Housing Campaigners Demand gathered outside the department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) on Thursday 6th October demanding a freeze on social rents and service charges, plus, a new eviction ban to stop those unable to pay from losing their homes. The group handed over an outsized letter to Simon Clarke, Secretary of State,… Continue reading Outsized Letter Demands Rent Freeze and Eviction Ban
Government has invited organisations and individuals to give a view on where the social rent cap should be set, taking effect from next April. Their deadline is 12th October 2022. SHAC has submitted a response, and is encouraging everyone to do the same. You do not need to be part of an organisation, but can… Continue reading Fighting for Frozen Rents & Service Charges
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
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
By Carl Davis In their ground-breaking report Stigma and Social Housing in England, Dr Amanze Ejiogu and Dr Mercy Denedo looked at the nature and extent of the previously little understood stigmatisation of social housing. Those involved in the social housing sector in England, including politicians and social landlords, contribute to the construction of stigma.… Continue reading Ending Social Housing Stigma Together
By Carl Davis Last Sunday the Bureau of Investigative Journalism published the findings of its investigation into the use of Antisocial Behaviour Injunctions ( ASBIs). Sent to jail for feeding the pigeons: the broken system of antisocial behaviour laws Their shocking report describes how mentally ill and other vulnerable people are being sent to prison… Continue reading ASB Injuctions: A Conveyor belt of Rough Justice
By Linda Waterman Problems with the de-regulation of rents and service charges first started in 1989 when social landlords in England (councils and housing associations) ceased to issue 'Secure', 'Fair Rent' and 'Regulated Tenancies', all of which afforded tenants a number of rights and safeguards. Limiting Social Rent Increases The change took place at around… Continue reading The Problem with Rent Deregulation
When tenants and residents of SHAC's Notting Hill Genesis branch found out that chief executive Kate Davies was leaving her post, they decided to have a say in the qualities, experience, and priorities of the new leader. Many of those living in NHG homes consider Davies' tenure an abject failure. She has not provided the… Continue reading NHG Open Letter to Board on Choice for New Chief Executive
