General - netMAGmedia Ltd

Private landlords urged to prepare for stricter energy laws

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

Property owners and landlords need to start preparing now for the arrival of stricter energy performance laws in the coming years or risk major disruption, cost increases and other business threats. The private rented market is the second biggest sector in... View Article

Landlords are failing tenants with cheap, dated and unhygienic furnishings

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

An expert in build-to-rent furnishing solutions, has found the majority of UK tenants moving into furnished rentals are living with furniture that is unfit for purpose, often being cheap and of poor quality. For many tenants, a furnished rental property is the preferable... View Article

England’s leaky homes are a greater threat to climate than all of its cars

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

England’s homes produce more carbon emissions every year than is produced by all of the country’s cars, according to new research from the National Housing Federation. The representative body for HAs is calling on the Government to put £3.8bn into... View Article

Failure to tackle rogue landlords is putting tenants at risk

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

The Government needs to address a chronic failure to tackle rogue landlords who put tenants at risk, according to one of the biggest organisations representing private landlords. With the Government pledged to publish a White Paper setting out proposed reforms... View Article

Pandemic uncertainty pushes more tenants towards wanting long term tenancies

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

Research from build to rent specialists Ascend Properties, has highlighted the important role of the sector in meeting the needs of the modern-day tenant, as an overwhelming majority say they want longer tenancies. The survey of over a thousand UK tenants... View Article

Gas safety and repairs feature in Ombudsman decisions

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

Issues ranging from gas safety, repairs and anti-social behaviour were among a batch of critical decisions against social landlords to be published by the Housing Ombudsman. The decisions are published by the Ombudsman service on their website, where they provide an ever-expanding... View Article

Ombudsman’s online casebook shares more learning for the sector

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

Recent decisions by the Housing Ombudsman include cases concerning cladding and a shared owner wanting to sell her property, plus an issue resolved through mediation and a complaint about repairs and damage to property. The latest batch of decisions includes: A finding... View Article

Complaints to Housing Ombudsman jump by over 20 per cent

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

Growing tenant dis-satisfaction with social landlords is revealed in the Housing Ombudsman’s latest Insight report covering April to June 2021, which revealed a 21 per cent increase in the volume of enquiries and complaints received compared to the previous quarter. The Housing Ombudsman’s report... View Article

100 organisations sign letter urging PM not to cut Universal Credit

Wednesday, 3rd November 2021

100 organisations across the housing and charity sectors have joined efforts in urging the Prime Minister to not go ahead with the planned £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit in October. The Joseph Rowntree Federation has co-ordinated... View Article

Social Housing tenants come together to speak out on tackling climate change

Monday, 1st November 2021

Tenants from across the North of England have come together to publish new advice for the construction sector on tackling climate change. Homes account for around one-quarter of the North’s carbon emissions. To meet the challenge of reaching net zero... View Article

Wakefield District Housing awards geospatial data contract to Landmark Information

Wednesday, 20th October 2021

Wakefield District Housing (WDH), which manages over 32,000 homes across the north of England, has partnered with Landmark Information to improve the management and insight for its expanding asset portfolio by capitalising on intelligent location data and advanced mapping services. By working with... View Article

Leaky homes need addressing as well as replacing gas boilers, says FMB

Tuesday, 19th October 2021

A flagship Government strategy to address the impact of our homes on the climate looks to have failed to deliver the ambitious blueprint for action that is needed to deliver a greener Britain, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB),... View Article

ECA backs Government plans for low-carbon heat

Tuesday, 19th October 2021

Leading electrotechnical and engineering services trade body ECA broadly welcomes the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy, which includes a scheme to help UK households install new, low-carbon heating systems. However, ECA urges further action in the coming years to meet... View Article

Funding to meet Fuel Poverty Target short of £18bn

Thursday, 14th October 2021

Research published today by AgilityEco and Gemserv reveals that current funding and policy to relieve fuel poverty will help only a fraction of the 3.2 million homes that were in fuel poverty in 2019. The legally binding target to all... View Article

Housing waiting lists could double next year

Wednesday, 13th October 2021

One in 10 households in need of housing are stuck on council waiting lists for over five years as a result of the chronic shortage of affordable homes, new research reveals today. A new report, Building post-pandemic prosperity, commissioned by the... View Article

CIH calls on the Government to take drastic action to tackle ongoing housing crisis

Tuesday, 12th October 2021

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has submitted its Comprehensive Spending Review to the Treasury for the Autumn Budget Spending review. As one of the leading housing organisations CIH, has used this opportunity to call on the Government to take... View Article

Contractor announced for innovative ‘Neighbourhood’ housing development in Salford

Monday, 27th September 2021

Housing association Salix Homes has announced its construction partner to deliver an eco-friendly new housing project in Salford. Salix Homes, which owns 8,000 homes in Salford, has awarded the contract for its part in the Neighbourhood development to Salford-based Watson... View Article

Major housing firm on reshuffle

Monday, 20th September 2021

Bjorn Howard, chief executive of housing association Aster Group, said: “This government’s ethos on housing has been consistent, despite a number of changes in personnel. While there are areas of the current strategy that would benefit from further thought –... View Article

netMAGmedia launches new construction industry podcast

Thursday, 16th September 2021

netMAGmedia, which publishes a range of titles for the construction sector, presents the Building Insights podcast, which speaks to key voices from across the industry. Engaging with thought leaders from the worlds of design, construction, development, self-build and social housing... View Article

Cluttons reveals how frequent revaluation is to impact landlords

Tuesday, 14th September 2021

The Government’s latest business rates consultation (Fundamental review) proposes reforms that will effectively lock property owners out of the appeals process for their tenanted properties meaning ratepayers could face triple business rates. Strategic property consultancy Cluttons have looked at what the Fundamental Review proposals that have been put forward are and how this will affect property... View Article