Gilbeys Yard and Juniper Crescent are a community of 200 homes adjoining a Morrisons supermarket in Camden. The community’s landlord, One Housing Group (OHG) balloted residents in November 2020 asking: "Are you in favour of the proposal for redevelopment of Juniper Crescent and Gilbeys Yard?”. When the ballot result was published, it was clear that… Continue reading OHG: Respect the Ballot!
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
By guest writer Carl Davis Former sector leaders are now rightly demanding that more must be done to stamp out racism in social housing (Social Landlords accused of inaction on racial harrassment, Inside Housing 07/02/21 ). But while there 's at least finally some renewed focus on acknowledging and addressing racism in the sector, its… Continue reading Look Who’s Talking: Mental Health Disability and Housing Associations
Government hopes that another injection of cash into the Building Safety Fund to address unsafe cladding will tamp down protests over fire safety. They are wrong. Bailing Out the Perpetrators Their fundamental problem is that pouring taxpayers’ money into such pots only bails out those responsible for creating the danger in the first place. It… Continue reading Cash Injection No Cure for Unsafe Cladding
By guest writer Paul Burnham Housing associations have been breaking rent regulations all around London. If they are doing it here, they will be doing it everywhere, illigitmately generating of hundreds of thousands of pounds profit. Freedom of Information Act replies show that in one-third of boroughs, new Social Rents were set above the “Cap”… Continue reading Associations Breach Rent Caps with Impunity
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
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick trumpeted last Friday that he was “helping to protect the most vulnerable renters” by extending the eviction ban. To recap, the first, and reasonably comprehensive ban was initiated in March 2020, then extended periodically. This makes it sounds as though provisions were simply rolled forward, but the reality is far different.… Continue reading Eviction Ban Extension: A Safety Net of Gaping Holes
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
By guest writer Fiona Downs I became a Clarion tenant via a mutual exchange in 2019. Before the move, I notified Clarion I was registered disabled and would require adaptations to be able to function in my home just like anyone else. I also explained that I care for an autistic family member. My housing… Continue reading Cracking Clarion’s Disability Discrimination
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
