Location: Best practice groups –
Virtual
22 February 2024 – 10:00am – 12:00pm
Location: HQN event –
Virtual
28 February 2024 – 10:30am – 2:00pm
Housing Quality Network news feed
3rd Line IT Infrastructure Engineer
Location: Enfield, EN3 Salary: £45,150 Hours: 37.5 (Occasional evening and weekend work is required) Reporting to: Head of IT Christian Action Housing Association is proud to be a local landlord providing homes and services across … Read more
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Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code becomes statutory as cases continue to rise
The Housing Ombudsman and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) have today launched their aligned Complaint Handling Codes which they hope will result in best practice in complaint handling and ultimately better services … Read more
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Customer Services Advisor
As Customer Servicers Advisor, you will be the first point of contact for our customers, responding to their enquiries in a friendly and helpful manner and aiming to deliver a right first-time service. You will … Read more
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Opinion: The new ‘competence and conduct’ standard is welcome but fails to address some key issues
By Alistair McIntosh, chief executive, HQN “There is no single solution to any problem” – Doug Edmonds RIP, formerly of the Audit Commission We welcome the fact that the government wants to put in place … Read more
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Opinion: The social housing rent increase – a tenant’s perspective
By Rob Gershon, council tenant and activist Over the last two years, for every £100 a tenant pays in their supposedly cheaper social rent, they now have to pay an additional £15. That’s on top … Read more
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Living standards catastrophe becoming new normal, warning
A charity is warning that a living standards catastrophe is becoming the new normal ahead of the general election, as research reveals that five million people are in a negative budget. Citizens Advice’s new analysis … Read more
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Fatal domestic abuse reviews renamed to better recognise suicide cases
The government says it is taking action to better recognise the often hidden victims of domestic abuse who die after suicide, coercive and controlling behaviour, and economic abuse. Publishing its response to a public consultation on reviews … Read more
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Vulnerable-adult accommodation charity investigated by regulator
The Charity Commission has launched an inquiry into Big Help Project, a Liverpool-based charity whose activities include providing accommodation to vulnerable adults. The regulator first engaged with the charity proactively after identifying a significant increase in … Read more
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Government’s new ‘competence and conduct’ standard will ‘improve service for all social housing tenants’
The government says social housing tenants will receive a fairer and better service from their housing provider, under new plans it has unveiled today. Under the new standards, providers will need to arm their staff … Read more
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Council ordered to pay £18,800 compensation by Housing Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman has made three findings of severe maladministration in three cases involving Waltham Forest Council, including poor handling of a damp and mould case involving a vulnerable resident and another resident experiencing ASB … Read more
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Clock ticks: Latest from regulator and ombudsman as new regime looms
By Roger Jarman, HQN Associate Introduction On 1 February HQN hosted an event with over 140 delegates which examined the key changes in housing regulation due this year. The event was chaired by Alistair McIntosh … Read more
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Social landlords celebrate official partnership
Two social landlords are celebrating the official start of a partnership aimed at bringing benefits and new homes to customers and communities across Surrey. The collaboration, which will see the smaller 1,650-home provider Mount Green … Read more
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Administrator
The Vacancy Salary:£26,744 per annum Location: Wythenshawe (M22) Hours of work:39 per week We are recruiting for a new colleague to join the team! Due to continual internal progression, we have an exciting opportunity for … Read more
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Course of the week
Condensation, damp and mould for non-technical officers: 13 February – Live virtual training Condensation, damp and mould if left untreated can have profound consequences on quality of life and health as well as the fabric … Read more
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Fix £4bn council funding hole or risk further bankruptcies, government warned
The government must fix the £4bn hole in council funding arrangements for 2024-25 or risk severe impact to council services and the prospect of further councils in England facing effective bankruptcy, the Levelling Up, Housing … Read more
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A week in climate change, 1 February 2024
Some enterprising people at the University of East London have been making building blocks out of sugarcane waste, which, it turns out, is a viable alternative to dirty old concrete – at least according to … Read more
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Three million households ‘will be trapped in fuel poverty by 2030’
Three million households will be trapped in fuel poverty by 2030, according to a new report. Launched this week by National Energy Action (NEA), the UK Fuel Poverty Monitor report also warns the UK government … Read more
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Council to inspect every single home for stock condition survey
City of York Council is about to start looking at every single one of its homes through a stock condition survey. The survey will gather the information needed to plan and fund an improvement programme … Read more
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Government launches consultation on social housing allocations revamp ‘to make system fairer’
An overhaul of how social housing is allocated, which the government claims will make the system fairer and not available to those who abuse it, has been announced today. Much-trailed ‘three strikes and you’re out’ … Read more
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Course of the week
Customer complaint handling workshop: 28 February – Live virtual training The Housing Ombudsman says that 2 of every 3 complaints they see could have been handled better by the landlord. Getting complaint handling right saves … Read more
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London borough doubles Council Tax bill for empty properties
The owners of long-term empty homes in a London borough will be forced to pay double their Council Tax bill one year earlier as part of action to help tackle the housing crisis. Last week … Read more
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Majority of private renters had problems with quality of housing, research
Two thirds of private renters experienced a problem with the quality or condition of their property in the past six months, new research has revealed. The representative survey of over 2,000 private renters was carried … Read more
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Housing association achieves world first for diversity and inclusion
A housing association has become the first in the world to achieve the global Standard for Diversity and Inclusion in HR Management. Manningham Housing Association (MHA) was given the award following an on-site assessment and … Read more
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HQN Training – new for 2024
New for 2024 all of our courses are now certificated with professional development hours. View all our upcoming public courses here. Further details on professionalisation requirements and the competency and conduct standard for the social … Read more
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Two million to be cut off from their gas and electricity this winter, warning
More than two million people across Britain will disconnect from their gas and electricity this winter because they can’t afford to top up their prepayment meter, new analysis from Citizens Advice has revealed. And the … Read more
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Housing Ombudsman calls for Royal Commission to create long-term plan for social housing
The Housing Ombudsman has called for a Royal Commission to create a long-term plan for social housing after finding that current approaches for the sector are not working for residents with a vulnerability. In its … Read more
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Project Management Team Leader
As Project Management Team Leader, you will be responsible for all Project Management activities, from inception to completion, in the delivery of our Decent Homes, Sustainability and Neighbourhood Improvement Works. You will also be responsible … Read more
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Housing Quality Magazine January 2024
Welcome to the January 2024 edition of HQM. We start the year with a look at the planned 2024/25 rent increase and its implications for both landlords and residents. We also ask some of the … Read more
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Council urged to ‘deliver better services’ after severe maladministration findings
The Housing Ombudsman has urged a local authority to use learning as a “springboard to deliver better services” after it found severe maladministration in four cases. The cases cover several aspects of the Croydon Council’s … Read more
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Government clueless about its effectiveness in protecting UK public from flooding, warning
The government doesn’t know if it’s making the UK more resilient to flooding, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned. In a new report PAC says that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs … Read more
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Location: Best practice groups –
Virtual
22 February 2024 – 10:00am – 12:00pm
Location: HQN event, Bitesize –
Virtual
27 February 2024 – 10:30am – 11:30am
Location: HQN event –
Virtual
28 February 2024 – 10:30am – 12:30pm
Location: HQN event –
Virtual
28 February 2024 – 10:30am – 2:00pm
Public training –
Live virtual
12 February 2024 – 10:00am – 1:00pm
Public training –
Live virtual
28 February 2024 – 10:00am – 1:00pm
Public training –
Live virtual
04 March 2024 – 10:00am – 4:00pm
Public training –
Live virtual
07 March 2024 – 10:00am – 4:00pm
today