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Family of seven left to live in a one bedroom flat by Bromley council

Friday, 17th June 2022

Bromley Council in south east London has agreed to pay a family £6,000 after it did not do enough to help them when they were threatened with homelessness, following a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation. The family of... View Article

Moving benefit claimants onto Universal Credit restarts amid warnings about impact from charities

Friday, 17th June 2022

Following a pause during the pandemic the Department of Work and Pensions has restarted its programme to move all existing benefits claimants onto Universal Credit. The DWP plans to migrate approximately 2.6 million households (many of them tenants) from legacy... View Article

Every seven minutes a private renter is served a no-fault eviction notice

Friday, 17th June 2022

Every seven minutes a private renter in England is handed a Section 21 no-fault eviction notice by their landlord according to new research from the campaign group Shelter. The process gives tenants just two months to leave their home, with... View Article

Ombudsman investigating reports of noise complaints

Friday, 17th June 2022

The social housing ombudsman has launched a systemic investigation into noise complaints and is expected to issue a report later this year. The investigation is exploring how social landlords manage reports of noise nuisance and what drives complaints about how... View Article

Sefton Council launches consultation over extending PRS licensing scheme

Friday, 17th June 2022

A consultation is underway to see whether local people want Sefton Council’s housing licensing schemes for privately rented properties extended for a further five-years. Since March 2018, Sefton Council has had a Selective Licensing scheme for private landlords in the... View Article

Gravesham Council to deliver carbon savings through retrofitting of heat pumps

Friday, 17th June 2022

Work has started on installing ground source heat pumps at two of Gravesham Borough Council’s housing developments, as part of the authority’s work towards achieving net-zero status by 2030. Boreholes are being drilled at Merston Court and Hermitage Road, in... View Article

Clarion strongly criticised for its complaint handling failings

Friday, 17th June 2022

The Housing Ombudsman plans to conduct an investigation of property maintenance services at the country’s largest social housing landlord after issuing two severe maladministration findings within a few weeks of each other. After the second critical judgement was published Richard... View Article

Complaints against property agents provides mixed feedback

Friday, 17th June 2022

The annual report on complaints made against property agents showed a slight increase in overall numbers, but a reduction in the complaints made against individual agents. The Property Redress Scheme (PRS) is operated by the Hamilton Fraser Group, owners of mydeposits, Landlord Action, Total... View Article

Private rents forecast to climb by as much as £1,500 in next year

Friday, 17th June 2022

In just 12 months time the average private sector tenant could be paying between £800 and £1,500 more a year in rent, according to research by a rental platform specialising in affordable homes. Following a turbulent 24 months, the UK... View Article

Building Safety into Law – Housebuilder & Developer’s latest white paper

Thursday, 16th June 2022

Housebuilder & Developer recently researched the industry’s opinions on the Building Safety Bill. From their findings, they have developed a detailed white paper which is now live and available to download from the link below. Five years after the Grenfell... View Article

New app providing vital support to housing association customers

Wednesday, 15th June 2022

Essex-based housing association CHP has created a new welfare app which is helping to provide additional support to vulnerable customers. Employees are able use the app if they pick up prompts during a visit that a customer may require some... View Article

Grenfell inquiry: New “massively significant” report released

Monday, 13th June 2022

The Fire Brigades Union has termed a new report to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, released to the public today, “massively significant” evidence. The report (visible at https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/evidence/professor-luke-bisby), written by Professor Luke Bisby, a professor of fire and structures at Edinburgh University and an... View Article

LGA responds to extension of Right to Buy scheme to housing association tenants

Friday, 10th June 2022

Responding to today’s announcement that the Government’s Right to Buy scheme will be extended to include housing association tenants, Cllr David Renard, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “Owning your own home is an important step for many... View Article

LGA responds to DLUHC social housing regulation bill announcement

Wednesday, 8th June 2022

Responding to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announcement that ‘Ofsted-style’ inspections and unlimited fines will be introduced for failing social landlords, Cllr David Renard, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “The vast majority of social... View Article

Landlords to check energy efficiency compliance ahead of new rules or face fines

Wednesday, 8th June 2022

The clock is ticking for landlords to ensure their properties meet minimum energy efficiency standards ahead of 1 April 2023, warns commercial property specialist Rajinda Sanghera. Rajinda, an associate at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, says the coming into... View Article

Social housing provider pledges 30% of its land to nature

Monday, 6th June 2022

Orbit, leading social housing provider and developer, has announced it will be committing to managing at least 30% of its huge estate for nature by 2030. The announcement comes as Orbit unveils its new biodiversity approach. Orbit plans to achieve... View Article

Window specifiers advised to ‘fact check’ around future homes as new regs come into force

Wednesday, 1st June 2022

Window specifiers in the local authority sector are being urged to pay close attention to the latest information regarding the Future Homes Standard as the first changes officially come into force on 15 June 2022. Technical experts at the leading... View Article

Industry Viewfinder: Meeting the Needs of an Ageing Population

Wednesday, 1st June 2022

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), by 2041, one in four people in England will be 65 or older, and by the same year, the number of English citizens aged 85 or over will double to 3.2 million.... View Article

Ark Launches Pioneering £4.2m Affordable Housing Development in Livingston

Tuesday, 31st May 2022

Ark Housing Association has announced the start of work on one of Scotland’s most energy-efficient developments, at Crusader Rise in Livingston. The pioneering £4.2m project, which will deliver 20 much-needed affordable homes for social rent, will be one of the most... View Article

Advanced expands sales team to accelerate UK growth

Friday, 20th May 2022

Fire protection solutions company Advanced, has appointed Iain Stevenson to drive further growth in South-East England. Iain joins the company with over 26 years’ fire industry experience, having worked as a commissioning engineer on a wide range of high-profile projects... View Article