Falling through the cracks

Government set for ombudsman complaints u-turn

The government is set to backtrack on plans to bar tenants from taking their complaints to the Housing Ombudsman Service.

United front

Local authorities must recognise that homelessness is an issue for the whole council if they are to avoid complaints

Back to the land?

Disabled man 'failed' by council over housing claim

An investigation into the poor housing provided for a disabled man in Wales has found ‘systemic failures’ by the council.

Deadly dust

The death of John Shiers from asbestos-related cancer raises worrying questions for housing providers. Martin Hilditch kicks off our refurbishment and retrofit special by investigating what landlords should do to protect their tenants from a similar fate

Personal shopper

Housing association Orbit’s in-house procurement team has found itself in demand as other social landlords seek its expertise. Jess McCabe finds out the secrets to its success

Along for the ride

Contractor Kier offers customers the chance to shadow a maintenance worker for a day. Here, Sheffield Homes tenant Yvonne Collins, 71, explains how the scheme is improving tenants’ understanding of repairs and their satisfaction with the service

The harassment minefield

Landlords which chase debts reasonably don’t need to fear legal action, says Matthew Lake, solicitor at Weightmans LLP

A step too far

The Law Commission is fighting the requirement for tenants to make all complaints in writing, says Lynne Murray

Close inspection

Tenant panels are set to play a key role in the regulation of the social housing sector. As tenant groups launch documents outlining their make up, Nic Bliss examines the challenges facing the new bodies.