“It’s like prison.” Stacey lost five sales because of unsafe cladding. Even after a reassessment, high ground rent & service charges mean she remains trapped. She’d now accept £1 to escape. This is what political failure looks like. @andyburnham.bsky.social inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

I've been stuck unable to sell my leasehold flat for eight years - it’s like prison

Stacey Lofthouse cannot sell her two-bed home as a result of high service charges and ground rent – she's tried everything

inews.co.uk

"Despite the cladding now not being an issue, Stacey still cannot sell due to the high ground rent and service charge her flat has." That's exactly what awaits us, because MHCLG ministers work in siloes, passing on the buck. Flats will remain unmortgageable.

End Our Cladding Scandal@eocs-official.bsky.social · 7d ago

“It’s like prison.” Stacey lost five sales because of unsafe cladding. Even after a reassessment, high ground rent & service charges mean she remains trapped. She’d now accept £1 to escape. This is what political failure looks like. @andyburnham.bsky.social inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

Last week, our members wrote to members of the House of Lords. Peers listened and sent the Government a clear warning. Helping shared owners isn't a Labour priority. With your help, we'll make it one. Join us: tinyurl.com/SharedOwnersNetwork

The Shared Owners' Network@sharedownersnet.bsky.social · 2w ago

"Predatory." "Sharp practice." "Kafkaesque." Peers didn't hold back during Monday's 40-minute House of Lords debate on shared ownership. If you missed it, you can catch up now. ⏯️ parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

"Predatory." "Sharp practice." "Kafkaesque." Peers didn't hold back during Monday's 40-minute House of Lords debate on shared ownership. If you missed it, you can catch up now. ⏯️ parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

Parliamentlive.tv

House of Lords

parliamentlive.tv

In November, a lobbying firm approached me and asked to pay me to write articles critical of the Building Safety Regulator for newspapers. Filmed undercover, their staff admitted secretly paying reporters for copy in British newspapers friendly to their clients: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Lobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press

Exclusive: Guardian investigation of CT Group uncovers practice that appears to seek hidden influence over public opinion

theguardian.com

Lords back review of shared ownership to help address 'horror' of living in unsellable and unmortgageable homes. @insidehousing.bsky.social reports ⬇️ www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/lords-b...

Lords back review of shared ownership to help address ‘horror’ of living in unsellable and unmortgageable homes

The House of Lords has backed an amendment to the Social Housing Bill calling for a comprehensive review of the shared ownership model in the first year.

insidehousing.co.uk

Thousands of shared owners are trapped in homes they cannot sell or are struggling with unaffordable housing costs. Yet instead of confronting this growing crisis head-on, the government is merely planning to rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic. 🖇️ Link in next post

Are you a shared owner? ➡️ Join us: tinyurl.com/SharedOwners... 📱Follow our WhatsApp channel: whatsapp.com/channel/0029... 📥 Get in touch: sharedownersnetwork@gmail.com

Two years under Labour. Soon, a fourth Building Safety Minister. An unfit-for-purpose Remediation Bill. Excuses from senior MHCLG officials. Leaseholders still trapped. We'll try to have hope, @andyburnham.bsky.social. But hope only gets you so far.

🗨️ Lord Young: "A dedicated allocation to support the buyback of unmortgageable shared ownership properties within the current Social and Affordable Homes Programme is the solution." www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/lords-b...

Lords back review of shared ownership to help address ‘horror’ of living in unsellable and unmortgageable homes

The House of Lords has backed an amendment to the Social Housing Bill calling for a comprehensive review of the shared ownership model in the first year.

insidehousing.co.uk

📍House of Lords Debate on shared ownership and buybacks. Catch up ⬇️ parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

Parliamentlive.tv

House of Lords

parliamentlive.tv

Yesterday, peers called for a review of shared ownership and demanded buybacks for trapped shared owners. They had some blunt words about how housing associations operate. The Minister resisted scrutiny. Peers voted. The Government was defeated. Decisively. 🖇️ Link in post below.

🔥 "acting with a predatory and pecuniary advantage and obvious conflicts of interest." Blimey, @natfednews.bsky.social, I think it's fair to say Lord Fuller is rather sceptical of your members' claimed "social purpose." #UKhousing

The Shared Owners' Network@sharedownersnet.bsky.social · 2w ago

Yesterday, peers called for a review of shared ownership and demanded buybacks for trapped shared owners. They had some blunt words about how housing associations operate. The Minister resisted scrutiny. Peers voted. The Government was defeated. Decisively. 🖇️ Link in post below.

📥 If you are a member, please check your inbox for an important message. If you can't find it there, please check your spam or junk folder.

Minister confirms LAFRA omission that would deny tens of thousands of shared owners the right to extend their lease with direct landlord - because providers "do not have sufficiently long leases to grant 990-year extensions" - must wait for Commonhold & Leasehold Reform Bill.

Matthew Pennycook MP@matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social · 3w ago

As we bring the feudal leasehold system to an end and move towards a commonhold future, we won’t leave existing leaseholders behind. Today, we’re setting out the next phase of the implementation of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 👇🏻 questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

🚨 The MHCLG remediation programme has been downgraded from AMBER to RED. Successful delivery now "appears to be unachievable". Two years in govt & Labour is going backwards. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped in unsafe homes. And they call this change? www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/bu...

Cladding remediation programme 'appears to be unachievable', NISTA says

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) has downgraded the government's cladding remediation programme to a red rating,

constructionnews.co.uk

🎯 @soresources.bsky.social "Shared ownership is publicly subsidised and delivered under an affordable homes scheme. Consequently, whether shared ownership homes are affordable is of interest not only to shared owners, but also to taxpayers." @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social what's the plan?

Inside Housing @insidehousing.bsky.social · 3w ago

⚠️ Extreme heat Remediation work means some residents can't fully open windows or access balconies, making it impossible to cool and ventilate homes overnight. We've joined @eocs-official.bsky.social and @nonqualifyinglh.bsky.social in calling on Ministers to act. ⬇️

Inside Housing @insidehousing.bsky.social · 4w ago

Today’s ministerial statement on building safety is a small step forward, but not the fair solution leaseholders need. No more piecemeal schemes, delays or costs for leaseholders. Homes must be safe and sellable for everyone. Our response ⬇️ endourcladdingscandal.org/posts/our-re...

Our response to today's Ministerial Statement on Building Safety - End Our Cladding Scandal

Today’s ministerial statement is a small step forward, but we fear these are more incremental measures that will not enable Labour to put an end to the building safety crisis any time soon.

endourcladdingscandal.org

"It's telling that in a briefing from the @natfednews.bsky.social in preparation for this bill... there wasn't a single mention of social purpose, save to say they were driven by it without explaining what it means. Front and center it certainly was not" Ouch. 🎯 parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

Parliamentlive.tv

House of Lords

parliamentlive.tv

"If shared ownership is a pathway to home ownership, it is a very rocky one. It is definitely a home owner’s dream that turned into their worst nightmare." Shared owners are tired of government excuses. Time is up. #UKhousing

Peers challenged the Minister on shared ownership this week. Lord Fuller didn't hold back: "This has been sold to people (…) as a lower-cost way of getting their foot on the ladder." "One might go so far as to suggest that there has been a degree of mis-selling here."

“Trapped and overwhelmed… no end in sight.” 5+ years in limbo. Another example of the failing Developer Remediation Contract and lack of grip. Ministers and senior officials offer warm words while searching for excuses not to do the right thing. And they call this "change”?

Inside Housing @insidehousing.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Nine years since Grenfell. Keir Starmer said its legacy would be one of the defining changes of his premiership. That promise has not been kept. Hundreds of thousands remain trapped in unsafe, unsellable homes. We are asking for an urgent meeting. Read our letter ⬇️

9 years since Grenfell. Today, and every day, we remember the 72 lives lost. We stand with the bereaved, survivors and residents in their fight for truth, accountability and lasting change. Join @grenfellunited.bsky.social today at 6pm, Notting Hill Methodist Church to demand justice 💚

This is what the new Select Committee report says about shared ownership, in full. MPs note that changes to the scheme do not benefit existing shared owners. Our position is clear @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social, the shared ownership scheme should not be marketed as affordable housing.

The Committee recommends that Government adopt a definition of 'affordable housing' that works for people, not just for planning.