By SHAC with additional commentary by Carl Davis KIM in this context stands for knowledge and information management, and is the subject of a new Spotlight report by the Housing Ombudsman. The report is a combination of casework data and fresh, specially commissioned research. The report is well-evidenced and reaches 21 logical recommendations for social… Continue reading Housing Ombudsman on Good KIM
Category: Damp and mould
Action on Disrepairs Protest
Rohana* has contacted SHAC. She tells us about the appalling conditions that her sister and her severely disabled nephew are having to endure. Her landlord is Peabody and they are refusing to repair the leak causing the damp and mould. The photos show the kitchen ceiling before and after it collapsed. The kitchen is no… Continue reading Action on Disrepairs Protest
Clarion Board and Management Need Serious Repairs
It’s become a familiar story, but no less devastating for the victims. When Selma was offered a home exchange by her landlord Clarion, she went to visit their prospective new home in Wimbledon, south London. What she saw was a nice property, albeit cluttered and overfull as the sitting tenant clearly had a hoarding problem.… Continue reading Clarion Board and Management Need Serious Repairs
A Flurry of Reaction
Over recent weeks Government has finally taken some action to improve housing associations and their performance. A few of the ideas were already in train, but others have been triggered by recent catastrophic events such as the coroner’s ruling on toddler Awaab Ishak's death. One such initiative comes directly from Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling… Continue reading A Flurry of Reaction
A Christmas Social Housing Carol
A seasonal satirical offering from Carl Davis It was Christmas Eve and snowing heavily as Capital Quarter housing association boss Briona Arrowsmith-Wright tumbled out of the Bolt taxi and lurched up the steps of her Chelsea town house. She fumbled in the dark with the door keys to let herself in. The journey home from the… Continue reading A Christmas Social Housing Carol
Damp and Mould: Gove’s Double Standards
Awaab Ishak died in 2017 in a home infested with mould which had a catastrophic effect on his breathing. His parents complained to their housing association landlord, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), but the landlord repeatedly failed to address the causes. No-one in authority seemed able to force them to make the necessary fixes. Michael Gove… Continue reading Damp and Mould: Gove’s Double Standards
NHG Open Letter to Board on Choice for New Chief Executive
When tenants and residents of SHAC's Notting Hill Genesis branch found out that chief executive Kate Davies was leaving her post, they decided to have a say in the qualities, experience, and priorities of the new leader. Many of those living in NHG homes consider Davies' tenure an abject failure. She has not provided the… Continue reading NHG Open Letter to Board on Choice for New Chief Executive
SHAC Response to New Regulation Recommendations
A government select committee has today published its first report on the regulation of social housing which contains a series of recommendations to improve the experience of tenants and residents living in this sector. The report follows a government ‘Inquiry into Social Housing Regulation’ which included months of evidence gathering and a Parliamentary hearing. It… Continue reading SHAC Response to New Regulation Recommendations
Little Rogue Landlords
By Carl Davis A lot of the recent shocking media coverage on disrepair in the social housing sector focussed on huge remote and faceless corporate providers like Clarion, L&Q, and Notting Hill Genesis. But this fails to capture the experience of people housed by smaller, rogue and failing social landlords. For example, Chantele – not… Continue reading Little Rogue Landlords
NHG Tenants & Residents Choice for New Chief Executive
When tenants and residents of SHAC's Notting Hill Genesis branch found out that chief executive Kate Davies was leaving her post, they decided to have a say in the qualities, experience, and priorities of the new leader. Many of those living in NHG homes consider Davies' tenure an abject failure. She has not provided the… Continue reading NHG Tenants & Residents Choice for New Chief Executive