal circumstances and availability and is subject at all times to the Service's residential management policy. (Houses are not generally available unless exceptional circumstances exist.)

3.2 Applicants who live alone will normally be considered for the allocation of a room in a section house/hostel.

3.3 Applicants who live or intend to live with a partner will be considered for the allocation of accommodation other than a room in a section house/hostel, the size of which will depend upon the availability of accommodation and the extent of the applicant's dependants.

3.4 Dependants are generally regarded as:

1. the applicant's natural children or young persons (under 18 years old) and who live with the applicant; or
2. children or young persons (under 18 years old) for whom there is a Court Order for Custody in favour of the applicant.

4.0 Multiple applications

An applicant will not be given more than one allocation of residential accommodation. However, at the discretion of the Residential Accommodation Officer, an officer who has been allocated a house or a flat may additionally be allocated a room in a section house on welfare grounds for a temporary period of two weeks subject to the payment the standard weekly charge. This temporary allocation can be extended for a further short duration at the discretion of the Residential Accommodation Officer.

5.0 Waiting list

5.1 Applicants will remain on the waiting list for six months. If no allocation has been made and accepted by the end of this period, applicants will be asked to reaffirm their requirements and have their entitlement reviewed. Failure to verify requirements or failure to have the application confirmed as still being valid will result in the applicant's details being removed from the waiting list.

6.0 Offers of accommodation

6.1 All applicants will receive a maximum of three offers of accommodation. No guarantee can be given that any or all offers will satisfy the applicant's requirements, but the offers will be the best that can be made at the time from the residential stock that is available. Every endeavour will be made to ensure that an offer of accommodation is such that an applicant will be able to report for duty at their place of work (e.g. all applicant who is posted to Barnet 'SA' will not be offered accommodation in the Croydon area. But an offer of accommodation in, say, the Highgate area will be considered reasonable and will therefore count towards the maximum of three offers to be made). Applicants will have four weeks to accept or refuse an offer of accommodation. Extensions of time can be considered and any such requests should be made to Estates, PSD 11.

7.0 Appeals

7.1 If an applicant fails to meet the allocation criteria and his/her application is rejected, or the applicant's details are removed from the waiting. For the reason outlined in paragraph 5.0, the applicant may lodge an appeal with the Residential Accommodation Officer on exceptional welfare grounds. The appeal must be made in writing and submitted through the OCU Commander or Head of Branch for comment or endorsement. If appropriate, the applicant should inform Occupational Health and seek support for any welfare aspects. The appeal will be heard by a panel chaired by Personnel with representation also from PSD by the Principal Estate Surveyor and the Residential Accommodation Officer. The appeal panel's decision will be final.

8.0 Amendments to the allocation criteria

8.1 The Commissioner reserves the right to review these criteria from time to time and amend items to reflect changes that are felt to be pertinent to the continued efficient management of the residential estate.

Editions issued:

• 1st: 1 August 1992
• 2nd: 25 August 1994
• 3rd: 20 December 1994
• 4th: 1 September 1997
• 5th: 1 March 1998
• 6th: 1 July 2000
• 7th: 1 August 2000
• 8th: 1 July 2001

Appendix 2: Residential trends in demand

2000

2001

Appendix 3: Residential vacancy levels

Note: *1 measured against all quarters

Appendix 4: Number of residential quarters owned

Note:
Quarters let to a housing association (effective from 1/4/93); and
Quarters required for temporary operational use.

Appendix 5: Residential disposals and section house closures/disposals

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