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

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

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

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

Latest member question: forfeiture process

A member is reviewing their forfeiture process and would be grateful of some inspiration. Unfortunately a leaseholder had to go into a care home several years ago and is not engaging. The local authority have … Read more

HQN appoints Chloe Fletcher as new director

HQN is delighted to announce the appointment of Chloe Fletcher as a new director. A well-known and highly regarded figure in the social housing sector, Chloe joins from the National Federation of ALMOs, where she … Read more

RSH confirms social housing rent levels for 2024/25

The Regulator of Social Housing today confirmed rent levels for 2024/25. Following much conjecture about the repeat of a rent cap, the government has decided to revert to its old rent setting formula for 2024/25 … Read more

HQN’s housing regulation quiz 2023

Who doesn’t look forward to a housing regulation quiz at this time of year? And we have one for you that gradually gets harder to really test hardcore regulation fans! If you don’t get 100%, … Read more

Latest member question: service charge systems

Can anyone advise me of any service charge systems/solutions that they currently use please, that sit outside their housing management systems? Thanks in advance.

Gove confident leasehold reform bill will pass before general election

Housing secretary Michael Gove says he believes a bill aimed at reforming leasehold law will be passed before the next general election. According to the government, the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill, introduced to parliament … Read more

Leasehold reform plans could increase property prices, study

The government’s plans to abolish marriage value and allow leaseholders to extend their lease by 990 years could lead to an average price increase of 9.9% for short leasehold stock, a new study has revealed. … Read more

Ground rent reforms will save leaseholders £thousands, says government

The government has unveiled new proposals to slash ground rents, which it says will save homeowners thousands of pounds. Housing secretary Michael Gove has launched a consultation that will set out options including capping ground rents at … Read more

Government appoints chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service

The housing minister and secretary of state have appointed a chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE), a government-funded body which provides free information and advice to leaseholders Martin Boyd is currently chair of the … Read more

Government pledge could help reduce leaseholder insurance premiums

The government has agreed a pledge with five insurance brokers which it says could mean thousands of leaseholders in buildings with identified fire safety issues seeing a significant reduction in their insurance premiums. According to the … Read more

Housing Quality Magazine October 2023

The autumn edition of HQM features a big interview with Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman, in which he shares his insights into the service’s progress and his views on everything from leasehold to mergers. Lara … Read more

New shared ownership rent reforms come into force

The government has this week introduced a series of reforms to shared ownership rents which apply to the leases of new shared owners who purchase homes delivered through the Affordable Homes Programme and through the … Read more

Independent Chair of the Resident Board

We are looking for a new Chair for our Tenant and Leaseholder Advisory Board, the key body for providing tenant oversight of the work of Slough Borough Council’s housing service. At the moment, the housing … Read more

Latest member question: Right to Buy

Where the purchaser has use of facilities or communal space that are funded by the HRA ( or equivalent account in the Housing Association sector,) can the former landlord charge for these services, even if … Read more

Latest member question: GDPR and Right to Acquire

A member would be interested to know, under GDPR, what retention periods do you set for former and current tenancy data? In particular for the purpose of confirming Right to Acquire eligibility discounts for both … Read more

Landlord’s promotion found to be in breach of ASA’s marketing code

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found that L&Q was in breach of its marketing code when it advertised its shared ownership product as a Black Friday promotion. Two issues were investigated, both of which … Read more

Sales Progression Executive

We’re a local housing association that’s passionate about tackling the housing shortage in the East of England. We provide warm, safe and affordable homes. But we don’t stop there. We offer a wide range of … Read more

HQN launches updated social housing regulation toolkit

HQN is delighted to announce our updated social housing regulation toolkit. The toolkit will help you to get ready for the start of what the minister says will be “Ofsted-style” inspections for housing. Every member … Read more

Finance Assistant – Service Charges team

What you’ll do We’re excited to be looking for a new Finance Assistant to join our Service Charge team. This role is 18 months fixed term where you’ll be responsible for producing accurate rent and … Read more

Opinion: A personal pledge to shape the future of housing leadership

By Elly Hoult, candidate for Chartered Institute of Housing vice presidency I am excited and honoured to step into the spotlight as a candidate for the position of vice president. This moment is a heartfelt … Read more

Opinion: We know what the problems are, but what about the solutions?

By Alysha Burrell, candidate for CIH vice presidency Skills shortages are crippling the housing market. There is inadequate investment in social housing, tenant and resident voices are rarely heard, and there is still a slow … Read more

Opinion: Everything begins at home

By Eileen Patterson MSc CIHCM, candidate for CIH vice presidency Everything begins at home. Having a decent safe and affordable home is a basic human right which impacts on life chances, health, education and employment … Read more

Opinion: Let’s regain our housing sector reputation!

By Hony Premlal, candidate for CIH vice presidency The prospect of serving as vice/president for CIH members presents an incredible opportunity for me to inspire our housing community to fight for our reputation. I am … Read more

TSM survey

With the Tenant Satisfaction Measures now underway, we’re keen to check the progress members are making with their surveys and analysis. So, if you could spare 5 minutes to answer some simple questions, please click here. … Read more

Latest member question: buyback clauses

A member would be interested to discuss your approaches for reverse staircasing. Those of you that have a mandatory buyback clause in your leases where a customer owns more than 80%, would you consider buying … Read more

Annual Conference 2023 – Kate Ratcliffe and Alistair McIntosh interview