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Housing associations are busy looking for ways to diversify their businesses and to protect their balance sheets from planned 1 per cent rent cuts over the next four years. You would be forgiven for


On the cover... March 2016


The March issue of Housing Management & Maintenance features WoodBlocX – Angel Lane, Stratford


Features this month Boilers & Cylinders Eco & Energy Efficiency Rainwater Products Roofing Security & Tenant Safety


Show Preview FIT Show


News Detailed messages from HA


Global accounts


Latest news, events and products


www.housingmmonline.co.uk


Located in Stratford’s regeneration area, within the London Borough of Newham, Angel Lane is student accommodation giant, Unite’s latest London development. The site incorporates more than 700 flats, state of the art facilities and dedicated areas for study and relaxation. WoodBlocX innovative wooden brick system was specified for build, the second of Unite projects that WoodBlocX planters have been specified for. The brief was to create a contemporary design that echoed the architectural surroundings, whilst providing areas for different groups of people to relax and socialise.


4 | HMM March 2016 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


Editor’s comment Interesting times ahead


Hidden in the dusty content of some very serious and dry reports, you can find the source of some interesting campaigns and rows. And that appears to be the case with the publication of three very different papers – the English Housing Survey, the Global Accounts for Registered Providers and the draft Merger Code.


The EHS revealed the continuing growth and popularity of the private rented sector, but also showed it includes 1.3 million substandard homes with such problems as damp, inadequate heating and poor insulation.


With more families turning to private rentals as their solution to the failing housing market, surely we need to find a way of improving the condition of properties which are damaging people’s health. If the government can find billions of pounds to encourage home ownership schemes, what about helping to improve conditions in the private rented sector?


Investment & licensing In more positive news for the private sector we are seeing growing interest from housing associations and institutional investors in entering the market while Grainger, one of the largest private landlords in the country, has announced ambitious growth plans and record profits as demand grows.


The Government has been shepherding the Housing & Planning Bill through its Parliamentary passage with claims it will clamp down on rogue landlords. Perhaps it should also allow boroughwide licensing schemes to encourage new investment in our older housing stock – much of it has celebrated its centenary, far beyond the age they were ever expected to reach.


thinking they are in rude health after reporting a combined operating surplus of a whopping £3 billion in global accounts published by their regulator.


Further cuts And while they claim this huge sum is needed to pay for building thousands of new homes and is a reward for efficiency improvements, you can bet that George Osborne and his Treasury team will have social landlords firmly in their sights when looking for ways to cut the welfare budget and the Housing Benefit bill in particular.


Government ministers have been calling for HAs to reduce their costs and to employ fewer Chief Executives and we are currently seeing a big upsurge in merger activity, with planned deals set to create huge landlords to dwarf the charitable organisations many of us are familiar with. This is similar to the business rationalisation of 20 years ago which left us with far fewer building societies on our high streets.


The National Housing Federation as the trade body for HAs decided to be helpful by drawing up guidance to steer their members through the tricky process of deciding whether to merge or not, but it appears to have strongly divided opinion among boards and chief executives. A similar row broke out over its negotiations with Government on extending the right to buy to HA tenants. The NHF needs to tread carefully over the next few months.


Meanwhile the House of Lords has taken on the role of a white knight, as it challenges the Government over changes to its housing policies – the most contentious being extending the Right to Buy and introducing Pay to Stay, which could force more social housing tenants into the private sector.


Patrick Mooney News Editor


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