News release 13 January 2021

Affordable accommodation and Housing:

Property guardian model shortlisted for Best Customer Impact award

The National Housing Maintenance Forum (NHMF) has shortlisted a joint entry from Live-in Guardians and Mount Green Housing Association in their 2021 awards for Best Customer Impact.

Whilst they considered how to best use a former sheltered housing site that was requiring redevelopment, instead of leaving the properties vacant, Mount Green worked with Live-in Guardians to provide an innovative solution by installing property guardians. Not only did this keep the properties secure and maintained, at no cost to the Association, but also enabled a community  that comprised key workers and others to live in affordable accommodation near their workplaces.

The NHMF is a recognised centre of excellence for improving property performance, and their annual awards recognise success and ingenuity within the housing sector.

"Deploying live-in guardians to protect temporarily vacant properties is a model that can work across the country, providing 'meanwhile use' at a time when there are hundreds of thousands of sites across the country sitting needlessly empty. Just by being shortlisted for this award we hope will help spread the word and others will follow Mount Green's smart use of properties that would otherwise lie vacant and be subject to vandalism and neglect." Said Arthur Duke, Managing Director of Live-in Guardians.

Mount Green said in the joint entry "By  keeping these homes occupied, we not only saved on security and council taxes, but at the same time helped both the guardians and the local community, plus we gained an income too. A very good outcome for all."

The awards will be presented at the NHMF Conference on Thursday 28 January 2021, at a virtual event.

Contact Brenda Mathis for more information m 07722282946

askus@knolepark.agency