12 December 2008
By Neil Merrick Housing stock transfers are continuing to raise money for regeneration and allow housing associations to tackle crime and other social problems, the National Housing Federation has said. Its study, published to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the first large-scale voluntary transfer from a local authority, showed that more than 1.16 million homes have switched since 1988. A total of 280 transfers had been completed by the end of October, raising £14bn in private finance. According to the federation, which is the professional body for registered social landlords, the transfers involved about 2.3 million tenants. Last year, 76,261 homes were taken over by RSLs in 28 transfers. The NHF expects between 24,000 and 50,000 more homes to transfer by 2010 — the deadline for the decent homes target. About three- quarters of ballots result in ‘yes’ votes, said the report, published on December 12. David Orr, chief executive of the NHF, said: ‘More than 2 million residents have had their homes transferred and transformed, and hundreds of communities have been rebuilt.’
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