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
By Carl Davis The National Housing Federation (NHF), a membership organisation representing more than 800 housing associations, recently teamed up with housing association Aster Group's diversity and inclusion lead to share Twitter tips on becoming a ‘Disability Confident’ employer, posted under the hashtag #NHFDiversity. The Disability Confident Employer scheme is a voluntary, government accredited initiative… Continue reading National Housing Federation’s Feeble Action on Equalities
By Carl Davis We may never know the exact details, but sometime in 2019 Sheila Seleoan, a 61 year old Peabody resident, died alone in her Peckham home. Her body went undiscovered for almost three years despite scores of complaints to Peabody from neighbours. Some even lit incense sticks around the door to mask the… Continue reading Too Big to Care?
By Carl Davis As social landlords face mounting criticism and public opprobrium on social media, sector leaders have just very conveniently held emergency talks with London Mayor Sadiq Khan and senior London Assembly members in a cynical face-saving exercise to discuss what they termed ‘the challenges of disrepair and substandard housing‘. SHAC's campaigns to challenge… Continue reading The Empire Strikes Back
By Carl Davis Not just an issue of staff training .. Last week Eddie Hughes, Minister for Rough Sleeping & Housing confirmed the launch of the Social Housing White Paper Professionalisation Review. The review will look at the qualifications currently available for staff, with landlords, residents and trade bodies invited to put forward recommendations. The… Continue reading Gaming the System
By Carl Davis Earlier this week SHAC’s Suzanne Muna gave evidence to the opening session of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee’s inquiry into the regulation of social housing. After discussing disrepair more generally, the Committee of MPs turned its attention to what the panel Chair described as ‘ a bit of explosion in… Continue reading Desperation – Not Lawyers – Drives Disrepair Claims Rise
By Carl Davis Your landlord is responsible for most repairs in and the safety of your council or housing association home and also for undertaking the annual gas safety inspection. Your tenancy agreement should spell out all your landlords responsibilities around maintenance and repairs and ensuring the safety of your home. It should cover the… Continue reading Studies in Stigma: No Access Must Mean No Access!
By Carl Davis The Equality Act 2010 requires that employers and service providers like social landlords make 'reasonable adjustments' that will allow disabled people to access the same opportunities and services as non-disabled people. It also requires employers and providers to consider disability in everything they do and to actively anticipate the need for reasonable… Continue reading The Anatomy of a Reasonable Adjustment
By Carl Davis In December 2020 the social housing sector was rocked by a county court judgement. The court’s findings were scathingly critical of leading G15 housing association L&Q's handling of a case involving serious racial harassment. L&Q's treatment of a young black female resident had breached a code of practice on protecting tenants from… Continue reading Lara Tate: Lessons for the Sector
By Carl Davis In the Islamic tradition there is a saying that when it comes to charity "the left hand shouldn’t know what the right is doing". It means that good deeds and acts of charity should be carried out discreetly for the sole benefit of the intended beneficiaries, not the moral aggrandisement or any… Continue reading Bitter Sweet Charity
