Think Tank

Your employer can grant you a tenancy under an exemption to the 1996 Housing Act provided you meet its lettings criteria, are in housing need and have no influence over the decision. That said, many landlords may be reluctant, as a matter of policy, to house their own staff, and nothing in the exemption prevents them from having a policy of not doing so.
John Bryant, Policy officer at The National Housing Federation

Put your name on the waiting list anyway. Even councils with long lists sometimes have hard-to-let properties that are offered to people a long way down the list.
Catherine Hand, Partner at solicitor Jenkins & Hand

I'm absolutely fuming
What do I do if someone makes a complaint about something I can't do anything about, for instance traffic fumes outside their house?

If people complain about something that the landlord cannot control, they should be told, politely of course, that this is not something the landlord can look at. It is always useful to be able to say something positive so keep a list of other local bodies that they can go to such as highways authorities or environmental health.

Do be sure that it is really nothing to do with you. You can't change traffic fumes, but does the flat have a ventilation issue you could or should deal with?
Catherine Hand, Partner at solicitor Jenkins & Hand

Cooperation needed
I belong to a small housing cooperative where all the members live on the same street. To address maintenance issues, a subcommittee has been set up. My understanding was that they would organise or contract external workers. But the chair says that to save money, these neighbours would first enter the properties to check whether they can carry out the repairs themselves. I do not want these people in my house. Do I have the right to refuse them entry and insist on external contractors?

Sorry, no. You must have been aware when you applied to live in a cooperative that it is routine for many functions to be carried out by voluntary members that in a normal housing association would be performed by paid staff. In this case, since the landlord has repairing obligations it also has the right to enter the premises at reasonable times and subject to reasonable notice for the purposes of inspection and repair. You are in breach of your tenancy if you do not allow access.

So it is certainly their business to enter to inspect. Whether it is reasonable for them also to repair is a matter for the cooperative to decide based on such considerations as their competence to do so, and whether the cooperative's systems are sufficiently robust to deal with any conflict of interest that may arise.
John Bryant, Policy officer at The National Housing Federation

Bottled up
With regard to the tenant using bottled gas heaters (Think tank, 20 June): it would probably be cheaper to provide an alternative, safer and cost-effective form of heating than it would be to evict the tenant. This way you get no blame and they get a decent home.
Gill Brown, chief executive, Potteries Housing Association

Buying: can readers help?
I am a council tenant of 13 years and have decided to purchase my flat under right to buy. I have been accepted but I cannot get a mortgage because of the concrete gliding on the construction. This is frustrating as I think it's a good opportunity and I would pay less on a mortgage than I do in rent. Can you help?
JO, London SE13