SHAC on LBC: Council Housing

Andy Burnham, widely expected to become the new Prime Minister, spoke about the need to build council housing.

We were invited onto LBC to discuss the plans and highlighted the powerful logic for doing so, with all rent money adding to public funds as soon as a home is rented out.

However, we stressed that the new homes need to be genuinely affordable which means social rents. Watch here.

SHAC Article: Three Closed Doors

David Wood's insightful article discusses how the three main routes to resolve tenant and resident disputes appear to be open and accessible but in reality are shut tight for most. He uses the issue of service charge challenges, but the same applies to many other issues such as disrepairs. It speaks volumes about the relative balance of power between landlords and tenants. Read more here.

Please like and share:

Instagram ~ Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

End Service Charge Abuse:

Legal Project Step Forward

This week SHAC met with PILC, the solicitors working with us on the End Service Charge Abuse legal challenge. SHAC had been asked to undertake some additional research to fill gaps in evidence or bring our data up to date, and we shared the reports with PILC earlier in the year.

Taking the new data and other material that we shared, PILC has drafted a letter to the Regulator of Social Housing, challenging its failure to use existing powers to address systemic service charge issues. They aim to send the letter within the next 2-3 weeks with a deadline for a requested response. We will publish the letter as soon as it has been sent and share any response that we receive.

New Resource: Sections 21 and 22 Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 requests

Our new guide explains how leaseholders and shared owners can request a written summary of service charges, and how to inspect the documents behind it. See the new guide on our Resources page. Scroll down to Guide and Templates – Requesting Service Charge Information here.

National Housing Union:

Blueprint Published

SHAC and a range of community and housing groups, plus individual activists have been working to set up a national housing union for all tenants and residents. Our newly published, comprehensive 'Blueprint' lays out the case for the Union, explains who it's for, and how it will be run and funded. It proposes what the next steps will be to turn the vision into reality. The Blueprint will be presented to the trade unions congress in September with an appeal to help get it established. Please take a look at the Blueprint, and feel free to leave your feedback on the page. See the Blueprint here.

Please like and share:

Instagram ~ Bluesky ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Housing Sector Podcast:

Are Rent Strikes Coming?

Could the UK be heading towards a new wave of rent strikes? In this podcast, our campaign partner Ben Jenkins of Housing Sector talks to Suz Muna, SHAC secretary, to discuss the relentless pressure of rising rents and spiralling service charges, the financial position of housing associations, and whether frustration is beginning to turn into organised action. We also look at the proposal for a National Housing Union and ask whether the sector is listening to the people it exists to serve. Listen here.

Please like and share: Twitter ~ Facebook

New! SHAC Almshouses WhatsApp

We increasingly have members who are residents of almshouses - a unique type of landlord where the tenants have even lower levels of protection from exploitation. We have now set up a new WhatsApp group to help almshouse tenants share experiences, advice and peer support. If you live in an almshouse property you can join here.

Next SHAC Monthly Meeting

Our regular monthly meetings provide an opportunity to hear updates on our campaigning and action, and to share any actions you are taking to hold your landlord to account.

Please join us for the next meeting:

6.30pm, Thursday 16th July

Zoom link - passcode 459809

Add the date to your calendar here. You can find details of all SHAC events here.