Uk & International

Plans to deploy immigration officials to Dublin’s lead homelessness agency have been approved by Cabinet. The move was agreed by ministers last Tuesday because of an increase in the number of non-EU nationals presenting as homeless, the Sunday Independent reports.

Offsite timber frame manufacturer Stewart Milne Timber Systems has entered into a ground-breaking partnership to deliver timber frames for more than 1,500 homes for major UK housing association L&Q. The company, which has three manufacturing centres in the UK, will also support L&Q

Researchers at Northumbria University have come up with a solution for mould, mildew and damp which cost housing associations, landlords and homeowners millions of pounds a year in repairs. Over the last year, Northumbria academics, along with partners from BIM Academy and the National Energy Founda

Mental health charity Mind used a parliamentary reception in Westminster this week call for MPs to make sure the rights of people with mental health problems are firmly on the housing agenda. People with mental health problems joined MPs, representatives from local Minds and the social housing secto

A housing association which provides accommodation exclusively for Orthodox families has defeated an application for Judicial Review by a mother and her young son over its allocation policy. The English High Court dismissed a claim, which had been brought by a non-Jewish family in Stamford

More than 165,000 of the most affordable rented homes have been lost across England in just six years, according to new analysis from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). The organisation is predicting that loss will reach 199,000 by 2020 – making it increasingly difficult for people on l

England should follow Scotland’s lead and introduce open-ended tenancies for private renters, according to a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The left-wing think tank said so-called “no-fault” evictions should be terminated, alongside other sweeping re

Selective licensing schemes in England are helping to tackle poor standards in the private rented sector but could be even more effective with more government support, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has found. A new joint report from the housing body and the Chartered Institute of Environm

An SNP MP has urged the UK Government to accept amendments to its Domestic Abuse Bill to tackle the increased risk of financial abuse under the current Universal Credit system. Dr Philippa Whitford MP, who has led the campaign to introduce separate payments as the default for Universal Credit, said

New legislation to bring an end to costly fees imposed by landlords or letting agents in England is to come into force this summer. Speaking at the third reading of the Tenant Fees Bill in the House of Lords, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth outlined that following royal assent, the provisions of the Tena

L&Q has become the first UK housing association to publish a report into both its gender pay gap and the difference in pay between its black and minority ethnic (BME) and white members of staff. In a move which aims to reduce inequalities in the sector, L&Q said its inaugural Fair Pay report

Councillors at a North Yorkshire local authority have given plans to establish a new wholly owned commercial housing company the green light. Harrogate Borough Council said the council-owned housing company, which will build properties available to buy and rent, will allow the council to manoeuvre w

Housing charity Shelter has said it will take an investment of £214 billion into the delivery of three million new homes to solve the social housing crisis in England. A new report from the charity has urged minister to invest in a 20-year building programme and extend the criteria for who is

Energy supplier E.ON launched an innovative pilot project to help tackle the blight of long-term empty homes and the current housing shortage that persists across the UK. The firm will work with North East Derbyshire District Council to bring empty homes back into use by offering effective solutions

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) has repeated its call for the UK Government to suspend its Right to Buy policy after new figures revealed less than a third of homes sold since 2012 have been replaced. Figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government sh