H

H.O.M.E.S Housing Organisations Mobility & Exchange Services
Definition: National agency working with local authorities and housing associations throughout England which helps social housing tenants to move from one area to another.

HIP Housing Investment Programme
Definition: Annual plan a council makes for its housing capital programme. It forms the bid to the CLG for resources to build, repair and improve their housing stock.

Home Loss Payment
Definition: Social Housing Tenants who are forced to permanently move to another house / flat due to their landlord carrying out redevelopment or demolition are entitled to claim Home Loss Payments. They may also be entitled to claim Disturbance Payments.

Homebuy
Definition: Scheme run by selected RSLs to help people to buy a home on the open market. Homebuy is funded by the Housing Corporation.

Homeless / Homelessness
Definition: Someone who does not have any permanent accommodation is described as being Homeless. All local authorities have an obligation to house the Homeless.

External Link : http://www.shelter.org.uk/

Homeswap
Definition: Scheme set up by HOMES to help social housing tenants find someone to swap homes with

Hostel
Definition: Hostels provide temporary accommodation for homeless individuals and families.

Housing Association (HA)
Definition: A non-profit making organisation which provides homes either for people who cannot afford to buy their own or who need special types of housing, for example elderly people. Associations usually have paid workers and are managed by a voluntary Management Committee.

Housing Benefit
Definition: Extra money paid to the landlord for people on income support or low incomes to cover housing costs.

Housing Corporation
Definition: Government organisation which oversees housing associations. The Housing Corporation makes sure they abide by the law and government guidelines and provides their finance.

External Link : http://www.housingcorp.gov.uk

Housing Finance
Definition: Is a system of money and credit that operates to enable all types of residential property to be built, managed, repaired, and exchanged. Housing finance's 3 broad categories are: capital expenditure (i.e. construction, conversion, improvements), revenue expenditure (i.e. repairs, maintenance, and administration of properties) and income (i.e. rent collection).

Housing Inspectorate
Definition: Under the Best Value regime all local authority and housing association`s housing services will be inspected to check they are showing continuous improvement and providing value for money. This external inspection is carried out by the Audit Commission`s Housing Inspectorate team.

Housing Officer
Definition: Person employed by a local authority or housing association to carry out a range of Housing Management duties, which may include Tenant Participation if there is no dedicated Tenant Participation Officer.

Housing Ombudsman Service
Definition: In charge of investigating complaints made about housing organisations. Before the HOS can be called in to investigate, the person making the complaint must have been through the Association's own Complaints procedure. The HOS only investigate complaints made against landlords who are members of the HOS scheme.

External Link : http://www.ihos.org.uk/

Housing Subsidy
Definition: Money from the Government, paid into a local authority`s HRA. This makes up the difference between what the Government thinks the local authority should spend on housing, and what it assumes it is receiving in rent income.

Housing Trust
Definition: An organisation which is required by its constitution to use all of its funds, including any surpluses, to provide housing accommodation, or one whose constitution states that it must use all, or nearly all, of its funds for charitable purposes and in fact uses all, or nearly all, of the money to provide housing.

HRA Housing Revenue Account
Definition: Local authority account into which Council tenants rents and any monies from the Government for Council homes are paid. It pays for repairs, managing and maintaining the housing stock and repaying any money borrowed for past building and improvements.