social housing

Anti-social behaviour is one of the most difficult and persistent challenges faced by social housing providers.

For residents, the consequences can be profound. Persistent noise, intimidation, harassment, drug-related activity, damage, nuisance or the regular presence of unwanted visitors can affect not only quality of life, but a person’s sense of safety in their own home.

For housing professionals, however, there is another problem: evidence.

The Prime Minister has pledged to remove the Right To Buy any new council houses built under his tenure.

In a powerful and emotional speech to the Labour Party Conference, he again highlighted his vision to kick-start the biggest council house building programme since the post-war era.

Durability is a key factor in the specification of kitchen and bathroom flooring in social housing, and Beauflor cushion vinyl flooring is the first line of defence against premature wear and early replacement.

Every day flooring comes under attack and without the right durable solution, the risk of early deterioration, tenant complaints and repairs rises sharply. So, the specification of a floor that’s up to the task is important in ensuring a durable and lasting solution that reduces the risk of early replacement.

With the latest Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) guidance placing greater focus on Falls Between Levels, now is the time for housing providers to review their opening window safety measures and assess what the updated guidance means, and is having a restrictor fitted adequate.

The HHSRS provides a useful reminder that housing safety is about identifying and managing risk, rather than simply ticking off products or features. HHSRS covers 21 potential hazards, including Falls Between Levels: falls from one level to another, such as through a window where guarding or edge protection is too low or defective.

Premiere Kitchens has invested £3.25m in new manufacturing equipment for its Gloucester factory to give housing providers greater certainty across planned works, new-build and fast-moving void programmes.
For social landlords, manufacturing capacity matters most when it removes risk from a programme. A kitchen arriving late can hold up several trades, extend a void period and adding cost before a property is ready to let.

Tough metal pipe boxing from UK Boxings is installed in a diverse range of social housing projects to conceal exterior services, such as gas supply and low carbon distributed heating pipework as well as pipes and systems associated with ground source or air source heat pumps.

The Prime Minister and Secretary of State, Angela Rayner, have allocated almost £10 billion to kick start a surge in social housing construction.
 

Prior to his promotion to PM, Mr Burnham said he would make housing a priority by launching ‘the biggest council housebuilding programme since the post‑war period’.

Two months on and long term funding has now been confirmed for 33 strategic partners – councils, housing associations and other providers – in a bid to follow through on the promise.