Latest news
Refuges ruling leaves councils open to housing claims
Councils could have to accept homelessness applications from people staying in refuges and temporary accommodation, following a ruling on the case of a woman refused housing in Manchester.
Healey axes £182 million homebuy scheme
Uptake of homeownership schemes could decrease dramatically after the government revealed plans to scrap a flagship scheme that has helped more than 14,000 people onto the property ladder.
Reviled council cash system bites the dust
Finance experts have welcomed plans unveiled by housing minister John Healey for dismantling the deeply unpopular national system of council housing finance.
Uncertainty over source of £1.5bn housing fund
There is uncertainty over where the £1.5 billion for affordable housing announced by Gordon Brown this week is coming from.
Editor's picks
Own goals
What is low-cost home ownership for? A series of developments this week make me wonder whether the attitudes of lenders, providers and the government have ever been further apart.
Spot the difference
Weaver v L&Q. Housing associations are now considered public bodies under the Human Rights Act. Does that make their responsibilities and borrowing rights indistinguishable from those of local authorities? Martin Hilditch reports on the impact of this landmark decision for landlords
Analysis
Lady in waiting
As yet another minister settles in, can the opposition steal a march on housing policy? Emily Rogers asks Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather whether she’s ready for action.
Can I take your order?
Research shows a significant link between tenants’ lack of choice and their level of dissatisfaction with their landlords. How easily could a menu of services and a range of resident options improve the situation? Mark Lupton reports.
Opinion
It’s a small world
Too many of us are stuck in the ‘think big’ era. It’s time to realise things have changed, argues Tim Dwelly
Give them a big hand
It is a long time since a Labour minister received a spontaneous round of applause. But that is what happened to John Healey at the Local Government Association conference in Harrogate on Tuesday evening, when the housing minister announced his plan to ‘dismantle’ the reviled housing revenue account.
What Canada has to teach us
A different style of mortgage planning that could help to keep credit sensibly moving in the housing market
