Inside Housing
Carl Brown Editorial
Carl is deputy news editor on Inside Housing. His patches include regulation, welfare reform, and London.
Stories by this author.
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Housing benefit claims reach record level
18/05/2012
The number of housing benefit claimants in the United Kingdom has broken the five million barrier for the first time.
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Court ruling could force rethink on bedroom tax
18/05/2012
The government could be forced to make changes to its controversial bedroom tax policy following a Court of Appeal ruling this week.
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Right to buy letter under fire for ‘irresponsibility’
18/05/2012
The government has been accused of irresponsibility in its attempts to promote the right to buy policy.
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SHG's plans rejected for damaging heritage sites
17/05/2012
Southern Housing Group’s plans for a 121-home housing scheme were rejected on appeal after an inspector found they would harm heritage assets.
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£25bn further welfare cuts? 'Froth'
17/05/2012
Lord David Freud has dismissed reports that the prime minister is considering £25 billion of further welfare cuts as ‘froth’.
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London mayor sets up procurement panel
16/05/2012
Social landlords will be able to use a procurement panel set up by the Mayor of London.
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Report questions legality of household benefit cap
15/05/2012
The government may have broken equality laws when introducing the total household benefits cap, according to watchdog the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
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Judgement to force changes to benefit rules
15/05/2012
Housing benefit rules for private rented tenants discriminate against disabled people and will have to be changed, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
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Mayor to decide on dog track plans
14/05/2012
The mayor of London has until 25 May to decide whether to allow London & Quadrant to build homes on the site of a former iconic dog track.
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£1.8m to tackle 'beds in sheds'
14/05/2012
The government has announced £1.8 million of funding to help councils tackle the problem of ‘beds in sheds’.
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Landlords warned of increased borrowing risks
14/05/2012
Housing association boards need to understand the risks they are taking as raising finance becomes more challenging for the sector, a senior regulatory figure has warned.
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G15 hits back at IDS attack on dog track plans
11/05/2012
The chair of the G15 umbrella group has hit back at Iain Duncan Smith’s attack on a housing association for failing to include social rented homes in a proposed new development.
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HCA promises transparency
11/05/2012
The new social housing regulator has pledged to be transparent, despite not holding meetings in public.
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Midland Heart staff get a say
11/05/2012
Front line staff at a midlands-based housing association could have a say in how the organisation spends its £16 million a year surplus under plans to increase employee involvement in the business.
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Plus Dane police scheme under fire
11/05/2012
A housing association is training police officers so they can issue eviction warnings to misbehaving tenants.
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CML: Repossessions stabilised
10/05/2012
The numbers of repossessions of properties have stabilised, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
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Landlord secures rating to seek institutional funds
10/05/2012
A housing association believes it can attract direct investment from pension funds and life insurance companies after securing a credit rating.
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Boris hands deputy mayor role to housing advisor
09/05/2012
Boris Johnson’s housing advisor, Rick Blakeway, has been appointed deputy mayor for housing in London.
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Scottish landlord to test direct payments
09/05/2012
A Scottish landlord will take part in a pilot project to test the direct payment of housing benefit to tenants, it has been announced.
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MPs attack lack of social homes on dog track site
08/05/2012
MPs have criticised London & Quadrant for not including social rented homes in its controversial plans for a housing estate on the site of a former iconic dog track.
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Chelsea’s Battersea plans include affordable homes
08/05/2012
Chelsea Football Club has pledged to include affordable housing in its plans for a new stadium on the site of Battersea power station in west London.
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‘Call us Mum and Dad’, Travellers tell homeless ‘slaves’
04/05/2012
A homeless man was forced to work for a Traveller family and ordered to refer to his alleged captors as ‘mum and dad’, a court heard on Monday.
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Affordable housing slashed as L&Q presses on with dog track plan
04/05/2012
Council officers will recommend that a controversial plan to build a housing estate on a former iconic dog track is approved, after slashing the developer’s affordable housing requirement.
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Landlords warned off bedroom tax loophole
04/05/2012
Landlords risk breaching loan agreements if they reclassify properties to protect their tenants from the ‘bedroom tax’.
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No ‘end of TSA bonus’ for Unite staff
04/05/2012
Staff at the social housing regulator are unlikely to ballot on strike action in the near future, a source close to the union has confirmed.
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Homeless face losing council housing guarantee
03/05/2012
A flagship Conservative council in London would no longer automatically guarantee social housing to homeless applicants under plans being discussed by leading councillors.
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Councils invited to test out universal credit
30/04/2012
The Department for Work and Pensions is inviting councils to take part in pilot schemes to support benefit claimants ahead of the roll out of universal credit.
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House prices rise for second consecutive month
30/04/2012
House prices across England rose for the second month in a row in April, according to housing market information company Hometrack.
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Scottish Government adds to shared equity fund
30/04/2012
The Scottish Government is making an extra £13 million available for its shared equity schemes to help more first time buyers.
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CIH expected moves to transfer London tenants
27/04/2012
The president of the Chartered Institute of Housing has suggested moves by some London councils to house more people outside the capital are inevitable.
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HCA panel rejects all calls for consumer regulation
27/04/2012
The new social housing regulator has already rejected 20 complaints about consumer regulation following its creation on 1 April.
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HCA official hints at early date for spending review
27/04/2012
The government might bring forward its next spending review, a Homes and Communities Agency official has said.
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Councils plan to move tenants out of London
27/04/2012
Councils in London are increasingly looking at housing people on housing benefit in less expensive areas of the country as the coalition’s welfare reforms start to bite.
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Cambridge rejects plan to limit HMOs
24/04/2012
Ruling Liberal Democrat councillors on Cambridge Council have defeated an attempt by the opposition Labour group to restrict the number of houses of multiple occupation in the city.
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Private rents fall as tenants leave sector
23/04/2012
Private rents dipped slightly last month but have increased year-on-year, according to lettings agency LSL Property Services.
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Seddon wins £60m affordable housing contract
23/04/2012
England’s largest housing association has awarded a £60 million contract to Seddon Construction to build 700 new affordable homes.
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Johnson targets pension fund investment in homes
23/04/2012
Boris Johnson has pledged to ‘bang the heads together’ of pension funds to try to get them to invest in housing.
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Councils not asking landlords to lower rents
20/04/2012
Three-quarters of private landlords have not been approached by councils about reducing rents in return for direct payment of local housing allowance.
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Landlord in self-build pilot
20/04/2012
A Liverpool-based housing association could save up to £20,000 in construction costs per home by using its own in-house build team.
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Fed urges mayoral candidates to tackle housing
17/04/2012
The candidates for London mayor have ‘underestimated’ the strength of feeling around affordable housing, according to the National Housing Federation.
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Council issues eviction warning to tenants
17/04/2012
A London council has warned tenants they face eviction from their homes if family members or visitors to their properties commit crime or anti-social behaviour.
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Builder to report profit boost as sales rise
17/04/2012
House builder Telford Homes has reported increased sales and completions.
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Estates demolition plans face opposition
16/04/2012
More than a third of council tenants affected by proposals to demolish two housing estates in London are opposed to the plans.
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Boris 'would welcome' dog track on L&Q land
16/04/2012
Boris Johnson has said he would welcome a move to re-open Walthamstow Stadium as a dog-racing venue.
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Council faces tenancy agreements court threat
13/04/2012
Tenants are planning to take Hackney Council to the High Court in a bid to halt changes to their tenancy agreements.
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Lambeth tenants challenge evictions
13/04/2012
Up to 30 housing co-operatives in London are joining forces to fight attempts by a council to evict hundreds of people from their homes.
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Dromey: Labour government would keep housing grant
12/04/2012
Jack Dromey has hinted that a Labour administration would increase or maintain central government grant levels for new homes.
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First-time buyers rush to beat stamp duty holiday
11/04/2012
Demand in the housing market increased in March as first-time buyers took advantage of the final weeks of a stamp duty holiday.
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Founder of housing co-operative dies
10/04/2012
A Ugandan refugee who went on to set up and chair one of the United Kingdom’s largest housing co-operatives has died.
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Broadway quits debt advice scheme
05/04/2012
A homelessness charity has pulled out of providing debt advice services for vulnerable people in London after changes to funding conditions.
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New housing regulator faces strike threat
05/04/2012
Staff working for the new social housing regulator are threatening to strike over a claim for a one-off £500 ‘end of Tenant Services Authority bonus’.
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Non-grant affordable rent landlords revealed
04/04/2012
A housing association in Essex has become one of the first landlords to sign an agreement to build homes for ‘affordable rent’ without receiving grant.
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New regulator outlines need for strong boards
02/04/2012
Strong management boards are vital to social landlords’ prospects of succeeding in a challenging environment, the new social housing regulator has said.
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TSA hosts final board meeting before abolition
30/03/2012
The final open board meeting of the Tenant Services Authority took place today ahead of its abolition at midnight on Saturday.
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Hyde director quits her post
30/03/2012
A senior housing association director has abruptly left her post following disagreements with the organisation’s chief executive.
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Majority of new housing benefit claimants in work
30/03/2012
More than 90 per cent of new housing benefit claims over the past two years have been made by employed people, as squeezed workers seek help with their living costs.
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Review could change regulatory framework
30/03/2012
The new regulatory framework for social landlords could change later in the year following a review of how for-profit landlords are regulated.
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Shapps hints at affordable rents repeat
30/03/2012
The housing minister has hinted that the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme could be repeated.
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Hundreds mark Landlord's 150th anniversary
29/03/2012
Around 1,800 people attended a special service at Westminster Abbey today to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Peabody.
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Armed robber evicted from home
28/03/2012
A housing association has gained a possession order against a tenant who allowed friends to live at his home while he was in police custody for an armed robbery.
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Council gives housing stock a £75 million boost
28/03/2012
A council has pledged to invest £75 million in improving its housing stock over the next 10 years.
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Tenant Services Authority drops call for mergers
23/03/2012
The social housing regulator has dropped plans to make social landlords look at whether they should merge with other organisations.
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Transfer rules put Earls Court plan in doubt
23/03/2012
Controversial plans to demolish two estates as part of an £8 billion regeneration scheme are in doubt following the publication of a consultation on right to transfer regulations.
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Surpluses double at largest housing associations
22/03/2012
The largest English housing associations’ combined surplus almost doubled last year.
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£3.5bn warning over HRA reforms
22/03/2012
The long-awaited self-financing settlement for councils has been plunged into uncertainty after a watchdog warned the reforms will create £3.5 billion of unexpected public sector debt – prompting a vow from the Treasury to take action.
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Government to consult on social housing REITs
21/03/2012
The government will consult later in the year on whether real estate investment trusts can play a role in helping to attract funding into the social housing sector.
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Landlord raises £100 million on bond market
21/03/2012
Hastoe Group has raised £100 million on the bond market.
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Chancellor threatens further welfare cuts
21/03/2012
George Osborne has today raised the prospect of further welfare spending cuts in the next spending review.
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Green candidate promises 15,000 homes a year
21/03/2012
The Green Party candidate for the London mayoral election has launched her housing manifesto.
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RICS calls for reform of regulation
20/03/2012
The government should reform the regulatory regime for residential property, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has said.
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Contractor reveals increase in turnover
20/03/2012
Mears has today reported a nine per cent increase in turnover in its social housing business.
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Council body calls for support from mayor
20/03/2012
Councils in London have called on the mayor of London to campaign for the scrapping of borrowing limits under the new self-financing system of finance for local authorities.
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Risk warning issued over universal credit
09/03/2012
The government is taking unnecessary risks through its plans to move to a centralised system for administering benefits, a welfare expert has warned.
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HRA reform prompts wave of stock transfers
09/03/2012
Housing revenue account reform is prompting councils to sell off homes in a new wave of stock transfers.
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TSA chair calls for royal commission on housing
08/03/2012
A royal commission should be set up to recommend a 20-year housing strategy, the chair of the Tenant Services Authority has said.
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Cuts prompt landlords to shun benefit claimants
07/03/2012
Private landlords are becoming less willing to let properties to people on benefits as a result of welfare reforms, England’s first Green Party council leader has said.
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Housing boss attacks sector’s stance on migration
06/03/2012
A housing association chief has hit out at the sector for failing to get to grips with the link between housing and migration.
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Social landlords urged to get back to basics
06/03/2012
Social landlords should concentrate on getting the basics right and avoid being ‘flashy’, a leading academic has said.
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In house grounds team to save landlord £1.2m
06/03/2012
A housing association has launched an in-house grounds maintenance service in a move which it believes will allow it to save £1.2 million over five years.
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Tenants draw up charter for housing associations
05/03/2012
A residents’ body in east London has drawn up a ‘tenants’ charter’ it hopes will be adopted by housing associations.
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Rating upgraded as landlord responds to TSA fears
05/03/2012
The social housing regulator has upgraded the governance rating of a housing association that had previously been warned it needed to take action to ensure it was being capably led.
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Critics rap Boris over affordable homes deals
02/03/2012
Housing associations will accuse the mayor of London of failing to stop councils dropping affordable homes from schemes in return for cash.
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IDS in pledge to support social enterprises
01/03/2012
Iain Duncan Smith has pledged to do more to encourage investors to put money into social enterprises in order to ‘reconnect the top and bottom of society.’
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Fed disappointed over ‘bedroom tax’ result
01/03/2012
The chief executive of the National Housing Federation has said it is ‘hugely disappointing’ that the government has succeeded in forcing its plans for a ‘bedroom tax’ through parliament.
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Landlords urged to be more open with leaseholders
01/03/2012
Private property management associations should work with social landlords to improve the way they consult about leasehold service charges in London.
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Peer in bid to make welfare reform transparent
29/02/2012
Crossbench peer Lord Richard Best has tabled a last-ditch amendment aimed at making the impact of controversial welfare reforms more transparent.
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Dutch landlord financial crisis is a warning for UK
29/02/2012
A financial crisis faced by a large Dutch housing association is a warning for the United Kingdom’s social housing sector, according to experts.
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Housing associations in 1,500-home swap talks
28/02/2012
Two housing associations in the south west of England are negotiating a stock swap involving more than 1,500 homes.
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Fresh concerns raised over stadium plans
28/02/2012
English Heritage has again raised concerns about a housing association’s plans to build on the site of a former iconic dog track.
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Concerns over new housing watchdog
24/02/2012
The chair of the new English social housing regulator has maintained it will be effective despite revealing its entire committee could be axed after just one year.
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Landlords shrug off Moody’s downgrade
24/02/2012
Social landlords believe they can continue to raise cheap money on the bond markets despite a change in their credit rating outlook.
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Shared home scheme for former homeless
24/02/2012
A homelessness charity in London has set up a housing project to help people affected by housing benefit reforms.
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Report calls for action on neighbourhood plans
23/02/2012
The Mayor of London should produce best practice guidance on neighbourhood plans, according to a report published by the London Assembly’s planning and housing committee today.
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Moat completes 361 home transfer to Orbit
21/02/2012
Moat has transferred 361 homes to Orbit as part of a 1,600-home stock rationalisation programme.
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NHF targets Lib Dem MPs in bedroom tax battle
21/02/2012
The National Housing Federation is urging people to tweet Liberal Democrat MPs to persuade them to support an amendment aimed at watering down the government’s controversial ‘bedroom tax’.
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Lovell profits boosted by Connaught contracts
21/02/2012
Lovell has reported a significant increase in profits, which it says has been driven by the transfer of contracts formerly held by stricken rival Connaught.
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Council approves 2,000 home development
21/02/2012
Plans for a development of nearly 2,000 new homes have been approved by a London Council.
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Pickles names heads of social housing regulation
20/02/2012
Eric Pickles has today announced the appointees to the Homes and Communities Agency committee which will regulate the social housing sector.
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Tenants call for council to control housing stock
17/02/2012
Almost half of tenants surveyed believe management of a north London council’s housing stock should be brought in-house.
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New data shows private rents on the increase
17/02/2012
Private rents increased by 4.3 per cent in January year-on-year, according to data published today.
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Ratings cut looms as Moody’s downgrades outlook
17/02/2012
Moody’s has downgraded the outlook for creditworthiness of housing associations with credit ratings.
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Inside Housing proves Cameron rent claim wrong
17/02/2012
A claim by the prime minister that private rents are falling as a result of welfare reforms was wrong, research by Inside Housing shows today.
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Pinnacle and Mansell in £60m deal
17/02/2012
Woking Council will outsource its housing management to a joint venture between Pinnacle and Mansell Construction.
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Swan to bypass housing regulator
17/02/2012
Swan Housing Group is to set up a new non-registered company to avoid regulation and boost its profit-making activities to deliver its affordable homes programme.
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New figures show housing starts are down
16/02/2012
Housing starts have fallen by 4.4 per cent, government data published today shows.
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Fresh plan to overturn new welfare amendments
15/02/2012
The government will seek to overturn the latest amendment to the welfare reform bill agreed by the House of Lords.
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Lords hand government new 'bedroom tax' defeat
14/02/2012
The government has suffered a fresh defeat over its plans for a ‘bedroom tax’ for underoccupying social housing tenants.
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Council announces rise in rent and housing budget
14/02/2012
Portsmouth Council will put up its rents by less than half the government’s recommended increase - but will raise some service charges instead.
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Shapps renews call for landlords' transparency
14/02/2012
Grant Shapps has repeated his call for housing associations to become more transparent.
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Lords in new bid to change 'bedroom tax'
14/02/2012
Peers will today try again to water down controversial plans for a ‘bedroom tax’ on underoccupying social housing tenants.
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CLG admits LHA rates claim error
10/02/2012
The Communities and Local Government department has admitted incorrectly stating local housing allowance rates will continue to rise from April.
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Housing bodies critical of TSA's new framework
10/02/2012
New value for money rules are too prescriptive and could lead to social landlords struggling to meet them, housing bodies have warned.
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Thames Valley eyes private letting plan
10/02/2012
A housing association is using institutional investment to set up a subsidiary that will buy 1,000 homes for private rent.
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Government attacked over views on housing
09/02/2012
The president of the Chartered Institute of Housing has criticised ministers for ‘pointed and inaccurate’ comments regarding the state of the housing market.
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Landlords call for cash to prevent homelessness
08/02/2012
The government should make extra funding available to prevent people becoming homeless until the economy improves, a report by a group of housing associations has said.
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£3bn funding package for London housing finalised
07/02/2012
The government has finalised a £3 billion funding package for housing and regeneration in London.
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Sales and completions boost for house builder
07/02/2012
Bellway has reported an increase in sales and a higher proportion of private completions.
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Landlord agrees £40m deal to help redevelopment
07/02/2012
A stock transfer housing association has agreed a £40 million package to help fund 522 new homes in South London.
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Robocop security camera activated by 'mistake'
06/02/2012
A talking ‘robocop’ security camera telling tenants a communal garden is a restricted area was activated by mistake, a London council has said.
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Anger as government halts welfare bill changes
03/02/2012
The government has come under fire for seeking to use a parliamentary mechanism to prevent further attempts by the House of Lords to change the Welfare Reform Bill.
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Regulator plans to axe landlords' right to appeal
03/02/2012
The social housing regulator is planning to scrap landlords’ right to appeal against its most serious decisions - forcing any challenges to the High Court.
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Sanctuary creates non-profit offshoot
03/02/2012
England’s largest housing group has registered a new non-profit company to allow it to build more housing by avoiding restrictive clauses in existing loan agreements.
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Lords amendments to Welfare Reform Bill beaten
01/02/2012
The government has succeeded in overturning a series of crucial amendments made by the Lords to the Welfare Reform Bill.
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Labour tables welfare motion as Shapps backs bill
01/02/2012
The Labour party has tabled a motion calling for the benefit cap to be set by an independent body according to local circumstances, ahead of a series of crunch votes on the Welfare Reform Bill today.
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Regulatory judgements on five landlords published
31/01/2012
The social housing regulator has published regulatory judgements on five landlords.
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Report claims mergers do not create success
31/01/2012
Mergers do not automatically create efficiency and improved services, a report published today has found.
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Welfare reforms 'will halt building of family homes'
31/01/2012
The coalition government’s welfare reforms will prevent landlords from building family-sized homes, a report claims.
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Affordable homes development falling in London
30/01/2012
The Olympics is boosting house building in London but development of affordable housing has reduced, according to consultancy Drivers Jonas Deloitte.
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Uncertainty in house market keeps prices flat
30/01/2012
House prices have not increased for 18 months, according to data published by Hometrack today.
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Labour wants benefit cap to be set locally
30/01/2012
Labour has called for the proposed total benefits cap to be set locally rather than at the national limit of £26,000.
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CIH: expect child benefit victory to be overturned
27/01/2012
The Chartered Institute of Housing is urging landlords to prepare for the consequences of the proposed benefits cap, despite a key defeat for the government in the House of Lords this week.
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Peers press for details on benefits help
27/01/2012
The government has come under pressure to publish details of promised transitional arrangements to help people affected by the impact of the proposed total benefits cap.
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PM attacks Labour for 'hypocritical' benefit stance
25/01/2012
David Cameron has accused Labour of ‘hypocrisy’ for voting to change the way the £26,000 total benefits cap is calculated despite backing the policy in principle.
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Regulator will not define ‘serious detriment’ clause
25/01/2012
The social housing regulator has said there will be no clear definition of the ‘serious detriment’ that will see it intervene in consumer regulation cases.
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Baroness attack on families branded 'nonsense'
24/01/2012
A housing association vice-president withdrew an attempt to cut benefit for larger families after a Labour peer accused her of talking ‘nonsense’.
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Defeat for government on Welfare Reform Bill
23/01/2012
The government has tonight lost another key vote on the Welfare Reform Bill
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Benefit cap to hurt thousands more households
23/01/2012
The government has revised upwards its estimate of how many households will be affected by its proposed benefit cap.
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Peer tables amendment for benefit cap exemption
20/01/2012
A Labour peer has called for the total benefits cap to not apply in cases where it puts a person at risk of homelessness.
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50 per cent of landlords making cutbacks
20/01/2012
Half of all housing associations either reduced back office staff numbers in 2011 or are planning to do so in the next 12 months as they prepare to comply with a new regulatory framework.
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Battle for ‘right to own’ heats up
20/01/2012
Frustrated tenants’ groups have called on the government to publish a consultation on ‘right to own’ regulations - after a delay of almost a year.
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Landlord vice president criticised over benefit plan
20/01/2012
A housing association has distanced itself from its vice president after she tabled an amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill that would slash benefit for families with three or four children.
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Private landlords dismiss Cameron rent claim
20/01/2012
The leading trade body representing 1.2 million private landlords in the UK has dismissed David Cameron’s claim that rents are falling in the sector as a result of the coalition government’s welfare reforms.
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Direct payment pilot landlords revealed
19/01/2012
The Department for Work and Pensions has announced the names of social landlords taking part in direct payment pilot projects.
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Welfare amendments face government fight
19/01/2012
The government will seek to overturn all amendments to the Welfare Reform Bill when it returns to the House of Commons later in the year.
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CIH confirms new president
18/01/2012
Robin Lawler has been confirmed as the new president of the Chartered Institute of Housing for 2012.
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Tenants evacuated as blaze hits tower block
17/01/2012
A total of 130 people were evacuated during a blaze in a 22-storey tower block last night.
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Traveller site provision hit by lack of assessment
17/01/2012
The scrapping of regional assessments of housing need has worsened conditions for Travellers, an academic has claimed.
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Dromey questions Cameron over rent claim
17/01/2012
Jack Dromey is considering asking questions in the House of Commons about David Cameron’s controversial claim that rents are falling.
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Taylor Wimpey forecasts 75% surge in profit
17/01/2012
Taylor Wimpey is expecting to report a 75 per cent increase in operating profit next month.
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Welfare reforms 'undermine' rights of children
13/01/2012
The government’s welfare reforms undermine the rights of children, the children’s commissioner has said.
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Figures show construction falling year-on-year
13/01/2012
Construction output flatlined in November and has fallen year-on-year, bleak figures published today reveal.
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Tenants asked for views on estate demolition
13/01/2012
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has launched a consultation on controversial plans to demolish two housing estates.
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Peers launch second benefit plans rebellion
13/01/2012
The government is facing a second battle inside a month to get housing benefit reforms agreed by the House of Lords.
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Number 10 defends PM’s private rents claim
12/01/2012
Number 10 has defended the prime minister’s claim that private rents are falling as a result of the coalition government’s welfare reforms.
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Housing market renewal areas 'need public cash'
12/01/2012
More public investment is needed in former housing market renewal areas before private finance will return, according to a report published today (Thursday).
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Cameron rent claim attacked by sector
11/01/2012
The prime minister’s claim that rents have been reduced as a result of his government’s welfare reforms has been disputed by sector figures.
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Plans for 1,700-home regeneration submitted
11/01/2012
Plans for a 1,700-home regeneration scheme have been submitted to an east London council.
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Housing groups condemn plan to end crisis loans
10/01/2012
Government plans to abolish parts of a fund to help vulnerable people have been slammed by 20 organisations.
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House builder expects 50% rise in profits
09/01/2012
Leading house builder Persimmon has said it is expecting its annual results next month to reveal an increase in pre-tax profit of 50 per cent.
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Efficiency concerns prompt calls for testing
09/01/2012
A housing body is calling for post-construction checks of the energy efficiency of new homes after tests showed designed levels are not being achieved.
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Affordable housing registrations falter
09/01/2012
The number of registrations for new affordable housing fell in 2011, according to figures published today by the National House Building Council.
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Housing chiefs slam Shapps’ allocation comments
06/01/2012
Senior housing figures have hit out at Grant Shapps for controversial comments about social housing tenants.
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Councils forced to call on B&Bs
06/01/2012
Councils in London are being forced to place more people in emergency accommodation as tenants are squeezed out of private rented sector housing.
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FSA axes 25-year mortgage rule
06/01/2012
Housing providers and lenders have welcomed a watering down of plans to tighten lending regulations by the government’s financial watchdog.
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NHF: ‘government inflated cost of benefit defeat’
06/01/2012
The government’s claim that its ‘bedroom tax’ defeat will cost taxpayers around £300 million in lost savings has been disputed by the National Housing Federation.
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Government issues guidance on housing allocation
05/01/2012
The government has urged councils to prioritise tenants who are seeking work in the allocation of social housing.
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London council offered homes in Walsall
05/01/2012
A London authority which has experienced a surge of people in emergency accommodation has been offered the use of two blocks of flats in other parts of the country to house people
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TSA reveals judgements on 10 housing associations
03/01/2012
The social housing regulator has published findings from assessments of the operations of 10 housing associations.
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Direct payments pilot announcement delayed
23/12/2011
An announcement of the social landlords who will pilot direct payment of housing benefit will not now take place until the new year, the Department of Work and Pensions has confirmed.
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Landlord sets up for-profit subsidiary
22/12/2011
An Edinburgh housing association has set up a for-profit subsidiary to provide homes for intermediate rent.
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Housing estate art gets listed status
21/12/2011
A piece of public art on a Durham housing estate has been awarded grade II-listed status.
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Charity wants new tax to renovate empty homes
21/12/2011
A homelessness charity has called on the Scottish Government to bring in a new tax to fund the renovation of empty properties.
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FSA reveals proposals for regulation of mortgages
19/12/2011
Watchdog the Financial Services Authority has today published its proposals to regulate the mortgage market.
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DWP anger at defeat of bedroom tax
16/12/2011
A Department for Work and Pensions source reacted angrily to the government’s shock House of Lords defeat over welfare reform.
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Report calls for improvement of private sector
16/12/2011
The London Assembly has today called for longer tenancies and incentives to improve stock in the private rented sector.
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Bedroom tax 'defeated' in the House of Lords
14/12/2011
The government has been defeated over controversial plans for a ‘bedroom tax’ for social housing tenants deemed to be underoccupying their homes.
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Crucial vote on bedroom tax imminent
14/12/2011
Housing organisations are lobbying peers ahead of a crucial Lords vote this evening on controversial plans for a ‘bedroom tax’.
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Economic fears cut housing association borrowing
14/12/2011
New borrowing by housing associations has fallen by a third as the sector responds to difficult economic conditions and government policy changes, according to the Tenant Services Authority.
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Boris attacks Ken's plans for private rented sector
13/12/2011
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has hit back at election rival Ken Livingstone’s plans for rent controls in the capital saying they would be ‘devastating for the sector’.
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Controversial council leader to stand down
12/12/2011
One of the most influential and controversial housing policy figures in local government is to stand down.
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Mortgage boost for first-time buyers
12/12/2011
Mortgage payments for first-time buyers are at their most affordable for nearly eight years due to low interest rates, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
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Tenants risk homes to pay for Christmas
12/12/2011
Around 280,000 people in Scotland could be risking their homes to pay for Christmas, according to research.
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IDS hints at rethink over ‘bedroom tax’
09/12/2011
The government could be set to water down its controversial plans to introduce a ‘bedroom tax’.
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Councils broach mortgage market
02/12/2011
A growing number of councils are looking to become mortgage lenders in a bid to enable first-time buyers to get on the property ladder.
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Housing staff strike as 700,000 face job loss
02/12/2011
Social landlords across the UK battled to keep crucial services open during the national public sector strike over pension changes.
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Regulations promote controversial repairs scheme
02/12/2011
Landlords have accused the government of using new regulations to implement a controversial housing policy through the back door.
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Homeless Londoners face move to Hull
30/11/2011
A London council is considering rehoming people in Yorkshire following a surge of people in emergency accommodation.
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Cuts fail to halt £2bn rise in housing benefit costs
30/11/2011
Housing benefit costs will rise by nearly £2 billion by 2016 despite government efforts to cut the bill.
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White groups feel excluded from social housing
29/11/2011
White working-class residents feel they are losing out when it comes to the allocation of social housing, according to a study.
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Council confirms decision to take ALMO in house
29/11/2011
Islington councillors have rubber-stamped a decision to scrap its arm’s-length management organisation.
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Lord Freud resists benefit cap amendments
28/11/2011
Welfare reform minister Lord Freud has faced more questions in parliament from peers worried about the proposed benefit cap for workless households.
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Candidates shortlisted for CIH role
25/11/2011
Two candidates have been announced for the vice presidency of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
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Benefit threat to human rights
25/11/2011
Whitehall plans to cap benefit for workless households could violate the Human Rights Act, according to legal advice obtained by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
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Genesis eyes deals to manage 1,500 private homes
25/11/2011
Genesis Housing Group is finalising deals which could see it managing more than 1,500 private rented homes within months.
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Freud rejects change to calculation of cap
22/11/2011
Welfare reform minister Lord Freud has indicated the government is not willing to change the way the proposed £500 a week cap on benefits for workless households is calculated- but has promised measures to ‘ease the transition’ for families.
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Strategy: private landlord regulation 'unnecessary'
21/11/2011
The government has pledged to avoid ‘unnecessary’ regulation of the private rented sector.
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Private firms welcomed into social housing sector
21/11/2011
A number of publicly-listed companies are in discussions with the Tenant Services Authority about setting up social housing subsidiaries.
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High-earners will 'pay to stay' in social housing
21/11/2011
Landlords will be allowed to increase rents for high-earning social housing tenants in order to fund the building of new homes, under new plans announced today.
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Bishops call for benefit cap to be revised
21/11/2011
Bishops have called on the coalition government to alter its controversial welfare reforms.
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Fed calls for landlords to promote themselves more
18/11/2011
The chief executive of the National Housing Federation has called on housing associations to promote themselves more and provide a wider range of products and services.
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Landlords await their fate ahead of strategy
18/11/2011
Prime minister David Cameron is expected to announce new funding and plans to build up to 450,000 new homes in the government’s long-awaited housing strategy.
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Maintenance spend drops by £4 billion
18/11/2011
Repairs and maintenance spend by social housing providers fell by £4 billion last year, according to research
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New regulator battling to meet standards deadline
18/11/2011
The chair of the new social housing regulator has expressed his frustration that it has been forced to delay consultation over the new standards landlords will have to meet.
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Travellers on socially-rented sites decreasing
17/11/2011
The total number of gypsy and Traveller caravans in England increased by 400 in a year, government data shows.
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CIH head warns sector over housing strategy
15/11/2011
The interim chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing has warned that the government’s housing strategy might merely repeat previous announcements.
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Eviction threat for non-working new tenants
14/11/2011
New council tenants could lose their home if they are not in work or training, under plans being drawn up by a Conservative-led council.
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LHA claims have doubled in three years
11/11/2011
Local housing allowance claims more than doubled in three years, according to latest figures.
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Welfare reform to hit 133,000 London households
11/11/2011
A total of 133,000 workless households in London will be unable to afford to pay their rent under proposed welfare reforms, according to new research.
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Care reforms could double associations' regulation
11/11/2011
Housing associations which provide care services could end up with two regulators poring over their finances, under new government proposals.
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Hammersmith spent £38,000 on backers
11/11/2011
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has spent nearly £38,000 on a steering group of tenants which backs controversial plans to demolish and rebuild two estates, it has emerged.
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Landlord in talks with retailer over repairs service
11/11/2011
A housing group is looking to expand its repairs and maintenance arm by working for private businesses, including major high street retailers.
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Council asks regulator to stop landlord homes sale
09/11/2011
An Essex Council has appealed to the social housing regulator to prevent a housing association from selling off four homes on the open market.
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House sales on the rise from previous month
08/11/2011
The housing market saw an increase in new sales last month, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
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Deadline for direct payment pilot looming
08/11/2011
The deadline for social landlords wanting to apply to take part in the Department for Work and Pensions direct payment of benefit pilots is today.
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Loss of Commission could harm empty homes
07/11/2011
The scrapping of the Audit Commission will lead to fewer councils tackling empty homes, a consultant has warned.
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MPs back appointment of regulator chair
07/11/2011
A committee of MPs has backed Julian Ashby’s appointment as chair of the new Homes and Communities Agency regulation committee.
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Tenants could be charged for benefit advice
04/11/2011
Private companies are looking to charge tenants for benefit advice because of planned changes to legal aid rules, a consultant has warned.
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Council rent policies will lower value of homes
04/11/2011
Councils’ rent policies in London will reduce the value of affordable housing and hamper the ability of housing associations to build homes, according to research from consultancy Drivers Jonas Deloitte.
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Tenant takes council to court over demolition plan
04/11/2011
A tenant is taking Hammersmith & Fulham Council to court over its decision to sign an exclusivity deal with a developer as part of plans to knock down two estates.
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New regulator chair voices concerns for landlords
02/11/2011
The new chair of the social housing regulator has told MPs it would be a ‘considerable achievement’ if no housing associations suffer serious problems in the next three years.
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Organisations back welfare amendments
01/11/2011
Housing organisations are backing calls for changes to the way the government’s proposed benefits cap is calculated.
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HCA agrees to release land for new homes
31/10/2011
The Homes and Communities Agency’s London board has agreed to the release of 8.1 hectares of land for new homes as part of a drive to unlock public land for development.
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Thousands of homes destroyed by fire each year
31/10/2011
More than 2,000 homes across London are being lost to fire each year, according to the London Fire Brigade.
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House prices still falling
31/10/2011
House prices in England and Wales fell once again in October as the supply of housing continued to outstrip demand in the private sales market
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Government set for ombudsman complaints u-turn
28/10/2011
The government is set to backtrack on plans to bar tenants from taking their complaints to the Housing Ombudsman Service.
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£30m investment fund launched by landlord
28/10/2011
One of England’s largest housing associations has launched an investment fund to generate £1.5 million a year for community projects.
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Peers want universal credit IT reassurance
26/10/2011
Peers have asked for reassurances that a new IT system which will underpin the implementation of the new universal credit will be monitored to prevent it failing.
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New regulatory board members announced
26/10/2011
The chair of a new committee which will take over the financial regulation of housing associations has been announced.
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Government rejects direct payment amendment
21/10/2011
Peers have failed in a bid to give tenants the right to have their housing benefit paid direct to their landlord.
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Charity unlikely to appeal benefit case
21/10/2011
A charity has said it is unlikely to lodge an appeal against a High Court judgement that government cuts to housing benefit are lawful.
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Housing boss receives 8 per cent pay cut
21/10/2011
The chief executive of Wrekin Housing Trust saw his pay plummet by more than 8 per cent - one of the largest drops in the sector this year.
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ALMO looks set for chop as cabinet passes decision
20/10/2011
England’s largest arm’s-length management organisation is set to be axed despite achieving the best inspection results in the country.
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Lords debate underoccupancy benefit cut
19/10/2011
Peers have called on the government to save social housing tenants with spare rooms from having their benefit cut if there is no other accommodation available.
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Tory raises neighbourhood plans doubt
18/10/2011
A prominent London Conservative has said he does not believe the majority of the public want to develop neighbourhood plans.
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House builder reports leap in profits
18/10/2011
Bellway has today reported a 52 per cent increase in pre-tax profit and higher turnover.
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Tenant evicted for gas safety check snub
18/10/2011
A social housing tenant has been evicted from her home for not allowing maintenance workers to carry out gas safety checks.
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Landlord picked to help youths keep tenancies
18/10/2011
London & Quadrant has commissioned another housing association to help it keep its young tenants in their tenancies.
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Landlord gives HCA affordable homes ultimatum
14/10/2011
One of England’s largest housing associations will refuse to sign its affordable homes contract unless the Homes and Communities Agency allows it to opt out of schemes in the event of council veto.
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Landlord to push homeless care in contract talks
14/10/2011
A housing association has pledged to use contractual negotiations to persuade councils to implement a homelessness initiative nationally.
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Shapps defends SP ring fence decision
07/10/2011
The housing minister has defended the government’s decision not to re-instate the ring fence for the supporting people budget.
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£100m to bring homes into use
07/10/2011
A housing charity is launching a scheme to help community groups access a share of the £100 million pot of government cash available to bring empty homes back into use.
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London mayor tackles foreign rough sleepers
07/10/2011
The mayor of London is organising meetings with foreign embassies in a bid to tackle the number of overseas nationals who are sleeping rough in the capital.
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Shapps ‘on the case’ in affordable rents row
07/10/2011
Grant Shapps has intervened in the stand-off between councils and housing associations over rents which is threatening to derail the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme.
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Shapps: High-earners paying market rent could raise £56m
06/10/2011
Grant Shapps plans to raise £56 million for new affordable homes by forcing social housing tenants on six-figure salaries to pay market rent.
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Top Tories go on the attack against rioters
05/10/2011
Senior Tories have gone on the attack against rioters who targeted cities across England in August
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Landlords claim wiping grant could free £42bn
04/10/2011
Writing off existing grant for housing associations could free up £42.7 billion for new homes, the chief executive of one of England’s largest housing associations has said.
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Boris in pledge to build larger affordable homes
04/10/2011
Boris Johnson has pledged to build larger affordable homes and improve the environment as part of a strategy to ‘bring the village green’ to London.
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Minister rejects calls for carbon tax on domestic gas
04/10/2011
The energy minister has rejected calls for a carbon tax on domestic gas use to encourage households to make their homes more energy efficient.
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Shapps defends right to buy proposals
04/10/2011
Grant Shapps has insisted the government’s new right to buy policy will stack up - describing it as a “second tranche” of the affordable homes programme.
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Sector unsure RTB plans are financially viable
03/10/2011
Senior housing figures are sceptical that the government’s plans to revive the Right to Buy policy will be financial viable.
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Pickles to crackdown on illegal Travellers' sites
03/10/2011
Eric Pickles has pledged to enforce planning law by giving councils more power to prevent unauthorised Travellers’ camps like Dale Farm from being established.
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Planners hit back at countryside campaigners
03/10/2011
The chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association and a government minister have criticised opponents of new planning rules.
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Call made to end sectarian segregation of social homes
03/10/2011
A leading Conservative has called for an end to the sectarian segregation of social housing in Northern Ireland.
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Spelman pledges to keep green belt protection
02/10/2011
The government will use new planning rules to boost the economy while protecting the green belt, the environment secretary has pledged.
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Right to buy revival to fund new homes
02/10/2011
The prime minister has announced plans to revive the right to buy policy.
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Lending threat to development plans
30/09/2011
Housing associations may struggle to fund their committed development programmes because of constrained bank lending, the social housing regulator has warned.
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Lib Dem peers call for increased benefit caps
30/09/2011
Rebellious Liberal Democrat peers are demanding that benefit caps are increased by more than £5,000 a year.
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Empty homes business buys up rival
28/09/2011
Vacant Property Services has bought rival firm Sitex Orbis for an undisclosed sum.
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Finance raised by social housing falls by £500m
26/09/2011
New finance raised by the social housing sector has fallen by £500 million, according to the Tenant Services Authority.
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Failed grant bid landlord turns to ‘plan B’
23/09/2011
A housing association which missed out on government grant plans to turn a newly created subsidiary into a £2 million turnover company to fund development.
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Landlords stuck in affordable rents stand-off
23/09/2011
Deadlocks between housing associations and councils over rent levels are threatening to derail the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme.
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TSA failing to spend tenant panel budget
23/09/2011
Money to set up new tenant panels has been underspent amid allegations that the government is not doing enough to promote the programme.
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Watchdog’s IT security fears
23/09/2011
Computer problems which have already cost tens of thousands of pounds could be jeopardising the security of the social housing regulator, according to one of its directors.
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Campaigners target riot eviction council meeting
21/09/2011
Campaigners are due to picket Wandsworth Town Hall to protest against a council’s plans to evict a council tenant whose son is alleged to have been involved in the riots.
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Chair to be picked for HCA regulation committee
20/09/2011
The chair of the new Homes and Communities Agency regulation committee will be selected later this month.
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Report calls for changes to existing tenancies
16/09/2011
Moving all social rents to 55 per cent of market rent could produce £20 billion of extra borrowing for new homes, according to a report published today.
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Housing provider bids for TSA deregistration
16/09/2011
An organisation which provides homes and care for ex-servicemen and women will deregister as a housing provider regulated by the Tenant Services Authority.
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Council body moots borrowing cap swap
16/09/2011
Local authorities should be able to break borrowing limits by swapping debt caps under the new housing revenue account system, a report by London Councils will argue.
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Credit fear over affordable rent
16/09/2011
Landlords should be wary of relying on selling homes to cross-subsidise development under the affordable homes programme, a ratings agency has warned.
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Landlords join forces to buy homes
15/09/2011
Four Welsh housing associations have formed a company to buy homes on the open market.
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£200m pledged for almost 2,000 new homes
15/09/2011
More than £200 million will be used to fund new affordable homes north of the border, the Scottish government has announced.
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Mortgage arrears falling
14/09/2011
Mortgages arrears cases are four per cent down on last year according to the latest figures from the Financial Services Authority.
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Call for clarity on post-2015 housing
14/09/2011
The government should make clear how it intends to fund new housing after 2015, according to a network of housing professionals.
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Aviva completes £45m homes transfer
13/09/2011
Fund manager Aviva has completed a deal for £45 million of institutional investment in social rented homes.
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Complaints grow against private landlords
13/09/2011
Complaints about private landlords have increased by a fifth in two years, according to research by homelessness charity Shelter.
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Housing association answers DIY SOS call
12/09/2011
A housing association is helping to renovate a dilapidated youth centre for Children In Need.
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Livingstone urged to back homes for social rent
12/09/2011
Labour activists are calling for London mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone to support the building of new homes for social rents if he is elected.
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Social housing fraud costs taxpayer £2bn a year
12/09/2011
Social housing tenancy fraud costs the British taxpayer more than £2 billion a year, a study has shown.
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Hyde faces credit rating downgrade
09/09/2011
A credit ratings agency has warned that Hyde Group’s credit rating could be downgraded.
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Overcrowding board to reach beyond housing
09/09/2011
Health officials could sit alongside housing sector figures on a new board to monitor overcrowding in the capital, the advisor to the Mayor of London has said.
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Government wants second round of affordable rents
08/09/2011
The government has told landlords it wants to run a second round of the affordable home programme and is looking at how to make it viable.
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Mother hits out at council's riot eviction threat
07/09/2011
The mother who faces losing her council home if her son is convicted of riot-related burglary has criticised Wandsworth Council’s stance.
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Campaigners protest at riot eviction hearing
06/09/2011
Campaigners gathered outside Wandsworth Magistrates Court today to protest against plans to evict a suspected rioter and his family from their council house.
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Construction orders hit 30 year low
05/09/2011
New construction orders are at their lowest for more than 30 years, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
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Mayor accused of double counting housing stats
05/09/2011
Labour’s London Assembly member for housing has accused the mayor’s office of double counting affordable housing figures.
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Building boom could give £75bn lift to economy
05/09/2011
Trebling the number of annual house building starts would generate an extra £75 billion for the economy and reduce rents by 10 per cent, a study has found.
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Chancellor defends planning reforms
05/09/2011
George Osborne has defended the government’s proposed changes to the planning system, saying they are ‘key to our economic recovery’.
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Working hard or hardly working?
02/09/2011
It is early days, but indications are that those hoping for the social housing sector to play a substantial role in the coalition government’s work programme will be disappointed.
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BSHF: ‘Relax rules to raise build rates’
02/09/2011
The government should relax planning permission in designated zones to allow communities to use land more effectively, the Building and Social Housing Foundation has said.
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Council to retain ‘poorly performing’ ALMO
02/09/2011
A London council plans to retain its arm’s-length management organisation despite its history of poor performance.
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NHF to probe value for money
02/09/2011
The National Housing Federation is to carry out an in-depth review looking at whether it is providing a satisfactory service to its members.
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Development failings halt landlord cash bid
01/09/2011
A housing association decided not to bid for grant under the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme after identifying failings in its development function.
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Boris to set under-occupier moves target
01/09/2011
Boris Johnson will set a target of 8,000 moves by under-occupying social housing tenants by 2016.
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Annual report reveals £500,000 loss for Fed
31/08/2011
The National Housing Federation has reported a loss after tax of £526,000.
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A head for figures
26/08/2011
If your household income is cut substantially how would you respond?
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Battle looms over affordable rents
26/08/2011
Rows between housing associations and town halls over rent levels are threatening proposed developments under the government’s £1.8 billion affordable homes programme.
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Petition demands council disbands ALMO
23/08/2011
More than 1,000 people have signed an online petition calling on a council to disband its arm’s length management organisation.
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House builder reports surge in profits
23/08/2011
Persimmon has reported a surge in pretax profit due to better margins on newly opened sites and control of development costs.
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Scottish public want affordable homes
23/08/2011
New social housing is the Scottish public’s priority for construction, according to a poll.
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Private landlords plan to snub tenants on benefits
22/08/2011
One in four private landlords are looking to reduce the number of tenants claiming local housing allowance in their portfolios, following welfare reforms.
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Benefit reform is ‘anti-family’
19/08/2011
Government proposals for housing benefit reform would break the prime minister’s pledge that all national policies should be ‘family-friendly’, leading housing organisations have warned.
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Charities miss out on £5bn work scheme
19/08/2011
Homelessness charities have received far fewer referrals than expected under a £5 billion government scheme to get people back into work.
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City West: ‘We’ll find a way to build’
19/08/2011
‘The number of properties we had to convert [to affordable rent] per new home meant we fell down on value for money,’ says a disappointed Paul Whitehead, finance director at City West Housing Trust in Salford.
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House building falls for housing associations
18/08/2011
Housing association starts have dropped by a third year-on-year, government figures published today show.
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Mortgage lending on the slide
18/08/2011
Mortgage lending has fallen 6 per cent year-on-year, according to data published today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
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Riot-hit areas receive government cash boost
17/08/2011
An extra £20 million of government funding has been made available to clean up and improve two of the areas worst affected by the riots.
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Largest landlords revealed in TSA homes data
16/08/2011
Statistics published by the Tenant Services Authority yesterday show Sanctuary Housing Association is still the largest private social housing provider in the country.
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Millions of renters at risk of homelessness
16/08/2011
Nearly three million renters are struggling to pay their bills, putting them at risk of homelessness, a charity has warned.
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Mears turnover rises after market turmoil
16/08/2011
Mears has reported increased turnover and profits after picking up work from failed rivals Rok and Connaught.
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Market turmoil ends bond plans
12/08/2011
Councils are putting their bond plans on hold following significant turbulence in the global financial markets.
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Repossessions falling says Council of Mortgage Lenders
11/08/2011
The number of homes repossessed by mortgage lenders has fallen year-on-year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
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Housing association supports riot hit tenants
11/08/2011
Housing staff, tenants and other residents have donated clothes, bedding, toiletries and food for 26 leaseholders whose homes were destroyed by rioters.
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Shapps backs eviction for rioting tenants
10/08/2011
Grant Shapps has pledged to support landlords who evict tenants found to have been rioting.
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Council set to renew contract with ALMO
10/08/2011
Westminster Council has agreed in principle to renew its contract with arm’s-length management organisation City West Homes.
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Land investment scheme could fund homes
09/08/2011
Public bodies should invest land as equity to fund new rented homes, a think tank has argued.
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Eurozone woe hits landlord's finances
29/07/2011
Notting Hill Housing Trust has raised £120 million on the bond market - but has had to pay more as a result of the eurozone crisis.
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HCA restricts affordable rent re-lets following benefit bill concerns
29/07/2011
The government has banned some social landlords from converting re-lets into its new affordable rent product because of the impact it could have on the housing benefit bill.
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Public registrations rise by 13%
29/07/2011
Registrations for new social homes in the United Kingdom are up 13 per cent on last year.
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Social housing reaches finish line
29/07/2011
It is now exactly 363 days until the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the national media is beginning to get excited.
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Affordable homes scheme still open to landlords
27/07/2011
Landlords whose bids for development money were rejected by the Homes and Communities Agency have been told they can still build homes under the affordable rent regime.
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Housing group raises millions on bond market
27/07/2011
Notting Hill Housing Trust has raised £120 million on the bond market.
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Housing association reports growth in turnover
26/07/2011
Hyde Group has reported an increase in turnover of £12.1 million in its annual report for 2010/11.
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HCA corporate plan published
25/07/2011
More than half of the 80,000 new homes expected to be built under the affordable homes programme are due for completion in the final year of the four-year scheme.
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Welfare changes to increase homelessness
25/07/2011
Benefit reforms will increase homelessness in Stoke on Trent and lead to an exodus of private landlords, a report has found.
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House prices continue to slip
25/07/2011
House prices fell slightly across England and Wales this month, according to data from housing market information company Hometrack.
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L&Q rejects rival's plan for stadium site
25/07/2011
London and Quadrant has released evidence showing why it believes a millionaire’s plan to re-introduce dog racing to its Walthamstow Stadium site is unviable.
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DWP defends benefit reforms in court
22/07/2011
The Department for Work and Pensions has vigorously defended its housing benefit reforms at the High Court.
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Court hears DWP failed race equality duties
22/07/2011
The Department for Work and Pensions failed to have regard to race equality duties when implementing benefit reforms, the High Court heard today.
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HCA tries to silence landlords
22/07/2011
The Homes and Communities Agency has attempted to gag landlords that wanted to reveal their funding allocations under the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme.
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Housing body lobbies over VAT change
22/07/2011
The National Housing Federation has met tax officials in a bid to prevent proposed value added tax changes which could cost housing associations more than £180 million.
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Hyde sells bulk of care arm to Family Mosaic
22/07/2011
Cuts to Supporting People funding have prompted Hyde Group to sell its entire care and support subsidiary.
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Santander delivers borrowing blow
22/07/2011
Housing associations may not be able to use ‘affordable rent’ homes to increase their borrowing capacity after a leading lender ordered the properties to be valued at the same level as social housing.
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Minister accused of doctoring official report
21/07/2011
A MP has accused communities minister Andrew Stunell of doctoring the official record of parliament.
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CLG faces £40m bill to lay off 650 workers
21/07/2011
The Department for Communities and Local Government will spend £43.2 million on redundancy payments, its accounts reveal.
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Landlords to raise £2bn for affordable rent homes
21/07/2011
London’s largest housing associations will jointly raise more than £2 billion of private finance for new homes over the next four years.
-
Deal brings controversial regeneration closer
20/07/2011
Hammersmith and Fulham Council has signed a £15 million deal with a developer which moves the controversial regeneration of two estates one step closer.
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Affordable housing tenants with new lets getting younger
19/07/2011
The average age of affordable housing tenants allocated new lets has dropped sharply over the last 20 years, according to a study published last week.
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HCA chief defends affordable homes programme
19/07/2011
The chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency has insisted the new delivery agreements under the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme are flexible, following concerns from landlords.
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Council repair service criticised by ombudsman
19/07/2011
A London council offered a ‘very poor’ housing repair service to three tenants, a watchdog has found.
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CIH has 'serious' concerns over affordable homes
15/07/2011
The Chartered Institute of Housing has said there are ‘serious on-going concerns’ around the affordable homes programme despite proposals to spend £1.8 billion on building 170,000 new homes.
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Housing benefit reform legislation delayed
15/07/2011
Legislation that will allow controversial reforms of housing benefit to go ahead has been delayed until the autumn.
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IT problem at TSA costs regulator £14,000-a-month
15/07/2011
The social housing regulator was forced to suspend the overhaul of its IT systems after major problems with the new system emerged.
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Landlords risk losing grant if developments change
15/07/2011
Social landlords could lose all their grant if they make minor changes to their development programmes, under new delivery agreements released this week.
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Kinetics rescue plan fails
14/07/2011
Social landlords have been forced to draft in new contractors to keep repairs work on track after the remaining part of Kinetics went into administration.
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HCA publishes affordable homes agreement
13/07/2011
The Homes and Communities Agency has published a delivery agreement which will form the basis for contracts published under the £1.8 billion affordable homes programme.
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Housing demand stays flat while prices fall
12/07/2011
Demand for property remained flat last month and house prices continued to fall, according to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
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Shapps accused of breaking tenancy pledge
12/07/2011
Housing minister Grant Shapps has been accused of breaking a pledge that two-year tenancies will only be used in exceptional circumstances.
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Remaining Kinetics firms face administration
11/07/2011
The remaining part of social housing contractor Kinetics is set to go into administration, according to one of its housing association clients.
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Labour could keep affordable rent
08/07/2011
A Labour government would not make radical changes to the new funding model for social housing, the shadow housing minister has said.
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Call made for community restrictions in Localism Bill
08/07/2011
The Localism Bill should be amended to ensure housebuilding is not unreasonably restricted by communities, a senior National Housing Federation director has said.
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HCA receives 'good spread' of affordable rent bids
08/07/2011
The Homes and Communities Agency has received a ‘good spread’ of bids for affordable rent funding from all areas of the country, its chief executive has said.
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LGA in £5bn bond venture
08/07/2011
Council housing departments could be set to benefit from billions of pounds in bond finance.
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Spectrum holds out for 2014 restructure
08/07/2011
‘Based on 2006 logic it was a perfectly reasonable assumption that we could further collapse the group in the long term…that we would be able to re-finance the new group on more advantageous terms and make further efficiency savings,’ says Wayne Morris, chief executive of Spectrum Housing Group.
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TSA fails to engage tenants
08/07/2011
Just one tenant responded to a consultation on the future of housing inspection, prompting fears not enough was done to involve people.
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Associations to remain private bodies despite FOI switch
01/07/2011
Forcing housing associations to respond to freedom of information requests is unlikely to threaten their classification as private entities, the Office for National Statistics has indicated.
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Aviva to arrange £45m Derwent deal
01/07/2011
Fund manager Aviva is set to agree up to £45 million of institutional investment in social rented homes.
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Councils plan to raise billions from bond market
01/07/2011
Councils are drawing up plans to borrow billions on the bond market to fund new homes, a move which could hike costs for housing associations.
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New VAT rule could cost sector £183m
01/07/2011
Housing providers could be saddled with a tax bill of up to £183 million under VAT changes being drafted by HM Revenue and Customs.
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Housing associations could be exempt from paying VAT on shared services
29/06/2011
Housing associations could be exempt from paying value added tax on shared services, under plans being drawn up by HM Revenue and Customs.
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Economic case could win over government
28/06/2011
Housing providers must convince government of the economic case for investing in affordable homes rather than focusing on need, Shelter’s head of policy has said.
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Allocations overhaul to favour workers
28/06/2011
A London borough is to give priority to working residents in an overhaul of its housing allocations policy.
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Rok pensions threatened by £90m deficit
28/06/2011
The administrators of Rok have revealed the company has a £90 million deficit in two pension schemes.
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House builder reports leap in profits
24/06/2011
Berkeley Group has reported a 23 per cent jump in profits.
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Borrowing cap for councils to stay
24/06/2011
The borrowing cap under the new self-financing system for council housing services will not be removed, a senior civil servant has said.
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£30m pulled from firstbuy funding
24/06/2011
A total of £30 million has been cut from the government’s firstbuy scheme.
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Earl’s Court contracts row
24/06/2011
A housing association chief executive complained to Hammersmith & Fulham Council after his organisation’s tenants were sent ‘contracts’ promising them homes in a new development.
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Grainger mulling social housing arm
24/06/2011
The UK’s largest listed private landlord is exploring the idea of setting up as a registered provider of social housing.
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National £500m bond plan dropped
24/06/2011
Plans for a £500 million national housing bond have been ditched following concerns about the effect on existing lending agreements - but other funding models are still being explored.
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Olympics boosts public homes
24/06/2011
Registrations for new public sector homes in the United Kingdom have increased since last year due to Olympic park registrations.
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Union calls for rent control
24/06/2011
Britain’s largest trade union could mobilise against the government’s housing reform programme if its members win a vote today (Friday).
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Mortgage arrears falling
23/06/2011
Mortgage arrears fell in the first three months of this year, according to data published yesterday (Wednesday) by the Financial Services Authority.
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HRA reform could halt demolition
23/06/2011
The new system of self-financing could deter authorities from demolishing old stock, a fringe session at the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Harrogate has heard.
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Plans for Earls Court scheme to be submitted
22/06/2011
Planning applications for the £8 billion Earls Court regeneration scheme will be submitted today.
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Government accused of not believing in localism
22/06/2011
A Liverpool councillor has accused the government of not believing in localism following a ruling to put a stop on the decision to knock down 200 homes in the Welsh Streets area of the city.
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Greenhalgh says social housing should be a launchpad
21/06/2011
Social housing should not be for ‘losers’ but should be a launchpad, Stephen Greenhalgh said.
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Shapps launches consultation into security of tenure in private market
20/06/2011
Grant Shapps has launched a consultation on increasing the property value limits used to determine security of tenure for leaseholders at the end of their lease.
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Firstbuy funding allocated
20/06/2011
More than 100 house builders and housing associations have been allocated funding under the government’s £180 million Firstbuy scheme,.
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Housing association raises £140 million through a financial first
20/06/2011
Places for People has raised £140 million through the sector’s first ever retail bond.
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Housing association to develop private homes near Arsenal FC
20/06/2011
London & Quadrant and house builder Barratt have signed a deal to jointly develop 375 new private homes close to Arsenal Football Club.
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Firstbuy allocations to be announced
20/06/2011
Allocations under the £210 million Firstbuy scheme are expected to be announced today.
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High housing costs leave people strapped for cash
20/06/2011
One in five people in the UK are spending more on running their home than they can afford, according to a survey by YouGov for the Chartered Institute of Housing.
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Politician backs tenant campaign to save estate
17/06/2011
Green Party London Assembly member Jenny Jones has thrown her support behind a tenants’ campaign to save their estates from demolition.
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Development to drop under new affordable homes programme
17/06/2011
Development of homes under the new affordable homes programme is set to fall by a third, according to the National Housing Federation.
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Council says track campaigner has not discussed planning application
17/06/2011
A millionaire who wants to re-introduce dog racing to Walthamstow Stadium has not had pre-planning application discussions with the local authority, despite campaigners claiming he has ‘provided an alternative plan’.
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HRA reform could create £54bn boost
17/06/2011
The move to self-financing councils could produce more than £50 billion of new investment for housing over the next 30 years, according to a new report.
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Landlords hit by Kinetics collapse
17/06/2011
Landlords in the north of England have been scrabbling to find cover after several subsidiaries of contractor Kinetics collapsed.
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Number of family homes to plummet in capital
17/06/2011
The Homes and Communities Agency is leaning on social landlords to increase the number of family-size homes they have bid to fund through the affordable rent programme after a disappointing response.
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Places for People eyes £100m bond
17/06/2011
Places for People has doubled the size of its planned retail bond to £100 million.
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Councillors waive affordable housing contribution for private members club
14/06/2011
Conservative members on Westminster Council’s planning sub-committee have been criticised for waiving affordable housing contributions worth a total of £870,000 on two new developments.
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Government called on to help tenants off benefits
13/06/2011
The government should do more to encourage housing associations to help tenants off benefits and into work, according to a research fellow from a right-wing thinktank.
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Public land sale welcomed by NHF
13/06/2011
The National Housing Federation has welcomed the government’s plans to sell off public land for new homes, but has called for ministers to ensure land is made available to social landlords.
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Administrators sell part of Kinetics as redundancies hit
13/06/2011
The administrators for stricken social housing contractor Kinetics have sold part of the group but 273 staff have been made redundant.
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Charity slams rent-to-buy landlord for plans to evict tenants
10/06/2011
Homelessness charity Shelter has criticised the rent-to-homebuy scheme after Inside Housing revealed a London housing association is evicting tenants to sell their homes on the open market.
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Housing association gets injunction to stop tenant abuse
10/06/2011
A major social housing provider has reported a former tenant to the police following years of online harassment of its chief executive.
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KHT: ‘We have cut through red tape’
10/06/2011
‘It was about removing red tape and the regulatory burden. We were finding that everything we wanted to do which was different or new we were having to wrap up in regulation. The number of hoops we needed to jump through was holding us back,’ says Bob Taylor, chief executive of Knowsley Housing Trust in Merseyside.
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Affordable homes to raise housing benefit bill
09/06/2011
The government’s affordable homes programme will increase the housing benefit bill by up to £1.3 billion over 30 years, according to the department for communities and local government.
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Contractor's subsidiary goes into administration
08/06/2011
A subsidiary of contractor Kinetics Group has been wound up and another has gone into administration.
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Housing association to swap stock and switch focus
08/06/2011
A south west housing association is to drastically reduce the number of areas it works in as part of an overhaul to save £1.2 million a year.
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Planning application submitted for Walthamstow dog track development
06/06/2011
London and Quadrant has submitted a planning application for a controversial development on the site of a former iconic dog track.
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Public housing construction orders fall
06/06/2011
The value of public sector housing construction orders fell by 17 per cent in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the same period last year, according to the Office of National Statistics.
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Councillor accused of distorting data
06/06/2011
A councillor has been accused of distorting data as part of her call for councils to be given the power to raise rents for existing social housing tenants.
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Council accused of intimidation as leader begs government for help
03/06/2011
Hammersmith & Fulham Council has been accused of attempting to intimidate tenants into leaving their homes to make way for the 8,000-home Earl’s Court regeneration scheme.
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Landlord plans £50m retail bond
03/06/2011
Places for People is in talks with investors about issuing the sector’s first ever retail bond.
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Task force sets out London plan
03/06/2011
Public sector brownfield land could accommodate as many as 50,000 new homes in London, according to a task force appointed by the city’s mayor.
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Tenants fight to stop council disbanding ALMO
03/06/2011
Tenants have launched a campaign to prevent Stevenage Council from taking the management of their homes in-house.
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Contractor bought by Wates construction company
01/06/2011
Wates Group has acquired repairs contractor Linbrook Services for an undisclosed sum.
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Child asylum seekers will receive worse care, union warns
01/06/2011
Unison has warned that funding cuts could lead to child asylum seekers receiving worse care.
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House sales fall for first time in three months
01/06/2011
Demand for house sales has fallen for the first time in three months, according to property market intelligence company Hometrack.
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Galliford Try wins housing frameworks worth £584 million
01/06/2011
Galliford Try has won a place on three affordable housing framework agreements worth a total of £584 million.
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Housing associations and councils sign up for '£50 billion' retrofit scheme
31/05/2011
A total of 12 housing associations and four councils in Liverpool have signed up to a retrofit scheme.
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Apollo lands contracts worth £22 million
27/05/2011
Apollo has been awarded two contracts in Wales worth a total of £22 million.
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Transfer of Islington's stock to housing association 'not viable'
27/05/2011
A report commissioned by Islington Council has found the transfer of the authority’s stock to a housing association would not be viable.
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Landlords crack down on ‘suicide-bidding’
27/05/2011
Housing associations are including new clauses in tenders to try to prevent companies winning work with abnormally low ‘suicide’ bids.
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Public homes registrations up 7 per cent
27/05/2011
The number of new social homes registrations has increased since last year while private sector registrations have decreased, according to the National House Building Council’s latest figures.
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Rent-to-buy tenants face eviction
27/05/2011
One Housing Group is evicting tenants who expected to rent their homes for up to three years, to sell their properties on the open market.
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CIH reports drop in income
25/05/2011
The Chartered Institute of Housing has reported a drop in overall income of £229,000.
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Report calls for more family homes as single parent households grow
24/05/2011
A total of 234,000 new households are forming a year, deepening the shortage of housing in England, according to a report published today (Tuesday).
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Contractor announces leap in profits
23/05/2011
Mitie has reported a 16.5 per cent increase in its operating profit.
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Places for People issues £175m bond
20/05/2011
Places for People has raised £175 million in the social housing sector’s first unsecured issue on the UK bond market.
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Construction of public housing falls
19/05/2011
Public sector construction activity fell in the first quarter of 2011 despite an upturn in the market overall, according to a survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
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Urgent reform needed to stop boom and bust
17/05/2011
Urgent action is needed to tackle housing market volatility to prevent another cycle of boom and bust, according to a report.
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Competition body eyes Capita's Tribal deal
17/05/2011
The Office of Fair Trading is to consider whether Capita’s acquisition of consultancy Tribal’s social housing business is a merger and whether it would reduce competition.
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Interim director of housing and regen for GLA appointed
17/05/2011
David Lunts has been appointed interim director of housing and regeneration at the Greater London Authority.
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Council takes ALMO services back in house
17/05/2011
A Yorkshire council is to move its housing management services in house to save £1 million a year.
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Greyhound fan offers £9m for L&Q site
13/05/2011
A millionaire has made a £9 million offer to buy the site of a former dog track from London & Quadrant.
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Housing associations cut development by half
06/05/2011
England’s largest housing associations have slashed development programmes by up to 50 per cent, bids submitted to the Homes and Communities Agency this week reveal.
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CIH recruits senior housing figures
17/03/2011
Two senior housing figures are taking up new positions at the Chartered Institute of Housing.
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Housing bodies dominate top employers list
08/03/2011
Social housing-related organisations have dominated the Sunday Times 100 best places to work for in the public and charity sector list, occupying nearly one in three positions.
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Capie made deputy chief of CIH
28/01/2011
Richard Capie has been appointed deputy chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
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Public services director leaves Treasury
07/12/2010
A senior Treasury civil servant responsible for housing is to leave her post on 28 February.
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Third of associations to freeze wages
02/12/2010
More than a third of housing associations are planning to freeze staff pay next year, according to a survey by consultancy EMA.
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NHF chair hits back at Shapps’ pay attack
23/09/2010
The chair of the National Housing Federation has criticised housing minister Grant Shapps for his attack on housing association chief executive pay.
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Boris fears housing benefit reforms
19/07/2010
The mayor of London has said he is concerned about the impact of plans to cut housing benefit, and requested special treatment for the capital.
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Livingstone places housing centre stage
12/07/2010
Ken Livingstone has pledged to put housing at the centre of his campaign to become mayor of London.
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Luton association to join Aldwyck
30/06/2010
Bedfordshire housing association Luton Community Housing is to join Aldwyck Housing group.
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Charity investment costs CIH £400,000
27/05/2010
The Chartered Institute of Housing saw its operating loss increase by more than £400,000 in 2009 after investing in charitable activities.