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
A damning report by the Housing Ombudsman published in October 2020 picked out Hyde Housing as one of five cases featured for gross failings. The Housing Ombudsman declared Hyde guilty of “maladministration regarding the landlord’s communication about service charges, severe maladministration for its formal handling of [a] complaint, and service failure in relation to its… Continue reading Hyde’s Mission: Service Charge Surpluses Not Social Housing
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
How Hyde Housing Retrospectively Increased Service Charges by 100% Robert* was disconcerted to open a letter from landlord Hyde Housing which arrived in September. It explained that he was deeply in arrears. This came as a shock to Robert who had been struggling to maintain payments (largely successfully) despite the squeeze on his income. As… Continue reading It Pays to Hyde
Bessie Smith* a keyworker and tenant of One Housing Group (OHG) in Newham was left shaken and afraid to leave her home after a 20 kilogram lump of lead fell from an upstairs neighbour's window. For the latest news on this story, see It's All a Facade. The slab of lead that narrowly missed Ms… Continue reading Falling Metal: Close Escape for One Housing Tenant
By guest writer and tenant Angela Carlton Clarion seems to have a serious problem with its complaints procedure. The information reported to SHAC shows that it falls well below the standards acceptable and what might be expected of such a large and well-resourced organisation. While no-one would expect 100% perfection, especially for such a large… Continue reading My Serious Complaint About the Complaint System!
By guest writer Wendy Charlton The commodification of housing, loss of social housing stock and rising housing waiting lists has seen local authorities selling off public land and/or partnering with property developers. They have used tactics of managed decline and redevelopment methods along with negative media portrayal of social housing tenants. "The association between post-war… Continue reading The Stop HDV Campaign: A Grassroots Victory
By SHAC It's time for housing associations to open their books on health and safety, both for their tenants and their workers. In one day (19th October) two worrying articles appeared in the press. Firstly, there was the evacuation of 1,059 homes in a Brentford tower block owned by Notting Hill Genesis due to safety… Continue reading Open the Books on Safety
Hexagon Housing Association: From Community Housing Association to Corporatised Property Developers, and (hopefully) Back Again! Guest written by Hexagon residents Join SHAC@Hexagon for tenants and residents Between 2009 and 2019, our Hexagon Housing Association has been transformed by the chief executive (CEO) and allies from an open and accountable social landlord into little more than… Continue reading The Corporate Turn
