Lewisham Council Streamlines Housing Policies, Improves Adaptations and Access

Lewisham Council is reviewing its housing policies, with a focus on adaptations for residents and regulations for the private rental sector. The Mayor and Cabinet convened on Wednesday, 22 October 2025, to discuss these changes, aiming to streamline processes and improve standards across the borough.

Councillor Will Cooper, Cabinet Member for Better Homes, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness, presented the proposed changes. The review consolidates several housing policies to create more efficient decision-making within the housing department. The policies include the disabled facilities grant, discretionary disabled facility grant policy, homeowners grant policy, tenant aids and adaptions policy and the required access policy.

This report consolidates several housing policies for more efficient and streamlined decision-making within the housing department, said Councillor Cooper. The policies included are the disabled facilities grant, discretionary disabled facility grant policy, homeowners grant policy, tenant aids and adaptions policy and the required access policy.

To improve clarity for residents, the previous housing assistance policy has been divided into two separate policies: one for disabled facility grants and discretionary disabled facilities grants, and one for homeowner grants. According to Councillor Cooper, this split aims to simplify the grant application process for both residents and council staff by bringing the grant programs into current processes. The council also introduced a tenant aids and adaptions policy, providing clearer eligibility, process details, and maintenance responsibilities for residents. This policy was created with input from resident panels to ensure it is accessible and easy to understand.

The required access policy clarifies when and how the council can access properties for repairs, maintenance, and adaptations. Councillor Cooper stated that the policy includes new provisions for emergency access to resolve issues such as leaks, balancing the council's need for access with residents' right to privacy and security.

In addition to adaptations, the council is also focusing on the private rented sector. Councillor Cooper highlighted the borough's history of supporting private renters, stating it has been a significant political issue for him since his election in 2022. The council is introducing four policies related to licensing and enforcement in the private rented sector, with the goal of raising standards and improving compliance.

These policies include measures for private rented sector licensing, civil penalty notices, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and electrical safety. The licensing and enforcement policy outlines the council's powers in regulating the private rented sector, including advice and emergency enforcement, and aligns with national regulations for minimum energy efficiency standards.

We need to ensure the private renters live in a safe and secure housing cross our borough, and this paper is just another one of those little steps to making sure that becomes reality, said Councillor Cooper.

Councillor Cooper also addressed the effectiveness of the landlord licensing scheme, noting that the council is ahead of target. The council is using the scheme to employ more enforcement staff, moving from processing applications to enforcing licensing for landlords with unlicensed properties. This enforcement data will inform future policy adjustments. The Civil Penalty Notice Policy sets out the criteria and process for imposing financial penalties on landlords as an alternative to prosecution.

The council's efforts align with the government's reforms to the rights of private renters, which Councillor Cooper described as an amazingly progressive piece of legislation that will change the lives of millions of people in this country.