By Rachel I have lived in my home for over 24 years. It is the only home I have known as an adult. I raised my son there, invested my own money and labour into maintaining it, and built my healthcare, support network, and community around it. Today, I am facing possession proceedings and homelessness… Continue reading Ombudsman’s Severe Maladministration Finding Leads to Eviction Not Protection
By Jess Owen A major Social Landlord has claimed that housing associations are not bound by some provisions of the 2010 Equality Act. Peabody Trust, which operates over 100,000 Social Homes and “provide care and support services to around 25,000” people in England, claims that, as they are not listed in a schedule of the… Continue reading Housing Associations and The Equality Act 2010
By Carl Davis The ongoing struggle for reasonable adjustments and the normalisation of adversarial landlord-tenant relations. Securing reasonable adjustments remains an uphill battle for disabled tenants, largely due to landlords’ entrenched resistance. According to the Housing Ombudsman’s Attitudes, Respect, and Rights report, 68% of tenants consulted reported that their landlords had refused to provide reasonable… Continue reading The Ongoing Struggle for Reasonable Adjustments
Or: The passive optionalisation of the Equality Act 2010 and the need for proactive Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) compliance and enforcement. By Carl Davis The passive ‘optionalisation’ of the Equality Act 2010 within social housing is a subtle but dangerous form of regulatory failure. It occurs where laws designed to protect disabled residents are… Continue reading The Equality Act: Option or Obligation?
SHAC has heard many accounts of victimising by landlords when things go wrong. Typically, this arises when tenants and residents report leaks, damp and mould in their homes and are told that their own 'lifestyle choices' lie at fault, and that action may be taken against them for failing to properly maintain their homes. On… Continue reading Clarion’s Victimisation Culture
Carl Davis reviews David Renton's new book ‘Discrimination in Housing Law’ on behalf of SHAC. Mea culpa. I must confess I am a non-legally qualified disability and housing activist. So when I was asked by the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) to review David Renton’s new book ‘Discrimination in Housing Law’, Legal Action Group (LAG)… Continue reading Book Review: Discrimination in Housing Law
Tenants and residents of Home Group’s Douglas Bader Park (DBP) estate in Colindale, North West London claim the housing association is flouting both criminal and civil laws in order to push through a redevelopment scheme. The regeneration is partially funded by £17 million from the Mayor of London. Home Group has woken up to the… Continue reading Greedy Home Group Prefers Profits to Social Purpose
Tenants and residents of Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH) have formally complained to the association’s board over a failure to consult properly. They have claimed that a flawed consultation process indirectly discriminated on grounds of race or ethnic background, and against disabled tenants and residents, potentially breaching Equality laws. Merger Threat When THCH sought to… Continue reading THCH Tenants and Residents Slam Race and Disability Discrimination
By Carl Davis As England's social housing sector undergoes significant regulatory and policy transformations, a crucial opportunity presents itself—one that must not be missed. It's time for focused action on disability visibility and the elimination of discrimination in social housing. This is not just a matter of compliance with the Equality Act 2010; it's about… Continue reading Seize the Moment: A Call for Disability Visibility in Social Housing Reforms
By Carl Davis The Housing Ombudsman's finding of severe maladministration against Clarion Housing Group, the largest housing association in Britain, over the preventable death of Mark Pearce went almost uncommented upon within the social housing sector. There were no hastily convened press conferences of executives apologising for the mistreatment of Mark. No outpourings of horror… Continue reading No Warning Flags from Disabled Resident’s Death
