HCA map to pinpoint location of England’s 652,000 empty homes

Hearts and minds

Welsh government sets 12,500 home building goal

The Welsh government has set a target of building 12,500 new homes in the country by 2016.

Armed for success

The inspirational and innovative work being done by arm’s-length management organisations across the UK was recognised at a special awards ceremony last week. Lydia Stockdale reports

‘My son’s death haunts me every day’

The brutal murder of eight-year-old Mark Cummings prompted a group of social landlords to question Scotland’s policy on housing sex offenders. Here, Martin Hilditch reports on their long battle for information and the consequences of their campaign

Rent control

The government must reduce the emphasis on homeownership and make renting a more attractive option, says Jon Cruddas

Solving the land puzzle

If organisations share buildings the leftover sites can be pieced together for development, says Alan Stokes

The repairs rule book

Contractor Forrest launched a code of conduct for its repairs and maintenance workers last summer, improving customer satisfaction as a result. Here Sally-Ann Smith explains how it works

The shortlist

Emily Rogers visits the council that is replacing allocation forms with face-to-face meetings to vet prospective tenants

Hands-on approach

A new breed of customer-focused housing officers is giving tenants a lot more satisfaction. Emily Rogers meets one of them

We mean business

Landlords can boost revenues and put something back into the community by setting up a social enterprise, as Anita Pati finds out