Who Speaks for Residents? The Governance Dispute at Sir Thomas More Estate
A governance dispute at the Sir Thomas More Estate in Kensington and Chelsea has raised questions about the independence of residents’ associations during major works. With competing claims over leadership, control of communication channels, and concerns over consultation and safety oversight, the situation highlights a broader issue facing housing estates across the country: who ultimately decides who speaks for residents?
Vexatious – The Collective Defensive Noun
When does a complaint become “vexatious” — and who decides?
In this long-form investigation, I examine how the term is increasingly used across the housing sector, how it shifts attention away from unresolved failures, and how behaviours consistent with DARVO — Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender — are reshaping the relationship between residents and landlords.
The Taxpayers Burden
Millions of pounds in Housing Benefit are being paid to housing associations each year, yet Freedom of Information responses reveal little evidence that councils are checking or challenging the service charges behind those payments. This investigation examines how public money leaves the public purse, what oversight is meant to exist, and what happens when it doesn’t.
Troubled Mergers & Why They Should Trouble Us All
An evidence-led account of how repeated regulatory failures, severe maladministration findings, and financial retrenchment followed the GreenSquare–Accord merger — and why accountability at the top has never materialised.
The Gap Between Governance and Lived Experience
This article examines what happens when Tenant Satisfaction Measures, Housing Ombudsman findings, and regulatory governance grades are placed side by side. Drawing on housing sector data discussed on the Housing Sector Podcast, it exposes the growing gap between how housing providers are assessed and how residents experience services in practice, particularly around complaint handling, accountability, and trust.
Victor’s Battle. Guest Blog by Lindsay Bush
An 83-year-old blind tenant, supported by his neighbour and carer, found himself navigating a First-tier Tribunal and a County Court claim at the same time — all over service charges he struggled to access and understand. This blog sets out the human impact of procedural delay, missed deadlines, and power imbalance, alongside the landlord’s formal response. It raises wider questions about transparency, accessibility, and how housing providers respond when residents persist in raising concerns.
The truth is out there, here, there and everywhere
A sector that claims to listen is now struggling to hide the truth. Tenant satisfaction scores, glossy engagement panels and endless surveys no longer match the lived reality: unsafe homes, rising charges, unresolved complaints, and residents who have stopped believing the process works. From Southern Housing’s public mockery to a regulator accused of paper-shuffling, the gap between narrative and experience has never been wider.
Tough at the Top?
When housing CEOs fail, they rarely fall — they just change chairs. From GreenSquareAccord to Notting Hill Genesis, this piece examines the leadership loop at the top of social housing, where accountability fades, mergers fail, and residents pay the price.
When Your Home’s Unsafe, Are the Problems Only Just Beginning?
Eight years after Grenfell, the list of unsafe buildings keeps growing. Thousands have already been evacuated — but how many more remain unsafe, unacknowledged, and unaddressed? In this week’s Housing Sector blog, I speak with Matt Hodges-Long of the Building Safety Register about the rising number of homes being declared uninhabitable, the residents left in limbo, and a government still downplaying the scale of the crisis.
Tackling Stigma or Protecting the System?
Stop Social Housing Stigma presents itself as a tenant-led movement, but its funding and partnerships tell another story. Supported by housing associations and sector bodies, it has become part of the very system it claims to challenge — a comfortable echo chamber where executives applaud their own progress while tenants remain unheard.
Do we need a Union?
On Saturday 11th October, SHAC will host a national conversation about forming a Tenants and Residents Union — a movement that could shift the balance of power in UK housing. This blog explores that question head-on: from broken complaint systems and regulatory dead-ends, to the power of coming together, sharing knowledge, and fighting for fairer, safer homes. Whether you’re ready, unsure, or still finding your voice — this is the start of something bigger.
Accent Housing Leading by Example
Accent Housing recently shared three stories that show a different side of the sector: leadership grounded in compassion, investment in rural communities, and a commitment to sustainability. From safeguarding and rural exception sites to future-ready housing, these examples highlight what’s possible when housing is done differently.
Birmingham Broke: But What About the Residents?
Birmingham City Council is bankrupt — but what does that mean for residents living in unsafe homes? From broken fire doors to questions over missing housing funds, the Council enforces standards on private landlords while failing its own tenants. If Birmingham can’t lead by example, who can?
Fire Safety in High-Rise Homes - Compliance Fact or Compliance Theatre?
High-rise safety can look reassuring on paper, with inspections, scores, and compliance reports. But as Birmingham resident and health & safety professional Mel Little explains, too often it’s compliance theatre — safety measures that tick boxes but fail in practice. From faulty fire doors to missing safety documents, Mel highlights what residents should look out for, their rights under the Building Safety Act, and why real safety must go beyond paperwork.
Chartered Institute of Housing: Spin. Silence. Repeat.
When I was first slapped with a so-called contact management plan—what it really was, was a communication ban—I was shocked. GreenSquareAccord stopped me from emailing staff, blocked me from sharing updates with leadership, and told me that copying in multiple people “muddied the waters.” It was the beginning of an institutional gag order.
What Do I Mean by the Echo Chamber?
I didn’t coin the phrase echo chamber — but the moment I heard it, something clicked. It put words to something I’ve been feeling for years in the housing sector. It’s not just that residents are being ignored; it’s that a closed loop of professionals are talking to each other, validating each other, and shaping public narratives without ever meaningfully engaging with the people actually living through the housing crisis.
We Remember Grenfell — But They Still Reward the Guilty
Eight years on from Grenfell, the banners go up again. Green hearts. Thoughtful quotes. Hashtags of remembrance. The sector remembers — but only once a year, and only on its own terms.
Let’s be clear — if remembrance meant anything, accountability would have come by now.
Reluctant Heroes
Five people. Five stories. One broken sector.
I’ve said it many times, I never set out to be involved in housing. I certainly didn’t imagine I’d be making podcasts, building websites, or writing about legal cases and service charge scandals.
Content Wars – The Battle to Control the Narrative
There’s a battle underway in the housing sector — but it’s not being fought with bricks or budgets. It’s being fought with blogs, infographics, press releases, conferences, events, webinars, and reposted reports. A full-blown Content War — and the aim is simple: control the narrative.
The Stigma with Stop Social Housing Stigma
There’s been a wave of publicity recently around the Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign — a movement said to have been born in the aftermath of Grenfell. And yes, it’s on record: residents were dismissed, labelled as troublemakers, and ignored when they raised concerns that, in hindsight, were deadly serious.