A report said that social housing organizations were better protected against fraud than private sector companies and charities, but still had scope to improve their performance. Fraud in the social housing sector could involve up to 228,000 properties that were not being occupied as intended.
Source: Jim Gee, Mark Button, Graham Brooks, and Nicola Higginbottom, The Resilience to Fraud of the UK Social Housing Sector, PKF/University of Portsmouth
Links: PKF press release | Portsmouth University press release
Date: 2011-Dec
A think-tank report said that the costs of housing benefit for families in temporary accommodation were so high that in some parts of London it would be cheaper to build new social housing for them. This would be less disruptive to people's lives while also meeting the government's aim of building more properties and providing a short-term boost for the capital's economy. This new housing could be built using a combination of housing benefit (set at social rent) and block grant from central government to repay the development costs. The capital's housing supply would be increased by 9,500 units.
Source: Tom Symons and Laura Rodriguez, Build to Let: Rethinking the use of housing benefit to help families out of temporary accommodation, New Local Government Network
Links: Report | NLGN press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Dec
A report said that the 'overwhelming majority' of social housing tenants were 'very happy' with the design and quality of their homes.
Source: Quality Counts: Results of the quality assurance and impact visits – National affordable housing programme 2008-11, Homes and Communities Agency
Links: Report | HCA press release
Date: 2011-Dec
The government began consultation on proposals to increase the discount available to council tenants in England who wanted to buy their homes. A new cap of £50,000 would double the maximum discount available in much of the country, while trebling it in most parts of London.
Source: Reinvigorating the Right to Buy and One for One Replacement: Consultation, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Consultation document | DCLG press release | LGA press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Dec
A report set out a series of case studies illustrating the role that housing associations could play in supporting their local communities.
Source: Localism that Works: How housing associations make things happen, PlaceShapers Group
Links: Report | PlaceShapers press release
Date: 2011-Dec
An article said that the 'Right to Buy' programme (involving the discounted selling of council and social housing) had obscured inequalities inherent in democratization via property ownership. It highlighted the vulnerability of Right to Buy lessees and their successors in title. The promise of inclusion via home-ownership was more conditional than generally recognized, in some cases impoverishing rather than enriching.
Source: Helen Carr, 'The Right to Buy, the leaseholder, and the impoverishment of ownership', Journal of Law and Society, Volume 38 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
An article said that people from a minority-ethnic background who applied for social housing in England – and especially those using choice-based letting – were the most likely to end up in deprived and ethnically concentrated neighbourhoods.
Source: David Manley and Maarten van Ham, 'Choice-based letting, ethnicity and segregation in England', Urban Studies, Volume 48 Number 14
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
The coalition government published its response to consultation on revised directions to the social housing regulator, designed to implement important elements of the its planned reforms to social housing. The final directions to the regulator are on tenure, mutual exchange, tenant involvement and empowerment, rents and quality of accommodation. Social landlords would be allowed to issue 'flexible' tenancies in order to make better use of existing and future stock.
Source: Implementing Social Housing Reform: Directions to the Social Housing Regulator – Consultation – Summary of Responses, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Response | DCLG press release
Notes: Consultation document (July 2011)
Date: 2011-Nov
A report examined the activities and achievements of 12 pilot partnerships created between social housing providers and community-based groups.
Source: Chris Wadhams, Mary Carter, and John Coburn, Together for Communities: Experiences from partnerships, transforming neighbourhoods, Housing Associations Charitable Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
The social housing regulator in England began consultation on plans to change the way in which it regulated landlords. The new framework made a distinction between economic and consumer regulation. From April 2012 the regulator's principal role would be the economic regulation of housing associations and other private registered providers. The regulator would have only a 'backstop' role in consumer matters: having set service delivery standards within the framework, it would only intervene where it considered there was risk of serious detriment (or harm) to tenants.
Source: A Revised Regulatory Framework for Social Housing in England from April 2012: A Statutory Consultation, Tenant Services Authority
Links: Consultation document | Annex 1 | Annex 2 | TSA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Nov
A briefing paper examined the coalition government's proposal to allow housing associations to offer tenancies at rents of up to 80 per cent of market rent levels within the local area.
Source: Wendy Wilson, Affordable Rent Model, Standard Note SN/SP/5933, House of Commons Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2011-Nov
A report presented an overview of the main trends and issues facing the social, co-operative, and public housing sectors in each country in the European Union, as well as providing national profiles and key housing-related data.
Source: Alice Pittini and Elsa Laino, Housing Europe Review 2012: The nuts and bolts of European social housing systems, CECODHAS Housing Europe
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
The coalition government announced that it planned to increase the discounts offered to council house tenants in England to buy their homes. It said that 'most' of the cash raised would be used to build 100,000 homes for rent.
Source: Television interview with David Cameron MP (Prime Minister), 2 October 2011
Links: DCLG briefing | CIH press release | NHF press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Oct
An article examined policy on public health and social housing. Any new public health strategy focusing on health inequalities needed to recognize the role that social housing already played in supporting concentrations of more vulnerable groups. Social housing staff dealt with a range of everyday social – and especially mental health – problems, highlighting the potential for partnerships with public health.
Source: Robin Johnson, ' Public health and social housing: a natural alliance', Housing Care and Support, Volume 14 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Oct
A paper examined how far social housing tenants could be described as 'socially excluded' in 2000, and the extent to which this had changed by 2011. By 2011, basic housing quality in social housing had overtaken that in the owner-occupied sector; and there had been slight reductions in the social exclusion of social housing tenants in terms of income, employment, and neighbourhood quality. Housing and regeneration policies under the Labour governments (1997-2010) had contributed to these changes.
Source: Rebecca Tunstall, Social Housing and Social Exclusion 2000-2011, CASEpaper 153, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (London School of Economics)
Date: 2011-Sep
An article examined how the mortgage crisis and subsequent recession had affected subsidized rental housing in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The crisis had destabilized key parts of both countries' subsidy systems, and raised important questions about their sustainability. The UK had responded sooner and arguably more effectively than the USA to the crisis: but over the longer term, the prospects for affordable housing development were likely to be more difficult in the UK.
Source: Alex Schwartz, 'The credit crunch and subsidized low-income housing: the UK and US experience compared', Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, Volume 26 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Sep
A report said that state policies since the 1980s had created a tenure-based wealth divide by promoting home ownership, and leaving social housing for a minority with little choice. It proposed a 'new deal for tenants' to enhance the reputation of social housing and to provide tenants with the opportunity to accumulate assets. It called for the creation of 'quasi-equity' savings accounts for all tenants, along the lines of the child trust fund, aggregated into a tenants' mutual fund.
Source: Kevin Gulliver and John Morris, A New Deal for Tenants: Improving wellbeing in social housing by tackling tenure inequality and promoting asset ownership, Human City Institute
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Sep
A report examined the experiences of early partnerships between community land trusts and housing associations, and drew out lessons for others wishing to follow or improve on them.
Source: Trust and Association: Partnerships between community land trusts and housing associations , National CLT Network (National Housing Federation)
Links: Report
Notes: Community land trusts are community-driven and controlled organizations that provide land and buildings to meet local needs.
Date: 2011-Aug
A paper examined the implications for tenancy management of the coalition government's proposals to enable housing associations and local authorities to offer fixed-term tenancies, and to allow housing providers to set rents at up to 80 per cent of local market rents.
Source: Debbie Larner and David Pipe, The Practical Implications of Tenure Reform, Chartered Institute of Housing
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Aug
A report examined the role of housing associations in supporting neighbourhoods with significant migrant populations.
Source: John Perry, UK Migration: The Leadership Role of Housing Providers, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Aug
Researchers examined whether higher 'affordable rents' for social housing, pegged to market rents, would be affordable for different households in different locations. Larger families claiming benefits, many with members in work, would be unable to afford increased rents on social housing in many urban areas in England
Source: Alex Fenton, Connie Tang, and Christine Whitehead, Market-Pegged Social Rents & Local Income Distributions, Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research (University of Cambridge)
Links: Report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Aug
The government began consultation on proposals to give local councils in England more financial freedoms to improve, buy, and build new housing. Councils would have more flexibility to trade their assets, and use the receipts to enable further investment in new homes and regenerating the local area.
Source: Streamlining Council Housing Asset Management: Disposals and use of receipts, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Consultation document | DCLG press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Aug
The government announced plans to deliver up to 170,000 new affordable homes in England over the period 2011-2015.
Source: Written Ministerial Statement 14 July 2011, column 36WS, House of Commons Hansard, TSO
Links: Hansard | DCLG press release | HCA press release | CIH press release | NHF press release | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined examples of the impact of European Union structural funds on affordable housing projects.
Source: The Impact of Structural Funds on Affordable Housing: Success stories & recommendations for the future, CECODHAS Housing Europe
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined the usefulness of 'reasonable preference' categories in determining the allocation of social housing in Scotland.
Source: Joanne Bretherton and Nicholas Pleace, Reasonable Preference in Scottish Social Housing, Scottish Government
Date: 2011-Jul
A report examined options for the future of council housing, and the role of ALMOs (arm's length management organizations). It recommended a model involving the transfer of housing stock to community and council owned organizations ('CoCo's), providing a greater role for tenants in the running of their estates while remaining attractive to private investors.
Source: Ian Doolittle, Steve Partridge, John Perry, and Rachel Terry, Building on the Potential of ALMOs to Invest in Local Communities, National Federation of ALMOs
Links: Report | Summary | NFA press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined the role of social housing providers in the context of 'localism' and the 'Big Society'. It reviewed the history and rationale for community investment, and explored the different approaches taken by housing associations and whether they led to community empowerment. It concluded that local relationship and partnership approaches were more likely to achieve positive outcomes than contract-based or corporate strategy-driven approaches.
Source: David Mullins, Community Investment and Community Empowerment: The role of social housing providers in the context of localism and the Big Society , Third Sector Research Centre/Housing Action Charity
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined the involvement of tenants in decision-making and delivery in the social housing sector in Europe.
Source: Alice Pittini, The Place of Inhabitants: Residents participation in creating sustainable housing & neighbourhoods, CECODHAS Housing Europe
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined the implications of transferring the policy of choice-based lettings in social housing (originating in the Netherlands around 1990) to two different social housing contexts – the United Kingdom and Australia.
Source: Hal Pawson and Kath Hulse, 'Policy transfer of choice-based lettings to Britain and Australia: How extensive? How faithful? How appropriate?', International Journal of Housing Policy, Volume 11 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper presented the views of social, public, and co-operative housing providers in Europe on how to increase the affordability of housing, especially for low-income households, and to prevent future major economic imbalances leading to financial crisis.
Source: Affordable Housing, Housing Markets and Economic Stability, Policy Paper 1/2011, CECODHAS Housing Europe
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined how housing organizations would need to transform their businesses if they were to thrive and succeed in the future.
Source: Christoph Sinn (ed.), Tomorrow s World Today: Transforming the housing sector, Chartered Institute of Housing/Orbit Group
Links: Report | CIH press release
Date: 2011-Jun
An analysis was published of the new homes built by registered providers in England over the period 1989-2009. By the end of the period two-bedroom flats accounted for nearly half of all new output, and overall planning densities on development sites had also increased. The vast majority were either in areas of low deprivation (built by private developers as part of mixed communities) or in the areas of the greatest deprivation (built as part of public sector-led regeneration programmes that included not only market housing but low-cost homes to buy as well as to rent).
Source: New Affordable Homes: What, where and for whom have registered providers been building between 1989-2009?, Homes and Communities Agency/Tenant Services Authority
Links: Report | Appendices | Summary | Sheffield University press release
Date: 2011-Jun
A report examined how housing providers could provide practical assistance and development support to 'community anchors' – independent community-owned and led organizations, working in more deprived neighbourhoods.
Source: Chris Wadhams, Mary Carter, and John Coburn, Together for Communities: Experiences from partnerships, transforming neighbourhoods, Housing Associations Charitable Trust
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jun
A think-tank report called for housing associations to play a more active role in local communities – supporting people in taking on local services or assets, funding community projects, and providing a much broader range of public services in partnership with local government.
Source: Mark Lupton and Matt Leach, At the Crossroads: A progressive future for housing associations, ResPublica
Links: Report | Summary | ResPublica press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-May
An article examined a project in Scotland that evaluated the health impacts of new-build social housing.
Source: Marcia Gibson, Hilary Thomson, Ade Kearns, and Mark Petticrew, 'Understanding the psychosocial impacts of housing type: qualitative evidence from a housing and regeneration intervention', Housing Studies, Volume 26 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
An article examined the determinants of housing and estate satisfaction in post-war housing estates in European cities.
Source: Karien Dekker, Sjoerd de Vos, Sako Musterd, and Ronald van Kempen, 'Residential satisfaction in housing estates in European cities: a multi-level research approach', Housing Studies, Volume 26 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A report presented the main messages from a 'roundtable' discussion concerning the local authority role in shaping housing markets, including the role of the tenancy strategy. It called for improvements in the dialogue between local authorities, registered providers, and other stakeholders with a role in the local housing market; and for all partners to build better knowledge and understanding of the market across all tenures.
Source: The Local Authority Role in Housing Markets, Chartered Institute of Housing
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Apr
A report said that the 'vast majority' of the 221,000 homes owned and managed by housing associations and local authorities in Wales would achieve the Welsh housing quality standard by the deadlines given.
Source: Social Landlords Performance in Achieving the Welsh Housing Quality Standard, Welsh Assembly Government
Links: Report | WAG press release
Date: 2011-Mar
A report set out the findings of a survey of financial exclusion and debt among social housing tenants (in the midlands region of England). It highlighted the financial exclusion experienced by tenants, and their reliance on high-cost credit to make ends meet.
Source: Kevin Gulliver and John Morris, 'Living on the Edge': Financial exclusion and social housing, Human City Institute
Links: Report | New Start report
Date: 2011-Mar
An article examined the views and experiences of residents who had benefited from social housing modernization. Residents reported significant improvements in the appearance, functionality, and manageability of their properties; they felt prouder of their homes and were more likely to make additional improvements to them.
Source: Aimee Walshaw, 'From house to home: residents perceptions of housing modernisation', Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, Volume 4 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Mar
A report highlighted the wider benefits of social rented housing in Scotland for health, education, jobs, and the economy.
Source: Duncan Maclennan and Tony O Sullivan, Raising the Game: The economic case for housing, Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland
Links: Report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Mar
The Welsh Assembly Government began consultation on proposals for a new national policy for rents set by registered social landlords and local authorities that owned housing stock. The aim was to provide a system that was 'consistent, transparent, and fair'. It proposed setting a national target average rent; and the creation of target rents across 9 types and sizes of home.
Source: A New Policy for Social Housing Rents, Welsh Assembly Government
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2011-Mar
A report examined the contribution that housing associations could make to the health agenda – including reducing health inequalities in deprived areas, and cutting the costs of acute services.
Source: Invest in Housing, Invest in Health, National Housing Federation
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Mar
The housing watchdog in Scotland published a report that examined the future role of local surveys in assessing tenants satisfaction with their landlord s services.
Source: Ipsos MORI Scotland, Capturing Better Information on Tenant Satisfaction, Scottish Housing Regulator
Links: Report | SHR press release
Date: 2011-Mar
The government published (following consultation) final details of its 'New Homes Bonus' scheme, designed to provide local authorities in England with improved incentives to deliver housing growth. Commencing in April 2011, the bonus would match-fund the additional council tax potential from increases in effective housing stock, with an additional amount for affordable homes, for the following 6 years.
Source: New Homes Bonus: Final Scheme Design, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Hansard | DCLG press release | Consultation responses | CPRE press release | RICS press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Feb
The government announced (following consultation) plans to give landlords greater freedom and flexibility in the types of tenancies that they could grant to social housing tenants; in the way they allocated their social housing; and in how they discharged their main homelessness duty. The reforms would only affect new social tenancies, and the security and rights of existing social tenants would be protected in law. Social landlords would be expected to offer long-term tenancies to families and vulnerable households.
Source: Local Decisions: Next Steps Towards a Fairer Future for Social Housing – Summary of Responses to Consultation, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Report | Hansard | DCLG press release | Inside Housing report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Feb
The government published a framework setting out the details of its new programme of investment in affordable housing during the period 2011-2015, designed to deliver up to 150,000 new affordable homes. The majority of the homes built would be made available as 'affordable rent' properties, whereby providers would be allowed to charge up to 80 per cent of local market rent.
Source: 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme: Framework, Department for Communities and Local Government/Homes and Communities Agency
Links: Framework | DCLG press release | HCA press release | CIH press release | Labour Party press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Feb
The Supreme Court ruled that the courts should have the power to consider the proportionality of (previously automatic) possession orders relating to local council properties.
Source: Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Hounslow v Powell/Leeds City Council v Hall/Birmingham City Council v Frisby, UKSC 8 (2011), United Kingdom Supreme Court
Links: Judgement | Supreme Court press release | UK Human Rights blog | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Feb
A report examined alternative ways to fund new affordable housing in Scotland at a time when public resources for housing were being significantly reduced.
Source: Kenneth Gibb and Chris Leishman, Delivering Affordable Housing in Troubled Times: Scotland national report, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2011-Feb
A briefing paper examined rent restructuring in the social housing sector, designed to achieve a fairer system of affordable rents by a revised target date of 2015-16.
Source: Wendy Wilson, Rent Setting for Social Housing Tenancies, Standard Note SN/SP/1090, House of Commons Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2011-Jan
An article used 'vacancy chain models' to examine the relationship of social housing systems to the wider housing market. Social renting was very closely linked to the wider housing market; and consequently the impacts of policy and investment might be felt beyond the sector.
Source: Ed Ferrari, 'Conceptualising social housing within the wider housing market: a vacancy chain model', Housing Studies, Volume 26 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A report examined the new investment framework for affordable housing, and made recommendations designed to maximize delivery in the next four-year programme. The challenges of the new environment would only be met effectively if housing associations were given the real flexibilities they needed to deliver in the most creative way possible.
Source: Radical Reform: Real Flexibility – Delivering the new investment framework, National Housing Federation
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that it supported, in principle, a proposed new law that would allow the suspension of the 'right to buy' social housing in areas of housing pressure.
Source: Report on the Proposed Housing (Wales) Measure: Stage 1 Report, Legislation Committee No 2, National Assembly for Wales
Links: Report | NAW press release
Date: 2011-Jan
A report said that the social housing regulatory system should be amended to allow landlords to manage their stock more flexibly. New freedoms and clearly defined responsibilities would allow them to respond to local demands – for example, selling off outmoded properties, and renting out vacant properties at higher intermediate or market rents. Returns from such activities would allow associations to invest more in building new social housing.
Source: Mark Lupton, Mervyn Jones, Abigail Davies, and Haritha Tippireddy, Appreciating Assets, Chartered Institute of Housing/Savills
Links: Report | CIH press release | Public Finance report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2011-Jan
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the 'Decent Homes' programme (designed to improve the living conditions of social housing tenants).
Source: Beyond Decent Homes: Government Response to the Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2009-10, First Special Report (Session 2010-11), HC 746, House of Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee, TSO
Links: Response
Notes: MPs report
Date: 2011-Jan
Researchers examined the relationship between housing/neighbourhood circumstances and adult outcomes for a cohort aged 16 in 1986 and 34 in 2004. Those in social or private rented tenures at age 16 were more likely to have less desirable outcomes in later life than those in home ownership, in terms of all the 11 measures examined.
Source: Rebecca Tunstall, Ruth Lupton, Dylan Kneale, and Andrew Jenkins, Teenage Housing Tenure and Neighbourhoods and the Links with Adult Outcomes: Evidence from the 1970 cohort study, CASEreport 64, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (London School of Economics)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
