You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
City council completes major stock transfer from Clarion
Portsmouth City Council has completed the acquisition of 747 tenanted homes from Clarion, the UK’s largest social landlord.
The deal is one of the largest to take place in the UK recently. It will also see a further 71 residences transferred this summer.
While most of the acquired homes are in the city of Portsmouth, some properties as far out as Winchester, a 50km drive up the M27 and M3.
The deal includes shared ownership homes, which is a new type of housing for the council to manage.
Clarion said it was unable to disclose the cost of the deal as the figure is not in the public domain.
READ MORE
Portsmouth Council already manages around 15,000 rented and 2,000 leasehold residences across Portsmouth, Havant and Waterlooville. It said increasing affordable homeownership was a “core purpose”.
“It also provides long-term financial strength through increased revenue,” said the local authority in a statement.
Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing and tackling homelessness at Portsmouth Council, added: “We’re so pleased to be able to welcome each and every new tenant joining us.
“This significant addition to our housing provision is a positive and forward-thinking move to make sure the long-term security of our housing is secured.
“We have worked very hard to make the transition as seamless as possible, and I hope all our new tenants will feel they have their voices heard and their needs met.”
Over the next two weeks, representatives from the council will visit all the homes purchased to meet the tenants and deliver welcome packs.
Rob Lane, chief property officer at Clarion, said the landlord was delighted with the transfer.
He added: “The local authority was chosen through a rigorous evaluation process and with the help of Clarion resident representatives who formed part of our assessment panel.
“All Clarion residents affected by the transfer were consulted and their feedback taken into account during the process of selecting the new landlord. Portsmouth City Council demonstrated it provides a high-quality service and has a long-term commitment to residents and their homes.”
Just last month, a housing association based in Kent acquired 253 homes from large social landlord L&Q.
Heart of Medway said it had completed phase one of a stock transfer with L&Q, which is a member of the G15, for the properties in Dartford and Gravesham.
Sign up for our asset management newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
