Almost 30 households from an estate in the London Borough of Newham have begun a partial service charge strike, and are withholding payment of retrospective charges. The strike is in protest at the actions of their landlord One Housing Group, and managing agents Haus Block Management. Simon*, who lives on the estate explained that the… Continue reading Newham One Housing Group Residents Join Service Charge Strike Wave
The service charge strike wave continues. A significant number of households from the same Hexagon estate in London are the latest group of housing association residents to inform their landlord that they are withholding payment in a dispute over service charges. The residents describe being forced to take this step as a last resort “in… Continue reading Hexagon Households Start Service Charge Strike
A ‘Notice of Service Charge Strike’ has been sent to the Peabody executive, signed by the residents of 42 flats on an estate in central London. The residents are withholding all or part of their service charge payments over concerns that: Some of the charges appear to be opaque, completely unjustified [and] plucked out of… Continue reading Service Charge Strike Notice Served on Peabody
In August 2022, SHAC began to survey members to capture the range of problems they experience with service charges, and the impact on their physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Our aim is to show the extent of service charge abuse by housing associations, and we have now published an initial report based on the first… Continue reading Trapped, Stressed and Impoverished: SHAC Research on Service Charge Abuse
A tenant’s refusal to pay a 60% increase in service charges has forced One Housing Group (OHG, now part of Riverside) to freeze its service charges for 2022/23 on her estate. When Angela* opened a service charge leaflet from her landlord in February 2022, she was angered to find a demand for a payment increase of 60%. The service charge hike did… Continue reading One Housing Tenant’s Non-Payment Forces Service Charge Freeze
Soaring energy costs and the groundswell of anger against energy companies' vast profits forced the Conservative government to announce in April 2022 that it would discount household energy bills. The announcement proclaimed: The Energy Bills Support Scheme provides a £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households to help with their energy bills over winter 2022 to… Continue reading Housing Solutions Tenants’ Long Wait for Energy Rebate
The report that Peabody didn’t want you to see graphically details how Peabody (deliberately or through negligence) consistently overcharges tenants and residents on services, and then makes it almost impossibly difficult for victims to recoup the overpayment. Our leak was subsequently reported in the Financial Times. Read their article 'Independent panel finds Peabody Trust overcharged… Continue reading The Report that Peabody Didn’t Want You to See
SHAC and partners are demanding that government holds social rents, shareholder rents, and service charges at current levels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSNxluzp168 Linda talks about the need to join SHAC in order to campaign on key issues like rents, service charges, and disrepairs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB0C3zyb5JI Reb talks about housing association mission drift away from social purpose and away from… Continue reading Freeze Rent & Service Charge Rises
By guest writer, Samuel Kitney* The dispute with Viridian Housing, my original landlord, started in 2015 when I noticed that the service charge statement included a charge for gas that we do not have. The only gas in the building is used in the plant room to run the communal heating system and the commercial… Continue reading Optivo on Trial Over Service Charges
This week we interviewed Emma, a Hyde shared ownership tenant who will shortly hand back the keys to the Hyde flat she has lived in for 15 years. Emma will then become homeless. Emma has been driven out of her home - not by rising rents, but by extortionate service charges. One example is the… Continue reading Emma’s Story: Made Homeless by Hyde Service Charges
