We won, and it's worthy of a celebration. It took 54,000 signatures on a petition, and a threatened mass mobilisation to picket & protest at the event. It also took an increased media focus on the failings of the social housing sector which was triggered by a coroner confirming that a two year-old boy had… Continue reading Protests Force Cancellation of Housing Executives Awards Extravaganza
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
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
Social housing tenants and residents have reacted with anger and dismay at Government's announcement allowing social rents to rise by up to 7%. Many say that it will inflict an unmanageable burden on their budgets. It is expected that almost all housing associations will utilise the full allowance. Supported housing is exempted from the rent… Continue reading Social Housing Tenants Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay Rent & Service Charge Rises
SHAC has organised a picket of the annual UK Housing Awards after almost 54,600 people signed our petition calling on organisers to cancel the extravaganza. We are encouraging tenants, residents, housing campaigners, and all those opposed to the commercialisation of social housing to join us. The picket will take place from 11am on Friday 25th… Continue reading Protestors to Picket Housing Executives Awards Extravaganza
Announcement of the September 'RPI' inflation figure has sealed the rent rises that the majority of shared owners will be expected to pay. The RPI increase was confirmed by government as 12.6%, which translates into rent increases of 13.1% - 14.6%, depending on the formula used in the lease. Worst of Both Worlds Shared owners… Continue reading RPI Inflation Sets Shared Owner Rent Rises at around 14.6%
By guest writer Marc Scruby I live in Hove, in a complex built by Hyde Housing in 2015, and sold as a mix of outright ownership and shared ownership. There are 71 apartments on the estate which were run by Hyde. After living in our building for 7 years, enough was enough. We saw how… Continue reading Residents Taking Control: Exercising Right to Manage
More than 53,600 people have now signed SHAC's petition calling on organisers to cancel the housing executive's annual extravaganza. Click here to sign In September, once we approached 50,000 signatories, we wrote to Pete Apps, Editor in Chief at Inside Housing, and Gavin Smart, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, the two organisers… Continue reading Nothing to be Proud of: Cancel Your Awards Ceremony
Residents of a Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) estate in east London have threatened to withhold payment of service charges in dispute which includes a ‘missing’ £100,000 from the building’s sinking fund which they want refunded. Sinking funds are pots of money that residents pay into, exclusively reserved for any major maintenance or repairs needed… Continue reading Royal Mint MTVH Residents in Service Charge Strike Threat
One Housing Group (OHG) has been forced into a U-turn by a tenant and resident campaign group after it was referred to the Greater London Authority (GLA) over the proposed ballot of an estate in Camden. See additional notes for more detail on GLA balloting requirements. Gilbeys Yard and Juniper Crescent are a community of… Continue reading Victory for OHG Tenants in Regeneration Battle
