Kier launches repairs reporting app for tenants

Appy days

A fortnight ago you met them. Now it’s time to discover what they can do. We challenged the five finalists in the Rising Stars contest - Inside Housing and the Chartered Institute of Housing’s bid to find housing’s top talent - to design a phone app which would improve life for them, their employer, their residents - or all three. Here’s what they came up with.

The lost art

Peer pressure

The government’s welfare reforms faced a fierce opponent in Lord Richard Best as he battled to protect society’s poorest people. Carl Brown meets the staunch housing advocate to find out what drives him and what’s next on his agenda

Dimplex launches Quantum - the future of electric heating

Dimplex is set to change the way we think about electric heating with the launch of the Quantum Energy System, a complete ‘smart’ space and water heating energy management system offering low cost, low carbon electric heating and hot water.

Look who’s talking

When residents on Islington’s Andover estate complained about anti-social behaviour, they never expected their details to be sent to the perpertrators. Here, Rhiannon Bury kicks off our safer communities special by investigating the damage done by the council’s data blunder

Hands-on approach

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

Taking control of the media

In the wake of the summer’s riots, landlords are using social media to debunk stereotypes and show the good in their communities. Charlotte Goddard finds out how

Digital divide

Glasgow Housing Association is planning to get 30,000 of its tenants online by 2015. Margaret Moore explains why.

The home MOT test

A Dutch landlord is reducing maintenance costs by giving its homes regular check-ups. Chloë Stothart finds out how it works

Cold cottage rescue

Isolation from mains gas can spell financial hardship. Alex Turner investigates how Cornish landlords are exploring renewable energy solutions to rural fuel poverty