25th October 2025
| In this issue: – SHAC in the News – Press and Research Interview Requests |
 SHAC in the News – BBC Radio London on Affordable and Social Housing Targets SHAC was invited onto Shay Kaur Grewal’s show on BBC Radio London to comment on the Mayor bowing to pressure from big developers and reducing housing targets – again. Although their story was about London, the revision speaks to a wider government obsession which represents building homes as purely a numbers game, completely ignoring huge structural problems in the housing market. We also highlight how the crisis is one of affordability rather than solely relating to supply. The solutions supported by SHAC and other housing campaign groups start with increasing house building through local authorities with directly employed labour rather than relying on big corporate developers, and using other measures such as rent controls in the private sector. Listen here. Please like and share: Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram |
| Interviewees Wanted! |
 BBC London – Renters Reform Bill Meghan Owen, Work and Money Correspondent for BBC London, is doing a piece on the Renters Rights Bill which is set to receive royal assent next week. Among the new measures, it will end Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions. She would like to speak to tenants who live in London, have received Section 21 notices in the past, and are happy to talk about their experiences. They also need to do their interviews ahead of next Tuesday 28th Oct. Please email meghan.owen@bbc.co.uk if you are interested in sharing your story. |
 Inside Housing – No Win, No Fee Lawyers Stephen Delahunty, Deputy News Editor with Inside Housing is investigating ‘no win no fee’ (NWNF) solicitors who are targeting disrepairs. This follows a story on a firm being ordered to pay a tenant’s legal fee after their disrepairs claim failed (also reported here – without a paywall). Stephen would like to speak to tenants or residents who have engaged a law firm but then had a bad experience. This might be that they were badly advised, lost their case, were left out of pocket, or their home was left in a worse state of disrepair. If you have had such an experience and are willing to share it with Inside Housing, please contact stephen.delahunty@oceanmedia.co.uk. |
 City News – Awaab’s Law Niamh Hughes is a student journalist for City News, produced by the University of London. She is currently covering Awaab’s Law and its likely impact on social housing. This is an important topic, and SHAC is of the view that the new law is entirely redundant since it remains almost impossible for people to access legal justice when housing laws are breached. There is already a law that requires homes to be fit for human habitation. Yet landlords know that enforcement is almost impossible and therefore don’t bother to comply. The new law does nothing to improve access to justice for tenants or residents. If you have experienced damp, mould, or other disrepairs and are happy to be interviewed by Niamh, please contact her on Niamh.Hughes@citystgeorges.ac.uk. |
| Dates For Your Diary |
 SHAC Action Update Meeting Our next monthly SHAC meeting will hear updates on all our campaigns and is open to all members. It is an opportunity for you to share any campaigns or actions you are organising to challenge bad practice by your landlord. Please join us. 6.30pm, Thursday 20 November 2025 Zoom link ~ ID: 823 4952 0596 ~ Passcode: 656982 Add to calendar The times and dates for all 2025 monthly meetings are all available on our Events page. |
 Sign Here Please share: Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram Parliamentary Petition: Service Charges SHAC is lobbying MPs asking them to support legal reforms and to highlight service charge abuse in Parliament. As part of this, we have launched a Parliamentary petition demanding legal changes to allow disputed service charges to be paid to the courts and only passed onto landlords if they can prove the legitimacy of the bills. Otherwise, the money is returned to the tenant or resident. To get this in place, it is not enough to just sign the petition, we need everyone to share it in their networks: friends, tenant and resident groups, colleagues at work, within your trade union, and across any social media platforms you use. |
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 Nextdoor Network – Recruit to SHAC Join Nextdoor Posting a message on the Nextdoor app is one great way to encourage tenants and residents from your landlord (or other housing associations) to join SHAC and build critical strength. It will help to raise awareness of SHAC’s work and to encourage more recruits to lobby the Government and get our voices heard. Nextdoor is a Facebook-style social networking site that links people in the same locality. You can find out more and get set up here. |