The Week in Housing: spotlight on shared ownership and ombudsman reveals new investigation approach

Damp and mould was also in the spotlight as the first phase of Awaab’s Law came into force alongside a £1m fund to improve tenant engagement and give residents more say in how their homes are managed.

Following this, more than 20 social landlords were highlighted for failings in how they dealt with damp and mould cases in the Housing Ombudsman’s latest Learning from severe maladministration report.

The sector watchdog also unveiled a new investigation process for landlords found to be doing worse than their peers on key measures.

In good news for tenants, the Renters’ Rights Act has become law after the landmark bill received royal assent. It will bring huge changes to private renting in England, including a ban on Section 21 no-fault evictions.

Other changes include applying the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector, abolishing blanket bans on tenants who have children or receive benefits, and cracking down on bidding wars.

Despite the new housing law and regulations, another senior frontbencher fell foul of the rules this week. The London borough where chancellor Rachel Reeves owns an unlicensed property was forced to confirm that it only fines landlords who do not respond to warning notices.

There was a huge win for leaseholders, which the government welcomed, after a group of freeholders lost their argument that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 undermines their human rights under Section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

There was big news from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) as it announced that long-serving chief executive Fiona MacGregor is to step down next year.

The RSH’s annual statistics on stock and rents in the social housing sector revealed a net increase of nearly 38,000 social homes since 2024, but a fall in social rent.

The English regulator also downgraded Phoenix Community Housing’s governance rating to a non-compliant G3 after finding “serious” failings in how the landlord managed payments.

The government announced a series of environmental regulation reforms in an effort to boost housebuilding.

Despite this, research published by the Chartered Institute of Housing found the government is likely to fall short of its 1.5 million homes target by around 25%.

In Northern Ireland, communities minister Gordon Lyons announced a cut to grant rates provided to housing associations.

Following several other inquiry sessions, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee called on the government to establish a statutory dispute resolution scheme to settle “deadlocked” negotiations over land value.

The committee also called for Section 106 reform, as news broke that Liverpool City Council is pursuing legal action against developers for failing to pay around £950,000 under agreements.

The House of Lords Built Environment Committee warned that new towns will fail without strong government leadership, and that funding is one of the “most critical issues” facing the programme.

Moving on to building safety, during an inquiry on the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR) performance, chair Andy Roe said there is a “real need” to regulate key roles in the construction industry.

This session came after the BSR revealed that around 1,300 residents in high-risk blocks have contacted it about safety concerns over the past year.

Large London landlord Clarion said it is well-placed to meet its legal duties and has clear policies, procedures and staff training in place after a former staff member was recorded telling staff how to fake a fire safety notice.

Landlords are still feeling the cost of building safety issues after Gentoo saw its annual surplus fall by 15% after booking a £6m impairment charge related to three large-panel system blocks set for demolition.

You can read Inside Housing’s round-up of the key news stories, guidance documents and new thinking for those involved in building safety issues here.

In appointment news, Victor da Cunha, chief executive of Curo, has been appointed chief customer officer at Notting Hill Genesis.

Michael Sozansky, former head of compliance at Ofgem, was appointed chair of West of Scotland Housing Association.

Social landlords in Scotland are calling for action after warning that soaring building costs and uncertainty over new standards will leave a “multibillion” gap to tackle the country’s housing emergency.

Settle and Paradigm Housing Group officially completed their merger to form a new 27,000-home landlord.

Despite the sector’s development woes, plans were submitted to build a 54-storey residential tower in Canary Wharf, east London.

This week, Inside Housing asked: has the high point of build-to-rent suburban houses already passed?

Plus, there was a touching tribute to Alan Kilburn, a long-standing chief executive of Home Group, who passed away in September.

Have a great weekend.

Stephen Delahunty, news editor, Inside Housing

Say hello: stephen.delahunty@oceanmedia.co.uk

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