An interesting article in a briefing from Anthony Collins Solicitors caught our attention recently. The Charity Commission, in a recent investigation, highlighted the importance of keeping good minutes of meetings so that organisations can clearly document decisions taking. We feel that this is equally important in the tenant management sector and the statement that minutes should be factual, accurate and timely (FAT) holds true,

For every meeting, board/committee members should ensure that minutes capture:

• Factual information: minutes should include a summary of discussions on each agenda item, covering key facts and evidence presented.
• Accuracy: minutes should reflect who attended, who participated in each discussion and who voted, providing an honest record of the decision-making process.
• Timeliness: minutes must be recorded promptly and thoroughly to ensure all decisions are well-documented and accessible.

The Charity Commission have produced some guidance around taking minutes which can be found here and which we suggest is shared with whoever is responsible for the minutes in  your TMO.

Now, where are those notes for the last Exec meeting………………..

One of the lesser remarked upon aspects of the recent Budget announcements by the Government was the drastic reduction in the discounts being offered to those tenants exercising their Right to Buy.

Currently the maximum discount offered is £102,400 (£136,400 in London) and this is being reduced to a much lower level ranging from £38,000 in the South East (although London and some other areas will be capped at £16,000) to £22,000 in the North East. Full details can be found on the government website.

Tenants have until 21st November 2024 to submit a Right to Buy application to benefit from the current discount levels. Applications after this time discounts will be capped at he lower sums.