Nearly 800 homes to be bought as council houses by Kent authority

It has been described as a “rare opportunity” for Medway Council

Hundreds of homes are set to become council houses as part of a “rare opportunity” for a local authority to bolster its stock. Medway Council is looking to buy 791 properties within its boundary from a social housing provider.

The authority’s cabinet will discuss plans to borrow £45.95m to purchase homes across the Towns next week, with an expectation they will come under the council’s management by the end of the year.

The housing provider which the properties are being bought from cannot currently be named for commercial reasons.

The properties are of a variety of types, including homes for general needs, affordable rent, properties specifically for older people, and shared ownership. There are also some garages, commercial properties, and communal and play areas.

Medway Council will take over the management of the properties and will collect rent from tenants.

Currently, the Towns’ authority owns and operates around 3000 council houses and 220 leaseholds.

With this addition, this will mean an increase in its housing stock of more 25%, however this will likely not reduce housing waiting lists as the existing tenants will remain.

However, Medway Council says this will improve standards for tenants, both inside the properties and the general management of the public spaces.

The purchase is not expected to require significantly larger management costs for the authority, but further analysis of the pressures and benefits of the proposals will be completed.

Officers say the move would mean a long-term benefit for both the council’s stock of houses and the tenants living in them.

Specifically, they say the purchase is a “rare opportunity” to increase its council-run housing numbers at a much lower cost than, for example, building new properties.

The housing provider, which operates outside of Medway, is reportedly looking to streamline its business, focusing on its properties outside of the Towns, hence the sale.

This also means the council has no concerns the houses are in states of significant disrepair and in need of large investment once purchased.

Medway Council has undertaken various efforts in relation to housing in order to improve standards and lower its costs.

These include plans in January 2024 to purchase 150 homes for £42m to be used as temporary accommodation in order to reduce the amount the council was paying external providers.

In November 2024, the authority received the second highest rating for its social housing offering in its first inspection by the government.

The purchase is to be discussed at the cabinet meeting on April 7 and, if approved, will be taken to a full council meeting for approval from all members.