#socialhousing

[attractingattention]

attracting attention to a book

[thxnews]

UK Tenant Rights Enhanced From Today by New Rules

Tenants in the UK will be granted new rights to access essential information about their homes, empowering them to hold landlords accountable and improve housing conditions. A consultation on new rules will enable social housing tenants or their representatives to request detailed information for free, enhancing transparency and quality in housing services.  

Winged eye graffiti, housing estate, East Road, Hackney, London, UK. Photo by Cory Doctorow. Flickr.  

Introduction

Social housing tenants across the UK will gain unprecedented access to information about their homes. This access will empower them to hold landlords accountable and drive up the quality of housing services. This move, announced by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, represents a significant step towards greater transparency and improved living conditions.   New Rights for Tenants The new rules will allow tenants to request information on various issues, including damp and mould, health and safety breaches, and repair times. For example, tenants with damp can discover how many other homes in their building share the same problem and what actions have been taken to fix it. Similarly, information on repair times and safety breaches will help tenants take necessary actions if landlords are not complying with legal requirements.   Enhancing Transparency This initiative responds to a critical demand from social housing residents for more transparency following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Baroness Scott of Bybrook, Minister for Social Housing, emphasized the importance of creating a culture of openness among social landlords. "We are giving residents the tools they need to hold their landlords to account and raise standards to the high level they rightly expect," she said.  

Mold can be a serious health risk. Photo by Allpro. Wikimedia.  

Key Features of the Consultation

- Damp and Mould: Tenants can request information on the prevalence of damp and mould issues in their building and the measures taken by landlords to address them. - Health and Safety: Information about health and safety breaches and inspection outcomes will be accessible, allowing tenants to pursue further actions if necessary. - Repair Times: Under the new Social Housing (Regulation) Act, landlords must fix emergency repairs within 24 hours. Tenants can see how often landlords meet this target and challenge them if they do not.   Government Reforms These new rights are part of broader government reforms aimed at improving social housing quality. Other recent measures include: - Proactive Consumer Regulation: The Regulator of Social Housing will carry out routine inspections of large landlords to ensure compliance with standards and fair treatment of tenants. - Awaab’s Law: This proposed law will introduce new requirements for landlords to fix hazards in social homes within fixed timeframes.   Impact and Implementation The implementation of these new rules is expected to significantly impact the quality of social housing. By enabling tenants to access detailed information about their homes, the government aims to address systemic issues related to safety, quality, and tenant-landlord relationships identified after the Grenfell Tower fire. Tenants will be empowered to take action through the Housing Ombudsman if landlords fail to meet their obligations.  

1960s council flats on Newington Green Road, London. Photo by Lucy R Fisher. Flickr.  

Step-by-Step Guide for Tenants

Here’s how tenants can exercise their new rights: - Request Information: Tenants or their representatives can request information about their homes from landlords for free. - Review Information: Check details on damp and mould, health and safety breaches, and repair times. - Take Action: If landlords do not meet legal obligations, tenants can challenge them through the courts or the Housing Ombudsman.   Final Thoughts These new regulations mark a significant shift towards greater transparency and accountability in social housing. By providing tenants with the information they need to hold landlords accountable, the UK government aims to improve living conditions and ensure that all social housing meets high standards of safety and quality. This initiative is a critical step in addressing the issues highlighted by the Grenfell Tower tragedy and fostering a culture of openness and respect between tenants and landlords.   Sources: THX News, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, AXA, CAB, Housing Rights, Shelter & Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE. Read the full article

[sublimeobservationarcade]

Not Building Another Stadium Is A Win For Queenslanders

The recent decision by the Queensland state government not to build another sporting stadium for the Olympics is a sign of maturity. Brisbane and Australia are in the midst of an acute housing crisis, with too few houses and apartments available for demand. It would be a gross display of economic irresponsibility to build a massively expensive stadium when there are not enough affordable accommodation options available for the people of Brisbane. The builders and the investment should be engaged and spent on social housing rather than infrastructure for sport. Enough with the elitist sporting indulgence when a city, a state, and a nation is not taking care of its ordinary citizens. Not building another stadium is a win for Queenslanders. “No one wants to see money spent on facilities that are only needed for four weeks.” Premier Steven Miles “The Queensland government says it won’t be demolishing the Gabba and building a new Olympic stadium in Brisbane, despite the recommendations of an independent review of venues for the 2032 Games.” (https://www.governmentnews.com.au/queensland-says-no-to-new-olympic-stadium/)

Olympic Dreams Can Take A Backseat To Building Social Housing

The Olympics has its place but it should not gazump the responsibility that governments have to their subjects. The Olympics is cream and there is no cream if the basics have not firstly been put in place. The market has failed renters in Brisbane, in Queensland, and around Australia. The neoliberal economic policies of the last few decades have seen an abrogation by government’s of their responsibilities. Housing and providing shelter at an affordable rate should be at the top of the list for our society at both state and private sector levels. Profitability has replaced all other concerns and we have been let down by this.

Shameful Behaviours By Corporate Australia During Cost Of Living Crisis There are families who have been forced to live in tents on the fringes of the city because of the unaffordability of rents in Queensland. The market has not taken care of business and governments have failed their constituents. The cost of living crisis has sucked the modest savings out of the working poor families. People are living hand to mouth. Australian corporations have recorded record profits during this time, which says something about the morality of our businesses. Profitability has become everything and basic decency has left the building. It is pretty lousy really. We got through a global pandemic only to come out the other side and have businesses target the government assistance funds via price gouging. Corporate Australia should hang its head in shame. Woolworths, Coles, Qantas, Commonwealth Bank, Ampol, Santos, PwC, News Corp and all the many companies that don't pay tax have been taking a crap on all of us at our expense. Wildly overpaid CEO's like Alan Joyce - it is a disgrace. ©WordsForWeb

Read the full article

[l8in]

Cyngor Gwynedd meetings last month included the Planning Committee - yet another meeting plagued by 'technical difficulties'. The vote for a new Chair had to be retaken as a councillor who was not part of the committee took part in the vote.

[wbs70]

Heine Hof - Social housing complex / Gemeindebau / Sozialwohnungen #heinehof #stöbergasse #socialhousing #socialhousingproject #gemeindebau #sozialwohnungen #architecture #margarethen #blue sky #vienna #wien https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXq9dOs4EY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[socialhe-notes--milo]

I wish to be in a good place where I live a life that’s lovely. Though to consume and place oneself into a situation and live vicariously through that moment.

[normally0]

Echoes of Freedom: The Ballers' Vision at Fränkelufer

In Kreuzberg’s heart, where histories intertwine,

The Ballers crafted homes with visions so divine.

Amid the angular, the rigid, and the cold,

Their buildings rose, like tales yet to be told.

Fränkelufer’s block, where ruins once did lie,

Now stands a testament to dreams that touch the sky.

With pastel curves and railings, soft and bright,

They brought to life a vision bathed in light.

Like Giger’s dreams where man and machine blend,

The Ballers’ forms through nature did extend.

Surreal yet functional, their buildings breathe,

With spaces wide, allowing life to seethe.

Gothic whispers in their modern stance,

Echoes of Giger in each sweeping glance.

Where dark meets light, and steel meets glass,

Their architecture sings, as ages pass.

Inken and Hinrich, with a touch so bold,

Turned cold stone walls to stories, warmly told.

Their Fränkelufer project stands to say,

That even in the urban, hearts can play.

Oh, how they made the city gently dance,

With curves that speak of freedom, of romance.

In every twist, a homage to the past,

In every line, a future unsurpassed.

So let us walk through courtyards green and wide,

Where Ballers’ visions and Giger’s dreams reside.

For in these spaces, both strange and grand,

We find the soul of Berlin, by their hand.

#BerlinArchitecture #Ballers #Fränkelufer #GothicResonance #UrbanDesign #SocialHousing #ArchitecturalVision #Biomechanical #BerlinLandmarks #CityOfLight

[ianfulgar]

A compliance project contains the entire or a portion of the socialized housing program or socialized housing project applied to comply with the balanced housing development under Section 18 of RA 7279, as amended by RA 10884. READ: https://bit.ly/3PvgLAg #housing #propertydevelopment #housingmarket #philippines #affordablehousing #socialhousing #socialized #developmentproperty #housingproject #realestate #property #properties #realestatetips #realestatenews #newhomes #homebuilder #propertymarket #propertymarketing #affordablehomes #townhomes #propertyinvestors — view on Instagram https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.2885-15/345289193_191330920505902_5438099937246787432_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8ae9d6&_nc_ohc=1lrEFNeF8vgAX9FOx0d&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&oh=00_AfCx0XB5qE-yFYXDZi2F-sXIALnFfdbpqUs5MbTdl8NdDA&oe=645DA4D6

[socialistarchitecture]

: . 18-th storey cast-in-place social housing tower block, designed by architects: B.Lebedev, I.Kombarbayev (Frunzegorproiect), built in 1985. . #socialistcityandurbanism #insularmodernities . #socialistarchitecture_kyrgyzstan #socialistarchitecture #insularmodernities #prefabricatedaesthetics #socialhousing #socialistcity_bishkek #bishkek #frunze #kyrgyzstan #archdaily #dezeen #sovmod #sovarch #sovietarchitecture #соварх #совмод #архитектура #модернизм #соцарх #соцархитектура #socialist #socialistcity (at Frunze, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUZ731lJu6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[spurloser]

#surface #teiling #erosion #signs #buff #crack #face #autumn #socialhousing #spurloser https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckl8BwRr9zI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=