Decant policy

Appendix B - Definitions

35.1    Adaptations - Adaptations are changes to a home that make it accessible or suitable for a tenant with physical challenges or disabilities.

35.2    Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO): a legal remedy enabling Local Authorities to obtain land or property without the consent of the owners in certain circumstances. 

35.3    Decanting: a legal term used to describe the necessity of moving occupiers from their homes temporarily or permanently where one of the circumstances in section 3.2.1 arises. 

35.4    Defect Liability Period: the prescribed period (usually 12 months from practical completion, but can vary in some cases) under a Developer’s construction contract with the Group after practical completion under which they agree to remedy any defects in the construction work they have performed and before the development can be handed back to the Group. These can include design deficiencies, material deficiencies, specification problems or workmanship deficiencies. 

35.5    Housing Needs Register: The Housing Needs Register (HNR) is a list of all applicants looking for affordable, rented accommodation in the Welwyn Hatfield borough.

35.6    Permanent decant: a situation where it is envisaged that a customer cannot return to their property as a result of works or repairs to the property or redevelopment. A customer will not be regarded as permanently displaced if there is an intention to return them to their original home after the work. Similarly, there will not be a permanent decant situation where the customer, for reasons of personal preference, chooses to stay in the decanting accommodation or other accommodation after the work(s); in this situation, WHBC may choose to acquire the home under a CPO. 

35.7    Temporary decant: a situation where customers vacate their property and are expected to return to their property once necessary works are complete, or it is safe to inhabit the home again. 

35.8    Emergency: This refers to an emergency, such as a flood or fire, in which a tenant cannot immediately return to their property. 

35.9    Major Repairs may include but are not limited to the following:

  • Major damp proofing; 
  • Emergency structural issues; 
  • Serious flooding or fire, which makes the majority of living spaces unusable.