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Social sector has lessons to learn over furnished tenancies

Monday, 24th February 2020

The End Furniture Poverty organisation claims the social housing sector has lessons to learn from the private rented sector over the use of furnished tenancies. While furnished tenancies are commonplace in the private sector, they are rarely found in social... View Article

Private rents rising above inflation with growing demand

Monday, 24th February 2020

Average private sector rents across the UK rose at inflation busting rates in December, with rises of almost 10 per cent being recorded in some areas of the UK fuelled by a strong demand from tenants. HomeLet’s Rental Index for... View Article

Wales bans use of combustible cladding on all new high-rise buildings

Monday, 24th February 2020

The use of combustible cladding on the external walls of all new high-rise buildings in Wales has been banned from mid January 2020. The ban applies to combustible cladding on all new residential buildings (flats, student accommodation and care homes)... View Article

Government rejects renewal of Liverpool’s citywide licensing scheme

Monday, 24th February 2020

Plans to renew a citywide selective licensing scheme for the private rented sector in Liverpool have been controversially rejected by the Government following campaigning by a major landlords’ organisation. Liverpool City Council had proposed renewing its licensing scheme for another... View Article

Overhaul of tenancy agreement to include an end to pet bans

Monday, 24th February 2020

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has called on landlords to make it easier for responsible tenants to keep well-behaved pets in their homes as he announced an overhaul of the model tenancy contracts. It is understood that only around seven per... View Article

HA maintenance costs soar, driving operating surpluses down

Monday, 24th February 2020

Increased expenditure on repairs and maintenance by housing associations, driven by a sharper focus on health and safety after the Grenfell Tower fire has been revealed in the sector’s global accounts for 2018/19. The global accounts published by England’s Regulator... View Article

New electrical safety rules for rental properties

Monday, 24th February 2020

New rules for carrying out electrical safety checks every five years in private sector tenancies are being introduced from July this year, with fines of upto £30,000 for non-compliance. Checks will initially be required for all new tenancies let from... View Article

Thousands of flats still in dangerously clad blocks of flats as removal deadline is missed

Monday, 24th February 2020

Ninety-one tower blocks in the social housing sector with approximately 7,000 flats remain clad in the dangerous ‘Grenfell-style’ ACM panels, after the end of year deadline for its removal was missed. There are many more thousands of flats covered in... View Article

Pregnant homeless woman left to sleep on floor by London council

Monday, 24th February 2020

A pregnant woman, who approached Tower Hamlets council for help when she was made homeless, was left in an unfurnished flat, miles from her support network, the Local Government Ombudsman has found. The woman was left in the flat for... View Article

Ombudsman criticises councils over poor housing benefit practices

Monday, 24th February 2020

Councils are failing vulnerable people and families, putting them at risk of rent arrears and eviction through mistakes in how they process housing benefit claims according to the Local Government Ombudsman. The Ombudsman upheld over three-quarters (78 per cent) of... View Article

Growing numbers of private landlords plan to sell off homes

Monday, 24th February 2020

More than a third of private landlords are planning to cut the number of homes they rent out or exit the market altogether according to a new survey of over 2,000 landlords. Almost 34 per cent of landlords have indicated... View Article

Overcrowding in social rented sector hits historic high point

Monday, 24th February 2020

Among the many positives contained in the latest findings from the English Housing Survey was the surprise news that overcrowding in the social and private rented sectors has dramatically increased. In 2018/19, eight per cent of all social renters lived... View Article

Beefed up measures to improve building safety standards

Monday, 24th February 2020

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced a raft of new measures to improve building safety and ensure residents can feel safe in their homes in the future. More than two and half years since the Grenfell fire and just ahead... View Article

Government confirms ‘no fault’ evictions to be scrapped

Monday, 24th February 2020

The Government has announced plans to introduce a Renters’ Reform Bill, which it says will introduce a package of reforms to deliver a fairer and more effective rental market in the private sector. However, landlords have warned of a possible... View Article

Government must fund removal of Grenfell-style cladding from all buildings

Monday, 24th February 2020

Housing bodies are demanding the Government extends its financial package for removing Grenfell-style aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, so it applies to all buildings regardless of their height. It follows the publication of new safety advice warning that Category 3... View Article

No one taking the blame for Grenfell Tower tragedy

Monday, 24th February 2020

The public inquiry into the Grenfell tragedy has resumed but it quickly became evident that none of the many designers, contractors and consultants were willing to shoulder responsibility for mistakes that allowed a fire to engulf the building more than... View Article

Government confirms end of Local Housing Allowance freeze

Monday, 24th February 2020

Around 900,000 people across the UK could see their Housing Benefit payments rise from April, after the Government confirmed its decision to lift the freeze on Local Housing Allowance rates. The freeze has been in place since 2016 but the... View Article

Ageing tenants and energy efficient properties

Tuesday, 4th February 2020

Private tenants are getting older, while their rental properties are getting more energy efficient, says Patrick Mooney, news editor of Housing, Management & Maintenance It’s a well known fact that the private rented sector has doubled in size over the... View Article

Minibems appoints IoT specialist Nigel Pugh as CTO

Monday, 3rd February 2020

Minibems are delighted to announce the appointment of Nigel Pugh as CTO, who brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the role including the development of the Hive home platform. Nigel is a specialist in IoT solutions for the... View Article

Transforming construction partners join forces at Futurebuild 2020

Friday, 31st January 2020

Three of the largest R&D initiatives in the history of the UK’s construction sector are set to appear together at a trade event for the first time, as the UK Research & Innovation’s Transforming Construction Challenge partners are announced as... View Article