Inside Housing
Need to know
Stories with this category.
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Scaling new heights
23/09/2011
Think you’ve got what it takes to become a housing sector chief executive? Simon Brandon uncovers the golden rules to help you reach your career summit
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Top 50 developers 2011
24/06/2011
This year we kick off our construction and development special by turning the sod on an all new, exclusive survey of the top 50 developing housing associations. Nick Duxbury and Gene Robertson report
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The Canadian way
13/08/2010
Canada cut its way to an impressive economic recovery in the 1990s which David Cameron hopes to emulate. But the UK overlooks the country’s subsequent housing crisis at its peril. Nick Duxbury reports.
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All talk no action
16/04/2010
Politicians can talk about an integrated national care service but it’s down to providers to make it happen
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Canine caveats
16/04/2010
Traditionally many providers - where they have bothered to mention pets in tenancy agreements - have simply banned dogs. However, some, such as Edinburgh Council and Wales & West Housing Association, have recognised this as a draconian approach and almost impossible to enforce fairly. They are piloting the approach of allowing tenants to have dogs in exchange for a commitment to ‘responsible ownership’.
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Political pledges
16/04/2010
Historically the Liberal Democrats have been one of the most popular parties with the housing sector. The latest instalment of our weekly readers’ panel poll bears this out. However, this popularity has mattered little at a national level - until now.
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Secrets and lies
16/04/2010
He was sacked by Hammersmith & Fulham Council and branded a ‘secret Nazi’ by a national newspaper. Speaking out for the first time since the scandal broke, former housing chief Gareth Mead tells Lydia Stockdale his side of the story.
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The customer is always right
16/04/2010
Even though customer service is much better than it used to be, ‘tenants - who needs them?’ remains the misanthropic mantra of a minority of housing staff. Presumably, they would have been happier working as traffic wardens or immigration officials.
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Too many cooks
16/04/2010
If Scotland is to increase the supply of affordable homes it must find a united voice
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‘It was better to be destitute than go home and be killed’
10/04/2009
Failed asylum seekers are living in fear on the streets. Charities are their only hope of support. Isn’t it time the government stepped in, asks Beena Nadeem?
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Breaking up is hard
03/10/2008
By linking new social housing to private housing, the government has made its targets a hostage to cruel fortune, argues Tim Leunig
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Faces on the frontline
03/10/2008
From community tensions to high demand and low affordability, Simon Ellery hears from councillors in areas with acute housing problems.
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Gypsy sites lag despite funding
03/10/2008
Gypsies and Travellers are keen to see a little less conversation and a little more action.
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Proof of the pudding
03/10/2008
Change versus experience will be the big choice for voters at the next election.
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Stargazers
03/10/2008
No one wants to be a member of the zero-star club. But, as Simon Brandon explains, there is help available for poorly performing providers
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The time is now
03/10/2008
Housing associations need to build a new relationship with their residents based on real customer focus
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To the rescue
03/10/2008
Why did Deborah Upton take on the challenge of a zero-star council? Caroline Thorpe finds out.
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Cutting red tape
02/10/2008
The idea for short notice inspections came from the Elton review - a study commissioned by the Housing Corporation to investigate the burden of housing association regulation in 2006.Sir Les Elton suggested that the introduction of short-notice inspections would prevent associations from spending too much cash and staff resources on preparations.The report also suggested that the Audit Commission target those associations that provided no more than an adequate service.
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Space: the final frontier
04/07/2008
Unlike the rest of Europe, England lacks national minimum space standards for homes. Unsurprisingly, we build the smallest dwellings in Europe.
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In the balance
04/07/2008
On 15 May the High Court ruled on a planning appeal brought by Coffin Mew LLP, the importance of which cannot be understated for all registered social landlords engaged in developing and regenerating their housing stock.
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LGA bans the buzzwords – but can’t shake the habit itself
04/07/2008
The Local Government Association was quick to react to newspaper reports that a council had banned the word ‘brainstorm’ as politically incorrect.
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A win-win situation
20/06/2008
A London borough is forging ahead with one of the first major builds by a local housing company. Simon Brandon talks to Ken Jones, the man running the show.
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A word in your ear
20/06/2008
Lobbying can have a significant impact on the shape of housing legislation. Simon Ellery takes a look at the art of persuasion.
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Back in the fray
20/06/2008
He was a popular housing minister, but moved on less than a year into the job. Now he’s back, with a mission to help a troubled housing association. Philippa Ward reports
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Bubble burst is for the best
20/06/2008
I’ve been confidently predicting an imminent housing crash for about seven years – during which time house prices doubled.
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Joining the club
20/06/2008
Long denied access to affordable homes grant, MHS Homes has finally won a slice of the cake. Kate Murray finds out how it’s spending the cash.
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Joint tenancy unlocked
20/06/2008
It has been settled in law for some time that where one joint tenant serves notice to quit on another joint tenant, that terminates the joint tenancy.
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Journey south
20/06/2008
As the Housing and Regeneration Bill moves through Parliament, Simon Brandon finds out how legislation filters down to the frontline.
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Missing the wood for the trees
20/06/2008
Home design can only do so much - it’s neighbourhood design that will really affect how we’ll live in the future.
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Now it's our turn
20/06/2008
Are 3 million homes deliverable by 2020? It will be tough but it’s still achievable, though it won’t be done using the existing model.
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Pride of place
20/06/2008
By planning to regulate neighbourhood services the government is making a terrible error. Here’s the proof, says National Housing Federation chief executive David Orr
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Pursuit of happiness
20/06/2008
Landlords are keeping a closer eye on the well-being of their staff, in a bid to reduce stress. Anita Pati reports
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Some assembly required
20/06/2008
Can offsite construction solve house builders’ problems? Simon Brandon examines the pros and cons of modern methods of construction.
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Taking things to Hart
20/06/2008
Campaigner and journalist David Hart is unstoppable in his fight to improve tenants’ quality of life. Emily Rogers meets him.
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Tread carefully
20/06/2008
Landlords will need government help to kep building through tough economic times. But there are opportunities as well as risks, says Circle Anglia’s Mark Rogers
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Trouble at the top
20/06/2008
Inside Housing’s annual look at the top 50 developing housing associations reveals a dark shadow looming over them all: the credit crunch. Chris Bazlinton reports.
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Welfare trap requires real action
20/06/2008
Thinking the unthinkable can be dangerous for a politician. Just ask Frank Field, who lost his ministerial post after being tasked with doing just that on welfare reform.
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A house is more than just a home
13/06/2008
Look beyond putting roofs over people’s heads, and see the people instead
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All change please
13/06/2008
His message is one of radical reform, but are housing associations ready to hear it? Kate Murray speaks to Genesis chief Anu Vedi
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Collective departure
13/06/2008
When West Kent Housing Association’s Barbara Thorndick decided to write to a few of her fellow chief executives last year outlining her stand against the ‘urge to merge’, she was astonished by the response.
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Come together
13/06/2008
What is the true picture behind the apparent frenzy of merger activity among housing associations? Hal Pawson reports.
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Have a care
13/06/2008
Treating residents with respect is set to become a statutory requirement
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Just rewards
13/06/2008
Retaining staff in high-cost areas is challenging but, as Ciara Leeming finds out, some landlords are finding a solution.
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Last man standing
13/06/2008
With the credit crunch biting, many lenders are bowing out of social housing. Steve Amos isn’t one of them.
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Leaders need to hold their nerve
13/06/2008
To borrow a line from Housing Corporation boss Steve Douglas, who in turn borrowed it from Donald Rumsfeld, we’re facing a known unknown.
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Loss of providers spells gloom for support sector
13/06/2008
When cash-rich L&Q Group confirmed last week that it was pulling out of the market for Supporting People grant it was a shock, but not a surprise.
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On the margins
13/06/2008
Muslim communities are often marginalised and deprived. John Perry and Azim El Hassan look at how housing organisations are reaching out to help.
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Preparation is all
13/06/2008
Alison Mathias suggests ways to get fit for a greener future.
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Professional players
13/06/2008
To any housing association that finds itself stumbling in the sector’s fast-changing landscape, the Housing Corporation has made it clear where it will look to pin the blame if things go wrong.
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Role play route to getting a roof over your head
13/06/2008
Two years ago, Susan Greenwood sat scratching her head.
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Steep descent
13/06/2008
No one wants to talk numbers. Where once the big developers were keen to trumpet their house building records from the rooftops, now they are reluctant to talk about how many homes they will build by the end of 2008.
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The F word
13/06/2008
Caroline Flint has been housing minister for fewer than five months, during which efforts to tackle a serious housing supply problem have been overtaken by a housing market crisis of gloom-ridden proportions. ‘My feet haven’t really touched the ground,’ she says.
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The new leaders
13/06/2008
Social housing is changing fast and there are fresh faces to lead the way. Below Simon Brandon talks to Sir Bob Kerslake about his can-do attitude at the Homes and Communities Agency, while Anthony Mayer is hailed as a sensible choice for the Tenant Services Authority and Simon Milton says City Hall will be listening.
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Corporation should have stopped this nonsense
06/06/2008
Rob Wilson, Conservative MP for Reading EastThe collapse of Ujima Housing Association is a stark warning to the government and the entire sector.
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Empty homes a private problem as social demand remains strong
06/06/2008
When the latest empty homes figures were released last week, one town was cast firmly into the spotlight.
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Perceived ideas
06/06/2008
What does the public really think about social housing and its tenants? And who has the best policies to tackle the housing crisis? Ipsos Mori’s exclusive poll for Inside Housing has some answers.
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Private rented sector boosted by mortage pain
06/06/2008
The government may want to see more of it but new research has revealed that homeownership is hitting people right where it hurts.
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Red alert
06/06/2008
Richardson v Midland Heart confirmed that, in a shared ownership lease, a landlord is entitled to possession for rent arrears because the leaseholder is an assured tenant with no right to a share of the original capital paid.
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Rocket man
06/06/2008
Lembit Opik frantically tidies the box files and carrier bags from the window seat of his Westminster office to provide a more serene backdrop for the photographer.
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Ujima: why didn't anyone step in?
06/06/2008
The charismatic chief executive of Ujima Housing Association made no secret of his ambition for the thriving organisation he took control of in January 2006.