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
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
The Advertising Standards Agency has ruled that adverts for shared ownership properties misled prospective buyers by leaving out essential information on costs, and failing to alert them to the greater risks associated with this product. We … understood that there were potential risks that existed with Shared Ownership which would not exist for those buying… Continue reading Shared Ownership Mis-sold, Watchdog Rules
By guest writers Matt and Kate On Sunday 1st May, residents of Capworth Court in Leyton began a service charge strike against our landlord, L&Q, over eleven unmet demands. Overall, our protest is about L&Q’s inability to demonstrate a commitment to its overall mission. It is failing on its promises to tenants and residents, and… Continue reading L&Q Capworth Court Strike
We are delighted to report that the combative tenants and residents association on the Barking Riverside estate in East London have scored a major victory after beginning a collective service charge strike, and following months of campaigning. Construction company Bellway will now pay in full for the remediation of flammable balconies, cladding, and missing and deformed cavity… Continue reading Victory for Bellway Service Charge Strikers!
The UK Housing Awards Protest - 25th November 2021 Housing association executives were unexpectedly forced to do the 'walk of shame' through protestors as they arrived at the UK Housing Awards at the InterContinental Hotel in Greenwich. The protest started outside North Greenwich tube station, with speakers including Clarion campaigner Kwajo Tweneboa, Unite Housing Workers… Continue reading Housing Association Execs’ Walk of Shame
When fire ripped through the wooden balconies of Samuel Garside House, Barking Riverside, in June 2019, it forced 79 families to flee their homes. By the time it was out, it had destroyed a total of 10 flats and damaged many more. By sheer luck, no one was hurt, partly because it happened during the… Continue reading Service Charge Strike: Bellway Protestors Refuse to Pay for Remediation
This is not a typing error. On a Hyde Housing estate in Sidcup, Kent, the housing association has charged tenants £140,398.68 for emergency light testing, servicing, and repairs work over a period of four years. All of those in the properties are on social rents. The charge equates to £2,924.97 per day. The work is… Continue reading Hyde Contractor’s 2000+% Profit on Fire Safety Services
Tenants and residents from Clare House, a tower block alongside lush parkland in east London, have slammed their landlord, Clarion Housing over woefully mis-managed – and still incomplete – evacuation of their flats. Following checks carried out after the Grenfell fire in 2017, Clarion became aware of risks to the safety of tenants and residents.… Continue reading Clarion’s Shame – Clare House Evacuation
In February 2021, senior executives in Riverside discussed a worrying trend: a sharp rise in the number of tenants and residents taking the landlord to court over disrepairs and uninhabitable homes. Claims against Riverside were averaging around 29 claims per month, an increase of over 30% since November 2018. When the report was published, there… Continue reading Riverside Leads United Front Against Tenants and Residents
