See our Events page for the date and time of the next group meeting.
SHAC@OHG-Riverside was formed to campaign for a better deal for tenants and residents of this giant landlord. The primary improvements needed relate to repairs and maintenance, genuine tenant and resident engagement, fair rents and service charges, fire safety including addressing the cladding scandal, and the right to transfer.
June Campaign: Lobbying the Ombudsman and Secretary of State for Housing
Our recent SHAC@OHG-Riverside meeting agreed two member actions. Please get involved and help us heap pressure on the executives.
The Ombudsman is carrying out an investigation into Clarion’s governance after making two findings of ‘Severe Maladministration’ against the landlord. This and the constant bad press against Clarion has finally also forced Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to write to Clarion admonishing them for their failings.
Our group therefore agreed to lobby both the Ombudsman and Secretary of State to conduct a similar investigation into Riverside and OHG. Please take a few moments to send emails as follows – we have provided template texts and guidance.
The Housing Ombudsman If you are not satisfied with your treatment by OHG or Riverside, and have already tried to resolve it directly without satisfaction, escalate your complaint to the Ombudsman here.
- See here for guidance from the Ombudsman.
The Secretary of State for Housing Write to Michael Gove telling him about your problems with OHG or Riverside. Use the email address michael.gove@communities.gov.uk
We advise using the heading ‘Re: One Housing Group / Riverside Housing Group‘.
If you would find it helpful, we have set out a draft text with space for you to add a description of your situation.
Template Text
Dear Michael Gove MP
I have been a tenant / resident of One Housing Group / Riverside for x years.
I noted with interest your letter of 23rd May to Clarion which criticised the association’s management of the Eastfields Estate.
I wish to highlight the fact that Clarion is not exceptional and that I have experienced similarly unsatisfactory standards from my landlord. I have set out below my own brief account to add to your evidence.
My situation is … [add details of your experience]
I am asking that Government now acts to bring the One Housing and Riverside executives to account, and to change the way they operate. Tenants and residents must get fair treatment before conditions deteriorate further.
Yours sincerely
[Your name]
We need to let Michael Gove and the Ombudsman see the full picture, not just the landlords hitting the headlines. If we act in a coordinated way, we can create enough pressure to force Government to intervene and get better treatment for all.
As OHG and Riverside are now a large entity, this would be a significant victory and would send a warning to all other housing associations.
Please help by taking a few moments to write to the Ombudsman and Secretary of State.
Merger with Riverside
On the 1st December 2021, OHG became a subsidiary of Riverside Housing Group based in the North West. There was no ballot on the merger, so residents were not given a choice over whether it should take place.
MP Apsana Begum wrote on behalf of OHG tenants, residents and workers demanding that OHG commits to holding a binding ballot. The letters were sent to OHG Chief Executive Richard Hill and Housing Minister Michael Gove.
Riverside Housing Group – A Shocking Insight
The nature of Riverside has been clearly exposed by a leak of internal documents about the behaviour of the board and executive. We have posted the following two articles from the material sent:
- Riverside Leads United Front Against Tenants and Residents
- Riverside Hid Gas Safety Breach from Regulator
‘One Housing Group Guilty’ Protest
See our video below of a joint protest by tenants and workers outside OHG head office in December 2020.
Demonstration outside OHG headquarters by tenants and workers, 4th December 2020
Video by Chris Reeves of Platform Films. See more images of the demo here.
This was a lovely blog post