I’ve had neighbours from hell in the past, but was lucky – my landlord removed them. But whilst it is easier for landlords to evict troublesome neighbours – they would still rather take the easy option and go down the mediation route. [...]
Pre Payment Key meters cost more for Gas and Electric
It has to be acknowledged that some of the UK’s poorest people live in Social Housing. Some of these very same people use pre-payment meters to pay for their energy charges. Ofgem, the energy market regulator, introduced new rules which prevent energy suppliers from charging prepay customers more then the cost of maintaining their meters. [...]
This is a personal blog. I admit this. All landlords seem to have different criteria when allocating sheltered housing. My own landlord, Birmingham City Council, says you can apply when you are 50 yrs old whether you need help or not. [...]
Right to Buy & Buy to Let
In October, the Scottish National Party decided to scrap the Right to Buy for Social Housing tenants. I’m wondering if the rest of the UK should follow suit. [...]
The 2010 Decent Homes Standard
I should imagine most Council and Housing Association tenants have heard of this government initiative to bring all homes up to standard by the year 2010.
In your own property this might include one or all of the following: double glazing, new kitchens, bathrooms, electrical rewires and heating systems. [...]
Exchanging your home for improved disabled / adapted property features
It’s a fact that the debt the government has is going to create big cuts in sector spending probably for some time.
You might be thinking that you might not be affected that much but there are knock on effects of this. The worst cuts will probably start to be seen next year and 2010 will not have the spending of recent times. [...]
Fact: Around 2000 people sleep on the streets every night in the UK.
Fact: Approximately 130,000 people are homeless in the UK.
We are safe and snug in our homes (regardless of whether you want to exchange properties or not) and don’t really pay attention to the people who are without a home to call their own. [...]
So what is it about flats and maisonettes that people don’t like?
The fact of the matter is that there is not enough social housing in the country and quite frankly there simply isn’t the space to keep on building more houses unless built on greenbelt land or land that is unsuitable i.e. flood plain or previous dump. What would you prefer – a house that comes complete with a flood warning or a gas mask as a house warming gift? Or a flat that is large, well built and in a safe and environmentally friendly spot? [...]
How involved are you with your council or Housing Association?
Some Councils and Housing Associations actively try to involve their tenants and leaseholders, others aren’t quite so forthcoming. With the Audit Commission doing their thing in just about every area of housing (to rate them to Government Standards), some councils seem to overload their tenants with questionnaires on everything from how well a repair was carried out to how long it took the council to answer the telephone! [...]
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