By Elizabeth Campbell It was a lovely May afternoon and the sun was shining. We stood outside Fortress Clarion, just a small group of protestors in the shadow of the landlord's palatial waterfront head offices. We had gathered under the slogan 'Clarion: See Us, Hear Us'. We had protest flags, cardboard eyes and ears, a… Continue reading Limelight Falls on Fortress Clarion
... And the Social Housing Myth By guest writer David Renton In March, I was in court representing Blessing Musona, a housing association tenant who had lived in her home for thirty years. There was mould growing on the walls and a boiler which for eighteen months had been decommissioned, with a sticker on its… Continue reading The Scales of Injustice …
Residents in some of the poorest areas of the country are being further impoverished by expensive heating systems, or face living in freezing conditions without hot water. Their housing association landlords are claiming that they have no influence with the heating provider companies. "Heat networks are supposed to provide a low cost, and potentially low… Continue reading Peabody Highlighted in Fuel Poverty Report
Poor repairs are regularly highlighted to SHAC, with tenants and residents feeling helpless when they try to get their housing association landlords to address them. This week, a group of tenants have successfully compelled their local council, the London Borough of Lambeth, to take three housing associations to court for the condition of their properties.… Continue reading Lambeth Council Sues HA Landlords
Richard Hill became One Housing Group’s (OHG) new chief executive in 2017. Steve Douglas was appointed as Chair of the Board a year later. It took the pair just a couple of years to turn a pre-tax surplus of £82 million as at March 2017 into a deficit of £8.6 million in 2020. This shocking… Continue reading One Housing Passes the Buck for Financial Failings
Look out for sneezing, a runny nose, inflamed eyes, skin rashes, asthma (breathing difficulties which can be fatal), and allergic reactions. All these symptoms can occur from contact with mould spores which develop in damp and poorly ventilated conditions, so could point to a problem in your home. These symptoms will most severely affect younger… Continue reading Sanctuary Shamed Over Unfit Homes
Hexagon Housing spent almost £7m on repairs and maintenance in 2019, an increase of nearly 14% on the previous year. But does it receive value for money? Or is too much being squandered through outsourced sub-contractors? The landlord owns or manages around 4,300 houses and flats in south-east London. The organisation promises to deliver decent,… Continue reading Outsourced Repairs: A False Economy
Repairs to Newham’s London Plane House, owned and neglected by One Housing Group (OHG) are now being completed after SHAC became involved in the case. It was originally reported to the landlord by tenants two years ago. We reported previously on London Plane House in Newham, where a lump of metal falling from an upstairs… Continue reading SHAC Victory – OHG Building Faults Fixed!
What happens when attempts to get your housing association to make your building safe are unresolved after years, and engagement with them is torturous – what do you do? What happens when the helpline promises that someone will ring you back, but no-one ever does? When you are asked to explain your case in detail… Continue reading Clarion Tenants Consider Service Charge Strike
We recently reported on a close escape by a tenant of One Housing Group (OHG) when a lump of metal fell from a neighbour's window onto the communal garden. The slab of lead that narrowly missed Ms Smith The lump of lead that Ms Smith said "could have easily killed me or any of the… Continue reading It’s All a Facade
