In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I speak with Jane Hill, a long-term leaseholder, and Morley Young, a former third-party technical consultant, about a window replacement programme involving Guildford Borough Council.

What began as a routine planned upgrade became, according to those involved, a deeply distressing experience for the resident concerned. The discussion covers what Jane and Morley say happened during the works, including concerns around safety, health impacts, specification of materials, internal decision-making, and how the situation was handled once problems were identified.

Jane describes the impact the works had on her home and wellbeing, while Morley explains why he raised concerns when he was brought in to assess the situation. This includes issues relating to health and safety processes, asbestos risk management, and whether the works being carried out matched the specification provided to leaseholders.

The episode also explores what followed: the halting and restarting of works, subsequent damage, charging concerns, and the ongoing complaint now with the Housing Ombudsman. More broadly, it raises questions about oversight, accountability, and how residents are protected when major works go wrong.

This episode is presented as part one. A follow-up episode will examine developments once the Housing Ombudsman process has concluded and will include any further response provided by the council.

Important context and clarification

This episode presents the personal accounts and opinions of those involved. Any references to illegality, negligence, or misconduct reflect the views and experiences described by the speakers and are contested. They should not be taken as findings of fact or legal conclusions.

Right to reply – Guildford Borough Council

Guildford Borough Council was contacted ahead of publication and offered a right to reply. The council provided the following response:

“Thank you for your enquiry. Below is our factual response.

Two previously published independent reports – the Heminsley Law report and the SOLACE report, provide factual analysis and narrative into our historic housing repairs. Our improvement plans set out what we are doing to address the issues raised in these reports. The Independent Assurance Panel has reported twice on our progress, and their reports have been published as part of our journey to improvement.

We understand that Mr & Mrs Hill have contacted the Housing Ombudsman and therefore it is not appropriate for us to provide further comment.”

Referenced reports and material

In their response, Guildford Borough Council referred to previously published reports and improvement documentation. For transparency, links are provided below:

https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/documents/s38003/Item+11+1+-+App+1+-+Heminsley+Law+Report.pdf

https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/documents/s32854/Item%2003%201%20-%20Corporate%20Improvement%20Plan%20-%20App%201%20-%20SOLACE%20Report%20March%2024.pdf

https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/27169/Our-journey-to-improvement

These documents relate to historic governance and housing repairs issues referenced by the council. They do not address the specific resident experience discussed in this episode.

The council did not address the specific questions raised in the episode and said it would not comment further while the matter is under consideration by the Housing Ombudsman.

#HousingSector #HousingSectorPodcast #SocialHousing #Leaseholders #Section20 #MajorWorks #WindowReplacement #BuildingSafety #ResidentVoices #Accountability #LocalGovernment #Guildford #HousingOmbudsman #HousingStandards

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In this episode, I’m joined by Ebrahim Goolamally to examine what happens when housing governance, performance data, and lived experience are placed side by side — and don’t align.

Drawing on Housing Ombudsman statistics, Tenant Satisfaction Measures, and Regulator of Social Housing gradings, we explore a dataset that reveals a persistent and troubling gap: landlords can retain strong governance and viability ratings while residents report poor complaint handling, repeated service failures, and escalating disputes.

The conversation focuses in particular on complaint handling — consistently the weakest satisfaction metric across the sector — and how failures at this stage drive escalation, maladministration findings, and long-term harm for residents. We discuss why high satisfaction scores elsewhere do not prevent serious failings, and what this says about how success is currently measured in social housing.

This is not a discussion about one landlord. It’s about a system that assesses itself in silos — and the consequences when governance frameworks fail to reflect lived reality on modern housing estates.

In this episode we cover:
• What Ombudsman data reveals when viewed alongside satisfaction scores
• Why complaint handling is the sector’s critical fault line
• The disconnect between “good governance” ratings and resident experience
• How scale, process, and performance metrics can obscure accountability
• Why joined-up data matters for trust, transparency, and reform

This episode is essential listening for residents, housing professionals, policymakers, and anyone concerned with accountability in the housing sector.

https://housingservicechargeandrentpiperdy.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebrahimpi/

#HousingSector #SocialHousing #HousingOmbudsman #ComplaintHandling #LivedExperience #Governance

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In this episode, I’m joined by Mel Little for a direct and wide-ranging conversation about the state of the housing sector — and the growing gap between what residents experience and what institutions are prepared to admit.

Using Birmingham as a case study, we explore how serious safety issues, deteriorating homes, and long-term neglect are increasingly treated as isolated problems, when in reality they point to a much deeper, national failure. What is happening in one city is not unique — it is simply more visible.

We discuss how housing providers have grown beyond a manageable scale, losing their connection to communities in the process. There appears to be a tipping point where organisations become too large to engage meaningfully, leaving housing officers overstretched and residents unheard.

Service charges run throughout the conversation. We examine ring-fencing, transparency, and what we describe as the “service charge pothole” — a growing financial and accountability gap that residents are expected to absorb as ageing stock, compliance failures, and historic neglect finally catch up with providers.

We also examine the role of regulation. While the Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing continue their work, many tenants are increasingly disillusioned, exhausted by processes that demand evidence and time but deliver little visible change.

The episode closes with a call for honesty, transparency, and renewed face-to-face engagement — housing officers on the ground, knocking on doors, understanding communities, and listening. We also issue a clear call to whistleblowers across the sector. Information is coming in from inside organisations, and while not all of it can be shared publicly, it consistently points to deeper issues that cannot remain hidden.

This is a conversation about denial — and why the sector can no longer afford it.

https://www.housingsector.co.uk/blog/the-truth-is-out-there-here-there-and-everywhere

https://www.housingsector.co.uk/blog/birmingham-broke-but-what-about-the-residents

https://www.housingsector.co.uk/blog/fire-safety-in-high-rise-homes-compliance-fact-or-compliance-theatre

#HousingSector #HousingCrisis #SocialHousing #ServiceCharges #HousingSafety #TenantVoices #TenantRights #HousingAccountability #HousingFailure #HousingPolicy #HousingReform #TransparencyMatters #RegulatorOfSocialHousing #HousingOmbudsman #Whistleblowers #CommunityHousing #PublicHousing #SystemFailure #HousingJustice

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In this episode, I speak with Sue Phillips, founder of Shared Ownership Resources, about the government’s ongoing inquiry into whether “affordable home ownership” is truly affordable.

Sue explains why shared owners’ experiences matter now more than ever — and how you can make your voice heard by completing the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee’s online survey before the deadline on 29 November 2025.

If you’re a shared owner, this is your chance to tell MPs what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change.

Complete the survey
https://t.co/HfZUYbVjUf

https://www.sharedownershipresources.org/
https://www.sharedownershipresources.org/my_so_home/no-26/
https://www.sharedownershipresources.org/campaigning/consultation-responses/hclg-committee-affordability-of-home-ownership/

#HousingSectorPodcast #SharedOwnership #AffordableHousing #ResidentVoice #HousingInquiry #SuePhillips #HousingSector #BenJenkins

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In Housing Sector Podcast #58 – Compassionate Leadership in Housing, I speak with Tanya Scott, Head of Specialist Housing at Accent Housing.

Tanya has built a career defined by care, visibility, and purpose. With more than two decades’ experience in safeguarding and supporting vulnerable communities, she’s known for leading with empathy and driving positive change across the housing sector.

Since joining Accent, Tanya has helped strengthen specialist housing and temporary accommodation services, putting people and partnership at the centre of her approach. Her work continues to show how leadership grounded in compassion can make a real difference in people’s lives.

#HousingSectorPodcast #AccentHousing #SpecialistHousing #Leadership #StartsAtHome #Safeguarding #ResidentVoice #SocialHousing

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Across the UK, more and more residents are being forced to leave their homes at short notice as buildings are declared unsafe — from fire risks and structural defects to RAAC and wider safety failures.

In this episode, I speak with Matt Hodges-Long, co-founder of the Building Safety Register and TrackMyRisks, about what really happens when homes are evacuated. We talk about how these decisions are made, where people go, and what support residents actually receive once the cameras move on.

Follow, share, and visit housingsector.co.uk — because the more people who understand what’s really going on, the harder it becomes to ignore.

#HousingSectorPodcast #BenJenkins

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In this episode, I sit down with Dominic Ahern, a writer and commentator whose work on Substack explores housing policy, governance, and safety.

We’re revisiting building safety — a subject that keeps resurfacing because, despite all the talk of progress, little has truly changed. The focus has shifted to “new build standards,” yet even those have been watered down, while thousands of existing homes remain unsafe. Residents continue to live with fear and frustration as systemic failures go unaddressed.

Dominic and I discuss where things stand now, what the sector still isn’t getting right, and why honesty and accountability are long overdue.

https://substack.com/@dominicahern

#HousingSectorPodcast #BuildingSafety #SmokeAndMirrors #DominicAhern #SocialHousing #ResidentSafety #FireSafety #CladdingCrisis #BuildingRegulations #Accountability #HousingPolicy #UKHousing #TenantVoices #HousingSector #BenJenkins

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In this episode, I sit down with Lee, a homeowner and fleecehold campaigner, to expose how residents are being charged thousands each year for minimal or non-existent maintenance — and why this unregulated system is fast becoming a national scandal.

We discuss the 39% management fee that shocked residents, fake online reviews allegedly written by the management company itself, and open spaces left unfinished for years. Lee also talks about his work with the Homeowners Rights Network (HORNETS) and a council motion in Stratford-upon-Avon that could mark a turning point for affected homeowners.

#HousingSector #Fleecehold #Leasehold #ServiceCharges #HousingJustice #Homeownership #BlueProperty #Keepmoat #ResidentsVoice #HomeownersRights #HORNETS #BenJenkins #HousingPodcast #TheFleeceholdTrap #UKHousingCrisis #HousingReform

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