Raising the bar with fire and CO alarms

Wide ranging new requirements recently confirmed by the Scottish Government call for a consistently high level of smoke, heat and CO alarm provision to be applied across all housing, and a review of Building Regulations should improve standards in England... View Article

Fit for purpose

Ian Napier of Switchee explains why the Fitness for Human Habitation Bill is important for those managing private and social housing On 20 December last year – the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 received royal assent and it... View Article

Safety matters

What does safety really mean when it comes to heating appliances in the home? Christian Hadley of Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation examines the real value of safety testing, the issue of self-declaration – and why external certification can be... View Article

Housing maintenance procurement – a menu of options

AM Bid’s Andrew Morrison examines procurement and bidding trends including the outsourced service versus in-house delivery debate, in order to help housing clients, buyers and bidders pause and reflect about what will work best for them As we begin a... View Article

A breath of fresh air

Wendy Thomas of Nuaire discusses the importance of filtering the air in existing homes, particularly when the occupants are some of society’s most vulnerable The Chief Medical Officer’s 2017 report, released in 2018, focused on air pollution as a major... View Article

Architectural copper for the long term

There is more to architectural copper than meets the eye, with an unrivalled lifespan counted in hundreds of years, no maintenance and full recyclability as Graeme Bell of Aurubis explains Despite its heritage, roofing some of our oldest buildings, continuing... View Article

Futurebuild 2019: the challenge for housing managers

Taking place from 5 – 7 March at London’s ExCeL, Futurebuild will focus on exploring and tackling the biggest challenges impacting the industry Futurebuild is the leading built environment event for professionals working across the social and private rented sector... View Article

Making maintenance manageable

Kirona’s Neil Harvey explains how workflow management solutions can benefit housing providers, making it simpler to monitor and manage necessary maintenance and repair work Mobile workforce products provide organisations with the opportunity to have a stable and seamless work management... View Article

Safe and secure

Kate Descamps of DAD UK, a Decayeux company, explains how installing secure mailboxes in multi-occupancy residential buildings can bring peace of mind to both tenants and landlords They might not seem of great importance, but it’s often the smaller details... View Article

Pro-active roof asset management

Ensuring that a property’s roof condition is maintained and monitored is vital, especially for social housing where budgets need to be carefully managed and disruption to tenants minimised. Dean Wincott of Langley Waterproofing Systems explains the benefits of implementing a... View Article

Roofs renewed

Kingspan Insulation’s Adrian Pargeter explains why tapered insulation systems should be considered when refurbishing flat roofs in order to avoid water ponding Water ponding is an all too common sight on flat roofs across the country. When carrying out refurbishment... View Article

The no compromise composite door

John Whalley of Nationwide Windows & Doors discusses the advantages of composite doors for social housing Specifiers and asset managers have lots of choice when it comes to the different types of materials on the market for doors. Naturally, product... View Article

Comfort height – a big deal

Lecico’s Adam Lay discusses what comfort height means and why it’s something to consider when planning a bathroom refurbishment Comfort height is a buzzword that anyone shopping for a new toilet will probably hear, be it in a showroom or... View Article

The importance of boiler protection

Craig Mitchell of Sentinel discusses working with ALMO, St Leger Homes, to demonstrate how social housing providers can improve resident satisfaction while improving the performance of heating systems across their housing stock Customer satisfaction is a key priority for social... View Article

Brexit and beyond

John Whalley, Managing Director of Nationwide Windows & Doors, leading fenestration partner to social housing landlords, looks at how RSLs and property managers can try to mitigate at least some of the uncertainties surrounding Brexit At the time of writing,... View Article

Using data to boost building safety post-Grenfell

By Nicola Brown, Director of housing technology solutions provider ROCC In our lives, it seems we are inundated with a deluge of data. In housing, we have been conscious for some time now of Big Data sets, with software providers... View Article

Door closers create safer homes

With fire safety high on the agenda, Dr Lloyd Blewett of Samuel Heath investigates the potential of door closers for social housing The tragic events of last year have, understandably, brought the fire safety spotlight on to the social housing... View Article

Our electric future

Paul Hutchens is CEO of Midlands-based solar specialists, Eco2Solar. He is a board member of the Solar Trade Association (STA), the UK’s leading solar industry voice, and Chairman of the STA’s New Build Working Group which aims to inform governments,... View Article

Don’t be an amateur

Surface preparation is critical in the restoration of a floor and mistakes at this stage can have catastrophic consequences for the finished result. Here Scott Coffey, regional sales manager at surface preparation expert National Flooring Equipment, explains how to choose... View Article