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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In Housing Sector Podcast #67, I’m joined once again by Martin Donkin for an important follow-up on the ongoing situation at Coniston House.

When Martin last came on the podcast, we discussed the modular homes project being built on top of existing flats by East End Homes, the disruption it had caused, and the serious concerns being raised by residents. In this episode, we revisit that story to look at what has happened since.

Martin explains how residents are still living with the fallout of a project that was meant to be straightforward but has become a drawn-out and costly mess. We discuss temporary accommodation, trust, delays, legal action, building safety concerns, and the wider question of whether this scheme should ever have gone ahead in the first place.

We also explore the lack of transparency in the housing sector, the limits of access to information for residents, and why stronger scrutiny is badly needed when housing providers are handling public money and making decisions that affect people’s homes and lives.

Martin also talks about how this experience has pushed him into politics, and why he now feels change will only come if more people step forward and challenge systems that are clearly not working.

This is a conversation about modular promises, poor planning, public accountability, and the human cost when housing projects go badly wrong.

Listen now and please like, share and subscribe.

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://youtu.be/NnnOReSA34w

#HousingSector #BenJenkins #MartinDonkin #ConistonHouse #EastEndHomes #SocialHousing #HousingCrisis #ModularHousing #BuildingSafety #HousingAccountability #TenantVoice #Leaseholders #ServiceCharges #HousingOmbudsman #Transparency #FOI #STAIRS #UKHousing #ResidentAdvocacy #HousingPodcast

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In this Housing Sector Raw update, Ben Jenkins shares the latest developments from across the housing sector. From a new update on a Housing Ombudsman investigation to ongoing scrutiny of service charges and the flow of public money through housing benefit, this episode looks at the issues that rarely get discussed openly.

Ben explains how Freedom of Information requests are beginning to reveal the scale of housing benefit payments flowing from councils to housing associations, with tens of millions of pounds identified in just a few council areas. At the same time, he discusses transparency concerns when some councils say they cannot locate the same information.

The episode also covers progress on a First-tier Tribunal challenge to service charges. After scrutiny and a Section 22 request, a series of corrections by the landlord has already reduced charges by around 30 percent — raising wider questions about how often these figures are properly examined.

There is also an update on the Housing Ombudsman process, which may take many months to conclude, and a discussion about the broader issue of legal pressure and SLAPP-style tactics used against journalists and campaigners.

Housing Sector remains entirely independent and self-funded. The aim is simple: to ask difficult questions, publish evidence, and create honest conversations about how the housing system works.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Housing Ombudsman investigation update
• Following the Money – new blog on housing benefit flows
• FOI findings from Birmingham, Walsall and Wiltshire councils
• Service charge scrutiny and Section 22 rights for residents
• First-tier Tribunal challenge explained
• Transparency and accountability in housing funding
• Independent journalism and SLAPP pressures

Read the latest blog:
https://www.housingsector.co.uk

SHAC - Golden Webb
https://shaction.org/2024/05/29/the-golden-web/

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If you value independent housing journalism and evidence-based discussion, please like, subscribe and share.

#HousingSector #BenJenkins #SocialHousing #HousingCrisis #ServiceCharges #HousingOmbudsman #Transparency #UKHousing

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In Episode 66 of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined once again by Suz Muna from SHAC to unpack some uncomfortable truths about service charges, housing benefit, and how housing associations respond when residents push back.

We begin with an update on communication plans — what they are supposed to be used for, how they can become restrictive tools, and why standing your ground calmly and factually matters. I share recent developments and reflect on what happens when pressure starts to shift.

We then turn to new SHAC research into First-tier Tribunal service charge decisions from last year. The findings are significant: in over 63% of concluded cases, judges identified some level of overcharging, resulting in reductions or removals of service charges.

But that figure only tells part of the story.

Many residents never make it to tribunal. Fear of legal costs, lack of representation, and intimidation tactics often deter people before a hearing ever takes place. We discuss cost threats, access to legal advice, and why the imbalance of resources matters.

We also explore:

Section 22 requests and incomplete invoice disclosure.
Admitted “errors” in service charge adjustments.
The role of housing benefit and the lack of scrutiny over service charge elements.
Freedom of Information responses from councils.
The scale of public money flowing directly to housing associations.
Whether current oversight mechanisms are truly protecting residents — or taxpayers.
Finally, we examine the Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign and ask whether tackling language alone addresses the deeper economic drivers behind sector behaviour.

This is a grounded, data-led conversation about accountability, legal process, and the wider financial ecosystem shaping social housing.

If you are dealing with rising service charges, communication restrictions, or housing benefit questions, this episode is essential listening.

#HousingSector #BenJenkins #SuzMuna #SHAC #GreenSquareAccord #StopSocialHousingStigma #SSHS #NickBliss #RuthCooke #SophieAtkinson #SteveHayes #ServiceCharges #HousingBenefit #FirstTierTribunal #TenantRights #Leaseholders #SharedOwnership #HousingAccountability

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I examine GreenSquareAccord’s decision to remove the communication plan and soften their tone. On the surface, it looks like progress. Restrictions lifted. Language adjusted. A new approach. But has anything really changed?

In this episode, I break down extracts from the latest letter, look at the continued references to expired undertakings, the narrative around “persistent contact,” and the framing of resident behaviour. I also explore why this shift may have happened now — including the growing visibility of the Housing Sector and GreenSquareAccord Resident Support platforms, increased sector engagement, and the wider public money questions now being asked.

With over £41 million of public funding identified over three years and growing professional scrutiny from across the housing sector, the questions are becoming harder to ignore. Is this genuine reset — or just a much needed change in tone?

Watch and decide.

#ThisIsTheGSAWay #GreenSquareAccord #HousingSector #BenJenkins #SocialHousing #ServiceCharges #HousingAccountability #TenantVoice #PublicMoney #HousingTransparency #RuthCooke #SteveHayes #SophieAtkinson #SLAPPS

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In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Chris Carr, a former in-house housing professional with over 20 years’ experience working inside the system.

We talk about the growing imbalance between residents and housing providers — and why access to justice is becoming harder just as standards are under greater scrutiny.

Chris explains how the legal and operational machinery behind housing associations works, why tenants face an uphill battle in tribunals and disrepair claims, and how internal cultures often prioritise reporting performance over actually delivering it.

We discuss:

• Why residents without legal support struggle against experienced housing teams
• The government’s push to limit claims management and what that means for tenants
• How funding pressures and development priorities are reshaping repair budgets
• Why whistleblowers and internal critics are often sidelined
• The legacy of Grenfell and whether meaningful accountability has followed
• Procurement, conferences, and the sector’s focus on image over substance

This is an honest conversation about power, process, and the structural imbalance built into social housing today.

If residents are truly at the heart of the sector, the system needs to work for them — not against them.

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 #HousingAssociations #TenantRights #AccessToJustice #HousingDisrepair #Section11 #FirstTierTribunal #Grenfell #Accountability #Transparency #Procurement #PublicMoney #ServiceCharges #HousingPolicy #benjenkins

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In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Siobhan Weightman to discuss one of the sector’s most persistent and least resolved issues: data.

We explore why fragmented, unreliable data continues to undermine service delivery, governance, compliance, and trust across the housing sector. Drawing on experience from local government, policing, and housing, Siobhan reflects on how poor data culture leads to reactive decision-making, weak oversight, and repeated operational failure.

We discuss data silos and system sprawl, GDPR compliance risks, the impact of bad data on customer experience, service charges and asset knowledge, governance assurance and board accountability, mergers and inherited data problems, and why so much “digital transformation” fails to address root causes.

The conversation also touches on the growing gap between strategy and lived reality, the risks of reputation management over problem-solving, and why residents so often pay the price when organisations don’t know their own stock or trust their own information.

#HousingSector #SocialHousing #HousingAssociations #DataGovernance #DataQuality #DigitalTransformation #HousingRegulation #TenantExperience #ServiceCharges #Governance #Accountability #Transparency #GDPR #HousingPolicy #PublicSector #HousingPodcast #HousingLeadership #HousingData #UKHousing #BenJenkins

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In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Hannah, a consultant at Data Clan with experience across both the private housing sector and large national housing providers.

We start by talking about service charges and the lack of insight and scrutiny around them, including how councils assess and pay housing-related costs. From there, the conversation broadens into a more honest discussion about power, cost, accountability, and transparency in housing.

Hannah draws on her experience in the private sector to explain how service charges are expected to withstand challenge, tribunal scrutiny, and case law — and why that level of discipline is often missing in social housing. We talk about build quality, long-term costs, siloed organisations, the impact of mergers, and why residents are increasingly questioning what they are being asked to pay for.

We also discuss:

Why service charges have become a flashpoint for residents
How development decisions affect long-term costs
The disconnect between service delivery and what residents are charged
Fragmented systems and the loss of local knowledge
The rise of defensive responses and legal escalation
New Social Tenant Access to Information requirements and what they are intended to address
Leasehold reform and the imbalance of power between residents and landlords

This episode is about having a calm, open, and honest conversation about how housing works in practice — and why accountability matters.

#HousingSector, #ServiceCharges, #HousingAccountability, #SocialHousing, #LeaseholdReform, #HousingAssociations, #Transparency, #TenantRights, #HousingCosts, #ResidentVoice

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