Striking the right balance

Faulty towers?

A year ago two firefighters died in a blaze in a Southampton tower block. Nick Duxbury finds out if anything more could have been done to prevent their deaths.

Stoke-on-Thames

Court told poor work led to carbon monoxide death

‘Sub-standard and badly-managed work’ contributed to the death of a young woman who died after being overcome by carbon monoxide fumes, a court heard today.

Green crisis?

Don’t believe the hype

Negative headlines claiming rough sleeping is getting worse are unfair and don’t acknowledge all the good work being done by outreach teams, says Jeremy Swain

Guarding empty homes

Landlords should seek legal advice before hiring ‘guardian’ services to protect their property, says Ben Halsey, senior associate at Lewis Silkin

Unlocking the green code

Green leases are becoming more common for social landlords with commercial property, says Ben Halsey, senior associate at Lewis Silkin

Uncertain times for tenants

Co-operatives need clarification over tenure regime for members, says Brynmor Adams, barrister at Five Paper

Tenant take over

In some circumstances, residents can remove management function from their landlord, says Nicholas Kissen

Scrapheap challenge

The price of metal has risen sky high making pipes, railings and even boilers an irresistible target to thieves. Chloë Stothart finds out how one housing association is tackling the growing problem of metal theft