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Short on time? Monday’s housing news in five minutes
A round-up of the top stories this morning from Inside Housing and elsewhere
Top story: Fears cladding scandal could grow after mortgages refused on buildings below 18m
Fears have been raised that the cladding scandal currently preventing thousands of leaseholders from selling their flats could grow, after it emerged that some banks are now refusing to give mortgages on buildings under 18m.
Inside Housing has spoken to one leaseholder living in a block of just 15m who saw the sale of his Hackney flat fall through after housing secretary Robert Jenrick’s fire safety reforms last month, which called on building owners to assess and manage the risk of external regardless of height.
Click here to read the full story
Sanctuary picked to take over assets from troubled Glasgow housing association
A landlord has been picked to take over the assets of a troubled Glasgow-based housing association after the Scottish Housing Regulator identified a number of “serious and widespread” failures in its governance last year.
Thistle Housing Association has identified Sanctuary Scotland, part of the wider Sanctuary Group, as its preferred partner after a bidding process.
The housing association’s 947 social rented homes and 786 homes in the hands of factored owners will transfer to Sanctuary in the next financial year if the merger goes ahead, after a period of due diligence.
Lunchtime long read
The Housing Ombudsman Service recently appointed a new boss and is waiting for ministers to sign off plans for a radical shake-up of how it operates.
In this episode of The Housing Podcast, we speak to new housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway – who has previously worked alongside Boris Johnson and David Cameron – about how he plans to change the complaints culture in social housing for the better.
Quote of the day
“The Local Government Association has hundreds of councils affiliated. It should call on them to each write to the government calling for grant to fund large-scale social rent council housebuilding.”
In today’s opinion piece, Martin Wicks calls for councils to lobby government for more grant.
In the papers
Picture: Getty
The Sunday Times has a long read on the cladding crisis. Picking up on Inside Housing’s theme about buildings below 18m being affected, it warns that all the UK’s flat owners could be affected.
The Guardian runs a comment piece by Shelter boss Polly Neate in which she calls the new First Homes programme a “comfort blanket” – warning that such homes may help people on “the cusp of homeownership” over the line, but would not help people in more difficult circumstances.
Also in The Guardian is a long read about the rising trend of Londoners moving out of the city to the North, to escape soaring house prices and a low quality of life.
Local news
Picture: Getty
Wales Online has the latest on the a major clean-up operation under way in the aftermath of serious flooding from Storm Dennis.
Waltham Forest Council is changing its allocations policy because of overwhelming demand, the local paper reports.
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