By Michael Savell Nothing less than total reform will cure the problems with housing. For the last several years I have been involved with SHAC as its Treasurer, and have occasionally contributed to the various Whatsapp groups answering questions and commentating on the problems that tenants and leaseholders have with their landlords. It is very… Continue reading Nothing Less Than Total Reform
A single day in May has again thrown social housing into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A damning report has been published on rising disrepairs complaints, and the media reports the death of a baby in a decaying home owned by a housing association. On Thursday, the Housing Ombudsman published a new report… Continue reading Turning Simmering Anger into Social Action
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
In the middle of January, an extraordinary meeting was held between tenants and residents of Hyde from the Stockwell Towers estate, the Stockwell MP who helped facilitate the meeting Bell Ribeiro-Addy, and Hyde chief executive Andy Hulme alongside other Hyde staff, plus local councillors. The meeting was extraordinary because Hulme is notoriously shy about engaging… Continue reading Familiar Stories from Hyde’s Meeting with Stockwell Tenants and Residents
By Gerald Kennedy and Suzanne Muna The 2024 Renters Reform Bill is still making its way through Parliament, with suggested amendments from campaign groups. The new law is often referred to as 'Awaab's Law' after the death of toddler Awaab Ishak from the toxic effects of damp and mould. The new provisions, we understand, have… Continue reading Awaab’s Law and Renters Reform: An Enforcement Crisis
SHAC was recently invited to collaborate with English for Action (EfA) in their newly established Tower Hamlets Housing Action Group involving migrant women from Bangladesh, Sudan and Iraq. EfA is a London wide charity that connects English language learning with community organising campaigning and migrants rights. The charity invited SHAC to help with a housing… Continue reading Empowering Tenants: SHAC and English for Action
Residents on The Rise estate have notified their landlord MTVH that they are embarking on a service charge strike over disputed charges and their failure to engage. The Rise estate comprises three blocks near Wembley, west London. Residents had requested a statement of their charges and the invoice pack, and were legally entitled to receive… Continue reading MTVH: Rise Residents on Service Charge Strike
A One Housing Resident writes Residents say that after two years of cladding meetings, there remains no foreseeable end in sight for One Stratford residents. June 2024 will mark four years since we, as residents of the One Stratford estate in East London, were officially told that our homes were unsafe and in need of… Continue reading OHG One Stratford Residents’ Two Year Battle Over Cladding Continues
The strikes previously reported in Southall by tenants and residents of one Clarion estate (Over 70 Southall Residents Start Service Charge Strike) have spread to a second estate nearby. Tenants and residents of at least 24 households in Doniford House are withholding payment from their landlord, Clarion, and their managing agent, First Port. Not Safe… Continue reading Second Southall Estate Joins Clarion Service Charge Strike
Anyone with any eyes on the news at the moment will have caught articles about the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, or RAAC in some buildings. This weaker concrete can crumble if it isn't properly maintained and therefore needs regular inspection. While media commentary has focussed on schools and other public buildings, many members… Continue reading RAAC: The Next Housing Scandal?
