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Revised service charge code to help housing association tenants for the first time

Monday, 4th April 2022

Housing association tenants of long leasehold flats and the service charges they pay are to be included for the first time under a revised service charge residential management code. This, alongside other proposed changes are announced as part of a... View Article

“Housing Associations will have to adapt” advises new industry white paper

Monday, 4th April 2022

Procure Plus have released a white paper setting out how the social housing sector can rise to the challenges of market volatility in the new financial year. ‘Calm in the storm: Your guide to navigating market volatility in 2022/23’ provides a... View Article

Modular homes help tackle homelessness in Hertfordshire

Tuesday, 29th March 2022

Dacorum Borough Council has been granted planning permission to install eight purpose-built, modular homes in Hemel Hempstead to help tackle homelessness in the area. The SoloHaus homes, which are to be installed near Aragon Close, have been provided by the UK’s second-largest... View Article

Orbit Homes achieves four Gold Awards for customer satisfaction

Tuesday, 29th March 2022

Orbit Homes has been presented with four Gold Awards for customer satisfaction by specialist market research company, In-house Research Ltd. The independent awards are based on feedback from customers six weeks after they have moved into their new home. The... View Article

Orbit Homes celebrates recycling over 200 tonnes of unused wood with sustainable social enterprise

Wednesday, 23rd March 2022

Orbit Homes is celebrating after recycling more than 200 tonnes of unused wood from its construction sites, after partnering with sustainable social enterprise, Community Wood Recycling. Community Wood Recycling has been working with Orbit Homes since 2020, providing a commercial... View Article

Stockport committed to a greener future

Monday, 14th March 2022

The opening of two environmentally friendly properties for social rent in Cheadle last week signalled Stockport Council and Stockport Homes’ continued commitment to social development alongside its green energy targets. In a first for the council, the two developments were... View Article

Over 80% of tenants satisfied with renting, new research shows

Monday, 14th March 2022

Most people renting their home in the private rented sector are happy with their property and landlord, new research reveals today. The Social Market Foundation found that – contrary to some narratives suggest renting is an inherently unhappy experience –... View Article

Councils respond to Homes for Ukraine scheme

Monday, 14th March 2022

Cllr James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association, which represents 350 councils across England and Wales, said: “The humanitarian crisis caused by the Ukraine invasion is heart-breaking. Councils are ready to help new arrivals from Ukraine settle in the... View Article

Orbit Homes enters into contract on two deals for 58 affordable homes in the Midlands

Tuesday, 8th March 2022

Orbit Homes has successfully entered into contract on two brand-new sites in the Midlands. The affordable house builder will deliver 58 homes at the sites, with completions during the period of 2022 and 2025. The developments will offer a mixed... View Article

UK-first partnership to deliver affordable energy to those most in need

Monday, 7th March 2022

A ground-breaking new partnership between a renewable technology company and an energy supplier has been launched to deliver lower bills for social and affordable housing tenants. AceOn and Rebel Energy have teamed up in an exclusive partnership to offer local authorities and housing associations a green deal... View Article

‘The importance of healthy homes’ – the latest white paper from Housing Management & Maintenance is now live

Monday, 7th March 2022

Housing Management & Maintenance has recently published ‘The importance of healthy homes’ – a white paper that explores landlords’ and housing professionals’ perceptions of what makes up a healthy home. Old and poor quality housing, with common issues such as... View Article

Members inspired by Grenfell give tenants more say in landlord’s future

Monday, 7th March 2022

A North-West landlord has appointed ten tenants to a new Customer Committee to help shape how services are delivered across the communities they live in. ForHousing has recruited tenants from a variety of backgrounds, including a local councillor, an NHS volunteer and... View Article

New tenancy regulations in Wales to become effective from July

Friday, 25th February 2022

Julie James the Welsh Minister for Climate Change has announced that a raft of changes to housing and tenancy law in the country will come into effect from 15 July 2022. Under the new law (The Renting Homes (Wales) Act... View Article

Another council refers itself to regulator over H&S failings

Friday, 25th February 2022

A unitary council on the south coast of England has referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing over shortcomings in its electrical and fire safety work to tenants’ homes, leading to a probable breach of the Home Standard. Bournemouth,... View Article

Government announces drive to improve service standards in social housing

Friday, 25th February 2022

The Government has announced a package of measures to ensure social housing residents are listened to and better protected in the future, with their new rights enshrined in law. Among the measures announced by the Minister for Rough Sleeping and... View Article

Levelling Up funds should be made available for HAs’ regeneration work

Friday, 25th February 2022

The PlaceShapers group of housing associations is calling on the Government to make funds available for its members’ work on regenerating housing estates and decarbonisation work on existing stock. Backed up by published research in a new report ‘Stay local,... View Article

How do we fund all of the post Grenfell safety works?

Friday, 25th February 2022

Among the many questions left unanswered by Michael Gove’s commitment to make developers pay for resolving the cladding crisis on Britain’s block of flats, perhaps the most important one is how all of the other necessary safety works are to... View Article

Increase in empty homes hidden by holiday lets ‘flipping’ ruse

Friday, 25th February 2022

Empty homes being recorded as holiday lets by owners who want to avoid paying council tax on them is to blame for an apparent drop in the numbers of vacant properties recorded across the country. The group Action on Empty... View Article

Developers told to stump up for building safety measures, but uncertainty remains over responsibility for landlords’ costs

Friday, 25th February 2022

Michael Gove broke the stalemate over who has responsibility for cladding removal costs by demanding that developers pay up, but his solution may only provide a partial relief for individual leaseholders. Developers have been given until early March to agree... View Article

Poor social housing has been a problem for decades

Friday, 25th February 2022

Poor social housing conditions have been a problem for 30 or 40 years and the Government, together with social landlords, face an uphill battle to solve the issue according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. During an interview with ITV News,... View Article