Hyde Housing association has caved in to a tenant's demand for a service charge reduction after he informed the landlord he had begun a service charge strike. This rapid victory comes just a few short weeks after beginning the strike action. This timescale contrasts favourably against many fruitless years previously spent attempting to challenge unfair… Continue reading Hyde Cracks: Third Strike Group Win!
The Financial Times (FT), one of Britain's most high profile newspapers, has published a detailed exposure of the service charge scandal, and has called on government to bring it to an end. "If you just let them put it all through on trust then you’re almost certainly getting fleeced” Clare Richards, Peabody tenant The piece… Continue reading Service Charges Exposed
By Mary Carter, Notting Hill Genesis tenant My landlord, Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) has published its annual report for the last financial year. The document is full of self-congratulation and positive affirmation about how well the landlord is performing. But read between the lines and you’ll also spot some small pointers to the truth. In… Continue reading Flooded: A Notting Hill Genesis Tenant’s Soggy Story
The failing leadership of One Housing Group (OHG) and growth aspirations of The Riverside Group will lead both into merger later this year. One Housing Group (OHG), is based in London and South East, and has 17,000 homes. Riverside is based in Liverpool, and has 58,000 homes across England. It aims to develop more in… Continue reading Riverside-OHG Merger: Let Residents Speak!
By Carl Davis Carl Davis reviews the report on challenging the stigmatization of social housing tenants in England, by Amanze Ejiogu and Mercy Denedo. The report sets out to fill the knowledge gap around the stigmatisation of social housing, and explain how and why people are judged negatively and even actively discriminated against simply because… Continue reading Not Welcome Here: The Social Housing Stigma
A second strike victory for a SHAC Rent and Service Charge Strike member has been secured, this time at One Housing Group (OHG). Striker Chris Jones reported "As a result of my strike letter, they have repaired the damage faster than ever and offered me compensation. I understand that the compensation being offered is also… Continue reading OHG – OMG! Another Strike Win!
SHAC members on a Clarion estate are celebrating victory following a partial rent strike. Strikers in north London have successfully secured action to address a number of concerns that had been outstanding for years. The repairs, some of which tenants have been requesting for five years, have been offered just three weeks after strike letters… Continue reading First Rent Strike Victory Declared!
Hexagon residents are being invited to vote for a resident board member, but have slammed the ballot as a sham. As a result, a group of residents have engaged in a campaign of spoilt ballot papers in protest. The ballot paper urges residents to "make your choice count", but residents argue that the flawed process… Continue reading Hexagon Residents Slam Sham Ballot
Lisa lives in a property owned by social housing provider Onward Homes. She noticed that her rent seemed quite high, and wrote to the landlord to challenge it. Onward admitted that her property had been wrongly classified and that she had been overcharged on rent. They are arranging to refund the overpayment, going back to… Continue reading Onward Heads Downwards
The SHAC Disability Charter Scheme will allow housing associations to bridge a gaping chasm between a landlord's fine words on equalities for disabled tenants and the tenant's own lived experience. The Charter Scheme is published here for consultation. You can leave suggestions in the comments section of this article, or email shac.action@gmail.com. Download the Charter… Continue reading Bridging the Disability Gap
