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Extra £3.5bn for removing unsafe cladding derided as being too little and too late

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

The long awaited Government announcement on how it will resolve the cladding scandal were almost immediately criticised for not being enough, for taking too long and for focussing solely on cladding – while ignoring other serious safety concerns such as... View Article

Decrease in number of social lettings

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

The number of lettings to social rent homes fell again last year and is now almost 25 per cent below its peak of six years ago, as more use was made of the higher ‘affordable rents’ regime which charities and... View Article

Continuing overcrowding problem revealed in latest property survey report

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

The latest report from the English Housing Survey has revealed that overcrowding is at its highest ever recorded rates in both the social rented and the private rented sectors. The overall rate of overcrowding in England in 2019/20 was 4... View Article

England’s housing stock in numbers

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

The most recent annual report from the English Housing Survey tells us there are 24.4 million dwellings in England, including both occupied and vacant homes. Of these, 15.6 million (64 per cent) are owner occupied, 4.7 million (19 per cent)... View Article

Energy efficiency of housing continues to improve

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

The energy efficiency of England’s housing stock continues to improve as the Government strives to meet its international obligations to reduce energy consumption. In 2019, the average SAP rating of English dwellings was 65 points, up from 45 points in... View Article

Council house Right to Buy sales stall

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

Right to Buy sales of council homes have fallen by 43 per cent in the latest figures released by the Government, falling to their lowest level since 2013. English councils sold 1,548 homes to tenants exercising their Right to Buy... View Article

Huge increase in children living in temporary accommodation in last decade

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

The number of children living in temporary accommodation has risen by more than 75 per cent since 2010, despite the Government’s repeated claims to be tackling homelessness and child poverty. Figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government... View Article

London council left homeless family for ‘too long’ in B&B

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

Two schoolchildren were left sharing a bed in a B&B hotel for more than a year by Redbridge council in East London, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Ombudsman’s investigation found the living conditions the children... View Article

Cramped and overcrowded housing helped fuel spread of Covid

Wednesday, 3rd March 2021

Overcrowded housing has helped to spread Covid-19 in England and may have increased the number of deaths, according to research by the Health Foundation, an independent charity and think tank working to improve the nation’s health and the standard of... View Article

Government gives councils extra rough sleeper support

Tuesday, 2nd March 2021

The Government is giving an extra £10 million to councils to find accommodation for rough sleepers throughout the lockdown period and ensure they are registered with a GP. The Government has said this will ensure more people can be protected... View Article

Study finds officials hugely underestimated number of rough sleepers requiring help, but support saved 260 lives

Tuesday, 2nd March 2021

The Government’s emergency support programme for rough sleepers helped more than 30,000 people during the pandemic – eight times the number thought to exist by officials. The ‘Everyone In’ scheme to find accommodation for rough sleepers was rapidly set up... View Article

Extra financial help offered for Waking Watch costs

Tuesday, 2nd March 2021

A £30 million fund for fire alarms has been set up to help end the scandal of excessive waking watch costs, as part of a support programme for thousands of residents in high-rise buildings. The new Waking Watch Relief Fund... View Article

Evictions ban extended again but lack of financial package draws criticisms

Tuesday, 2nd March 2021

The ban on evicting tenants during the Covid pandemic has been extended until the end of March, but important differences remain in the approaches being taken by national governments across the UK. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick bowed to pressure by... View Article

Warning of ‘rents crisis’ as up to 840,000 private tenants could be in serious arrears

Tuesday, 2nd March 2021

More than 800,000 private tenants in England and Wales could be behind on their rent, with young people and the self-employed most likely to have missed payments, research for a private landlords group has found. The National Residential Landlords Association... View Article

No increase in regulator’s fees from April

Tuesday, 2nd March 2021

Social landlords in England have been informed that they will not be facing an increase in their fees payable to the regulator in the next financial year. The Regulator of Social Housing has written to all registered providers saying the... View Article

Top 10 easy mistakes Buy-to-Let Landlords should avoid making

Monday, 1st March 2021

Becoming a buy-to-let landlord can be a very profitable use of your capital. That’s not to suggest that it is easy to do, especially if you’re taking on the management of the property portfolio yourself. Having the right knowledge and... View Article

New homes from Family Housing will tackle homelessness and support mental health

Monday, 1st March 2021

Family Housing, a housing association covering South and West Wales, is providing 13 new homes for people who were previously at risk of homelessness. The residents will also receive psychological and trauma informed support to help them begin a new... View Article

Taylor&Emmet introduces free empty homes training

Wednesday, 17th February 2021

Taylor&Emmet LLP is marking Empty Homes Week (February 15-21) by offering free training to the public sector, via a virtual platform. The sessions are being provided by the firm’s specialist inheritance tracing and empty homes team, which helps organisations address... View Article

Salix Homes named as one of Top 5 Digital Housing Associations

Monday, 15th February 2021

Salford housing association Salix Homes has been named amongst the top five digital landlords in the UK. Salix Homes, which manages 8,000 homes across Salford, has come in at number four in the Top 30 Digital Housing Providers roll of... View Article

Extra £3.5bn for removing unsafe cladding derided as being too little and too late

Thursday, 11th February 2021