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Morning Briefing: Persimmon homes missing fire safety barriers
New homes built by one of the UK’s biggest house builders have been found to be missing crucial fire safety barriers, and the rest of this morning’s housing news
In the news
The BBC has the story on Persimmon, which has sent a letter to more than 1,000 residents of homes it built.
According to the BBC, the letter said that flame-resistant materials are missing from the roof spaces and wall cavities of some homes, and that it plans to check more homes to determine if the problems are more widespread.
The BBC also runs an article about revenge evictions, which campaigners from the group Generation Rent want to be scrapped.
One couple interviewed for the article said they were evicted from their home after threatening to report issues with damp to their local council.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports on a study by the Scottish Land Commission, a government quango, on landownership.
It has proposed that landownership rules be radically reformed to reverse the fact that a small number of wealthy individuals and public bodies own the vast majority of the countryside.
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Elsewhere, The Times’ business section has a couple of articles that could be of interest to the social housing sector.
Its banking editor Katherine Griffiths has written a warning to private equity firms to watch their reputations as well as their bottom lines.
This comes on the back of their story about Cerberus Capital Management’s decision to take a Scottish businessman to court to repossess his house.
The same newspaper carries an interview with the founders of financial services group Octopus, which says it wants to be in every household in Britain.
Housing professionals will remember Octopus for its short-lived venture into affordable housing and its subsequent retirement housing partnership with Places for People.
In local news, the Bristol Post interviews a mother living in temporary accommodation, who says she uses her son’s crutch to wedge her front door shut at night just to feel safe.
In Plymouth, residents of housing association Sanctuary have told the Plymouth Herald that they fear it may be years before they find out if they’ll lose their homes.
The association plans to either renovate or demolish rows of flats in the port city and is currently asking residents for their views on the proposals.
And the Barking and Dagenham Post reports that the council has approved plans to build two new tower blocks with no social housing at all.
On social media
As consultation on the uplift to Building Regulations as part of the Future Homes Standard is confirmed, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 comes into force today thanks to the efforts of @justinbates28 @KarenPBuckMP @nearlylegal t.co/i0rnVVTAFq
— Andrew Lane (@AndrewLane1962)As consultation on the uplift to Building Regulations as part of the Future Homes Standard is confirmed, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 comes into force today thanks to the efforts of @justinbates28 @KarenPBuckMP @nearlylegal https://t.co/i0rnVVTAFq
— Andrew Lane (@AndrewLane1962) March 20, 2019
What’s on
From 10am, Treasury officials will give evidence to the Treasury Select Committee on Philip Hammond’s Spring Statement
