social housing

Mainstream media has been buzzing these last few weeks with stories about households being forced onto prepayment meters because they have been unable to pay their bills. British Gas has come under particular fire due to employing bailiffs who have allegedly used threatening behaviour to enter people’s properties and install prepaid meters.

This has generated a lot of negative reactions - and understandably so. People are being expected to find sometimes hundreds more pounds a month from incomes that have not increased in line with inflation, to cover household bills and everyday shopping essentials, the costs of which are spiralling out of control.

1 April 2023 marks the introduction of Tenant Satisfaction Measures. In this article, we explain how social housing landlords can meet the requirements of the TSM standard and how technology can help.
 
Tenant accountability will be increased for social housing landlords from April 2023. It comes from a newly introduced system to standardise Tenant Satisfaction Measures by the UK Regulator of Social Housing.

InstallerSHOW, the UK’s largest event for influential installers and specifiers of technologies in heat, water, air, and energy is back for 2023! Taking place on 27-29 June 2023 at the NEC, Birmingham, InstallerSHOW is THE place to see and get hands-on with new products and technology from over 400 leading manufacturers, suppliers and trade associations.

The continued shift in product innovation, mostly connected to the net zero pathway, means that suppliers, specifiers and installers need to communicate, learn, train and educate each other about the latest tech. Water efficiency, renewable energy, energy efficiency and air quality are key themes for InstallerSHOW. Suppliers use the InstallerSHOW to launch new products to the UK market and to showcase their solutions to our influential audience groups.

A national trade body is signposting social housing professionals to a range of services to find a trusted route to solve damp and mould issues in properties.

The Property Care Association, which has been in formation for ninety years, is the UK trade body for companies and professionals who specialise in the diagnosis, control and management of dampness in buildings.

Its members understand all the different variables which can affect moisture levels in properties, such as the building’s construction, style of occupation, heating, thermal performance of walls and floors, and the provision of air exchange.

The Crest Nelskamp Planum and G10 S PV integrated solar PV system is a quick and easy to fit system that works seamlessly with Crest’s Planum concrete and G10 clay roof tiles, offering a state-of-the-art solution for the completed roof.

With an increasing focus on sustainable solutions in the built environment as the UK looks to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, Crest Building Products offers the Crest Planum and G10 Clay S PV Integrated solar system. They are engineered to fit quickly and are installed at the same time as the roof, interlocking easily with Crest’s Planum concrete flat tiles and the G10 clay tiles. Crest’s PV Solar Tile solution provides an almost seamless, attractive finish to the completed roof, whilst supplying the homeowner or building owner with an instant clean and efficient energy supply.

Fire protection solutions manufacturer, Advanced, has supplied its EvacGo evacuation alert system to two high-rise residential tower blocks in Huyton, Merseyside following a series of fire safety improvements to the buildings.

Following a significant programme of compartmentation works undertaken in 2018, the 11-storey Knowsley Heights buildings have benefitted from a refit that includes installation of Advanced’s EvacGo system, which is compliant with the BS 8629 Code of Practice, for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in England and Wales.