Demolition

Very occasionally we may have reason, as your landlord, to demolish your home. If this happens we will talk with you about what we propose to do long before it actually happens. We would only set upon a course of demolition if there were very good structural reasons why your property could not be saved.

 

In recent years the only large-scale demolitions in Dudley have been of high-rise blocks. If your property were due for demolition we would talk to you about re-housing you and your general housing need. In this scenario, please be aware of the information and help set out on this page. Such an event is obviously quite rare and you will be given lots of advice and prior notice before any work is carried out.

 

 

If your Council home has major structural problems which cannot be economically repaired, and has to be demolished, then you will have the highest level of priority for a transfer.

 

You will normally only be able to transfer to a property type and size for which your household would qualify if you had applied for transfer for another reason. As long as you have no rent arrears or other debts to the Directorate, you will be allowed a free choice of areas to move to. Bear in mind that some areas have a reasonable supply of vacancies whilst others have very few. If you do have rent arrears or other debts, you will only be considered for offers of average popularity in the area where you already live.

Where there is a major clearance scheme involving a number of homes, rehousing may be phased over a period of time, rather than all tenants being given the same level of priority at the same time.

 

The same arrangements as above also apply to owner occupiers and private tenants of properties which are subject to Demolition Orders, Closing Orders and Compulsory Purchase Orders, and to Council tenants if the Council needs to sell their homes for improvement or demolition by someone else.

 

 

The Home Loss payment is based on a formula contained in the Land Compensation Act 1973 as amended. In order to qualify a tenant has to be permanently moved due to the fact that their home will no longer exist, either through demolition or where the façade itself only remains. The tenant must also have resided in the property for the previous twelve months. The current amount payable is £3,800.00 per dwelling.

If the tenant owes any outstanding debts to the Council, the money will be deducted from the Home Loss Payment and the balance paid to the tenant.

 

 

Disturbance Payments are separate to Home Loss Payments. It is a discretionary payment by the landlord to the tenant for reasonable costs incurred when a tenant is forced to move.

 

An officer of the Council will visit the property prior to the move taking place and will note the condition of carpets, curtains and cooker. A further visit will be carried out once the tenant has moved to assess whether these items fit the new property. In the event of items not being reusable, a formula for calculating an allowance has been agreed by the Audit section of the Council based upon the age and condition of the items and this will then be applied.

 

The actual cost of moving will also be met by the Council. This includes removal costs, disconnection and reconnection of mains services such as gas, electricity, water and telephone services.

 

 

From time to time groups of tenants as well as individuals may be affected by demolition and have to be permanently re-housed. Circumstances such as subsidence or other structural damage may also lead to a tenant being moved for their own safety. Occasionally redevelopment of an area may mean that some homes have to demolished to make way for new infrastructure.

 

In any of the above circumstances the Council will undertake to consult with all those affected both individually and when affecting a whole group, collectively.

 

 

Where a tenant is moving permanently due to the demolition of their own home, the costs of moving will be met by the Council. An Officer will arrange for the Tenant's household contents to be moved, disconnection and reconnection of cooker and fire and all utilities.

 

The affected tenant will be responsible for the following