Evictions decrease atlocal housing group

The group, which has a number of properties in the Rye and Battle area, says it is partly because it has secured around £2.5million extra income for its residents in 18 months.

The housing association claims that it is helping residents source additional income and easing the financial burden on hundreds of families across the South East.

The organisation had 160 less court cases for rent arrears in the first six months of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013. That has resulted in a saving of around £40,000 in court fees.

And it says that evictions are on course to be lower than last year; the third year in a row they’d have been reduced.

This completely goes against the latest government figures which revealed the number of tenants being evicted from their homes is currently at a record high.

Mark Walker, Head of Income at AmicusHorizon, said: “Our Financial Inclusion Team continues to work hard to maximise the benefits and income our residents are entitled to.

“We have 580 less residents in arrears compared to this time last year. We are proactively helping residents and talking directly to them about what we can do to help them.

“It could be something simple like going through their income and freeing up extra cash to pay their rent, or it could be working with a charity like StepChange to sort out their debts and help them budget their money better.”

AmicusHorizon says that its hard work in helping residents with their finances has been widely recognised this year.

The organisation’s Income and Financial Inclusion Teams have gained Housing Quality Network’s (HQN) accreditation for income management.

HQN aims to recognise and reward those organisations which maximises their own income, as well as their own customers’ income.

AmicusHorizon was the first in the g15 – London’s 15 largest housing associations – to get this accreditation.

AmicusHorizon manages properties on the Tilling Green estate in Rye and at Rye Harbour. it is imvolved in plans for more houses in the area.