In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Joanne — known on TikTok as @aunty.jo — for an open and honest conversation about why more tenants are turning to social media to talk about the reality of their housing experiences.

Joanne originally created her platform around community support and healing, but after speaking to hundreds of people she began to recognise the same housing problems appearing again and again: residents feeling ignored, overlooked, frightened to speak up and unsure where to turn for help. Her response has been to use her voice and her growing TikTok platform to encourage tenants to support one another and share their lived experience.

We talk about complaints, repairs, temporary accommodation, contractors, service charges and the exhaustion that comes from repeatedly chasing organisations for answers. We also discuss why residents often end up raising their concerns publicly after private emails and phone calls have failed — only to be told on social media to go back and contact the same customer service channels that have already ignored them.

TikTok has opened up a very different type of resident engagement. Search housing on the platform and you quickly find tenants talking openly about disrepair, communication failures, service charges and the struggle to get basic problems resolved. These conversations are often far removed from the carefully managed resident panels, conferences and engagement events that dominate much of the traditional housing sector.

Joanne and I discuss whether housing providers are really listening to those voices — particularly the difficult, outspoken and frustrated residents who may not fit neatly into the sector’s preferred model of engagement. Sometimes the feedback organisations most need to hear is the feedback they least want to hear.

There is also practical advice for residents. Joanne’s message is simple: don’t give up, reach out for support and document everything. Keep photographs, emails, dates and records, speak to people you trust and connect with other residents who understand what you are experiencing.

And there is a message for senior leaders in housing associations and councils: get out into your communities, speak directly to tenants, listen to what they are actually saying and take action. Reports, statistics and satisfaction scores can only tell you so much. Sometimes you need to speak to the people living with the consequences of the decisions being made.

This is a conversation about tenant voice, accountability, lived experience and why residents supporting residents could become an increasingly important part of the housing conversation.

Follow Joanne on TikTok: @aunty.jo
Follow Housing Sector on TikTok: @housing.sector

Website: housingsector.co.uk

If you have a housing story you think needs to be heard, get in touch.

#HousingSector #HousingSectorPodcast #TikTok #HousingTikTok #TenantVoice #Tenants #Residents #SocialHousing #HousingAssociation #CouncilHousing #ResidentEngagement #HousingRepairs #ServiceCharges #Accountability #HousingCrisis

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Could the UK be heading towards a new wave of rent strikes?

In this episode, I sit down with Suze Muna from SHAC (Social Housing Action Campaign) to explore why more tenants and leaseholders are reaching breaking point.

We discuss the growing 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.

In this episode we discuss:

• What rent strikes are – and why they happen.
• The impact of rising service charges.
• Housing association finances and accountability.
• Whether residents' voices are being heard.
• The case for a National Housing Union.
• What the future could look like if confidence in the sector continues to decline.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you think rent strikes are becoming a realistic possibility, or can the sector rebuild trust before it reaches that point?

Please like, subscribe and share if you find these conversations valuable.

https://shaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SHAC-Blueprint-for-a-National-Housing-Union-July-2026-Full-Version-V1.pdf


#HousingSector #SocialHousing #RentStrikes #ServiceCharges #HousingAssociations #Tenants #Leaseholders #HousingPodcast #SHAC #NationalHousingUnion

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Housing Sector Podcast #73 – The Boardroom Blind Spot?

In this episode, I am joined by Hannah Howard-Jones to explore one of the most important questions facing the housing sector today: are housing association boards asking the right questions?

We discuss the role of boards, governance, accountability, CEO oversight, mergers, organisational culture, data quality, AI, and why transparency matters more than ever.

From scrutinising performance data to holding senior leaders to account, this conversation examines whether boards are getting the information they need, whether they are challenging effectively, and what happens when organisations lose sight of their purpose.

Topics covered:

• The role of housing association boards
• Governance and accountability
• CEO performance and leadership
• Board scrutiny and challenge
• Housing association mergers
• Data quality and decision-making
• Artificial intelligence and risk
• Resident trust and transparency
• Leadership culture in social housing

My thanks to Hannah Howard-Jones for joining me once again for a thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion.

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

#HousingSector #HousingSectorPodcast #SocialHousing #HousingAssociations #Governance #BoardMembers #HousingLeadership #Accountability #TenantVoice #ResidentVoice #DataGovernance #ArtificialIntelligence #HousingManagement #HannahHowardJones #BenJenkins

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In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I speak with Stephen Day about building safety, institutional candour, resident campaigning, and what happens when people raising serious concerns become the target instead of the issues themselves.

We discuss:

• post-Grenfell fire safety concerns
• compartmentation failures and remediation disputes
• PAS 9980 and watered-down remediation standards
• accusations of harassment against campaigners
• councils, developers, and accountability
• the culture of “deny, attack, reverse victim and offender”
• why residents increasingly feel silenced rather than heard

The conversation focuses heavily on the ongoing situation at Royal Artillery Quays and the wider questions facing the housing sector nearly a decade after Grenfell Tower fire.

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

https://substack.com/home/post/p-197129987

https://www.businessinsider.com/grenfell-fire-expert-colin-todd-disabled-people-2022-2

#HousingSector #BenJenkins #StephenDay #Grenfell #BuildingSafety #CladdingScandal #FireSafety #SocialHousing #PAS9980 #ResidentVoice #HousingPodcast #TenantRights #Accountability #Leasehold #RoyalArtilleryQuays #HousingCrisis

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In Housing Sector Podcast #71, I speak with Mark Hughes from Southwark and Muhammad Khan from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea about growing concerns around the use of decants within social housing.

The discussion explores allegations that temporary decants are increasingly being used in ways that leave residents permanently displaced from their homes. Mark shares his personal experience involving disrepair, lock changes, temporary accommodation issues, and legal action, while Muhammad discusses concerns around unsuitable accommodation, resident mistrust following Grenfell, and fears surrounding regeneration and displacement.

We also discuss:

• Temporary vs permanent decants
• Repairs and disrepair in social housing
• Resident trust and accountability
• The impact on families and vulnerable tenants
• Tenant participation and resident panels
• PR, complaints handling, and governance culture
• Awaab’s Law and housing obligations

This episode contains allegations and personal experiences discussed by the guests. Relevant councils will be offered a right of reply.

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

#HousingSector #SocialHousing #HousingPodcast #Decant #TenantRights #CouncilHousing #Disrepair #HousingCrisis #AwaabsLaw #Southwark #RBKC #Grenfell #HousingAssociation #ServiceCharges #BenJenkins

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In Housing Sector Podcast #70, I speak to Richard Duvall, a landlord and tenant caught in a situation that highlights a growing issue within the housing system.

After renting out his one-bedroom flat on a short-term agreement, Richard expected to move back in when the contract ended. Instead, nearly 18 months later, his tenant remains in place, paying little to no rent, while he continues to cover the mortgage, bills, and rent on another property.

This episode explores the reality behind Section 21, court delays, and the gap between legal rights and real-world outcomes. It raises difficult questions about balance, where protections designed to support tenants may also be leaving some landlords financially exposed.

With debt rising, court timelines stretching, and no clear resolution, this is a case that shows how the system can stall when it matters most.

If the system is meant to protect both sides, what happens when it fails one completely?

#HousingSector #BenJenkins #Landlords #Tenants #Eviction #Section21 #HousingCrisis #UKHousing #PropertyLaw #HousingJustice #CostOfLiving #CourtDelays #TenantRights #LandlordRights

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In Housing Sector Podcast #69, I sit down with author Katie Joyce to discuss her debut novel New Beginnings — a fictional story grounded in real experiences from frontline homelessness services.

Katie shares her journey from acting into working in hostels, shelters, and outreach during COVID, and the realities of supporting people facing homelessness, trauma, and mental health challenges. We explore the pressures staff face, the gaps in the system, and why burnout is so common in supported housing.

We also discuss the writing process, turning lived experience into fiction, and how storytelling can help people feel seen in a sector that is often overlooked.

This is a conversation about homelessness, frontline pressure, and the human stories behind the system.

Print: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Beginnings-Katie-Joyce/dp/1915905958/

Ebook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0GR6FWZDS/

Audiobook: https://open.spotify.com/show/2pOjmVyxXvLIbqYov1HI3T?si=yoaQRR2HRXeiL7M5caoMig

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In Housing Sector Podcast #68, I’m joined once again by Suz Muna from Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) to break down a case that goes right to the heart of what’s going wrong in the housing sector.

We start with a shocking example involving Peabody, where residents uncovered that around half a million pounds’ worth of service charge costs had no supporting invoices. What makes this even more serious is that this wasn’t just poor record-keeping—it involved misleading both an MP and the Housing Ombudsman Service.

From there, the conversation opens up into a much bigger issue: how service charge overcharging is impacting not just residents, but taxpayers as well. With housing benefit often covering these costs, the consequences extend far beyond individual households.

We then move into the tactics being used when residents push back. From being labelled “vexatious” to facing legal pressure, communication restrictions, and intimidation, there is a growing pattern emerging across the sector. I share my own experience of being targeted through legal threats, including what’s known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), and how these are being used to silence people raising legitimate concerns.

We also discuss the wider culture within the sector, including the role of events, awards, and professional bodies like the Chartered Institute of Housing, and whether these environments are helping drive improvement—or simply reinforcing the status quo.

This episode is about more than one case. It’s about patterns, systems, and the reality many residents face when they speak up.

The key message is simple: you are not alone. Whether it’s through SHAC, tenant groups, or informal networks, there is strength in numbers—and that may be the most important tool residents have.

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

#HousingSector #ServiceCharges #SocialHousing #TenantRights #HousingCrisis #SHAC #HousingOmbudsman #SLAPPs #Leasehold #SharedOwnership #Accountability #BenJenkins

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