Management Maintenance

HOUSING MANAGEMENT& MAINTENANCE September 2016 Features this month Show preview Latest news, events & Accessibility UK Construction Week products for the social Cladding & Facades housing sector Lighting & Electrical News Roofing Home Group helps tenants buy Structural & Damp Repairs Pay to Stay to charge high earners Comment: Reducing voids Social renters in fuel poverty www.housingmmonline.co.uk 09/16Contents In this issue... 25 Industry news.......................................5-25 Events ..........................................................17 Features Product Focus...........................................29 UKCW Show Preview .......................31-33 Directory.....................................................51 39 Cladding & Facades Restoring pride in social housing Although providing the numbers of housing units required is higher on the agenda than ever before, future-proofing our tower blocks needs to be a top priority to help repair their image, explains William McDowell of Rockpanel. 39 44 Lighting & Electrical Get smart with lighting New generation monitoring and management systems for indoor lighting and LED solutions are bringing significant benefits to social housing. Tim McKernan of Products Harvard Technology explains how. Air Conditioning & Ventilation.....37-38 Appointments & News ..........................34 46 Roofing Bathrooms & Wetrooms........................34 Going solar Building Products & Services........37-38 Cladding & Facades..........................38-40 Energy eﬃciency continues to be a hot topic for property as housing providers gear up to meet rigorous eﬃciency rules. John Forster of Forster Group explains why Doors, Windows & Glazing ............40-41 solar roofing is a win for landlords. Heating & Renewable Energy.......42-43 Insulation ...................................................43 Landscaping & External Works ...........43 49 Structural & Damp Repairs Lighting & Electrical.........................43-45 A new lease of life for the high rise Roofing.................................................46-47 Smoke & Fire Protection .......................48 Concrete tower blocks were the government’s solution to post–war housing shortage, but the stock’s structural integrity has come back to haunt planners and Structural & Damp Repairs ............48-50 maintenance teams. Nic Collins of Sika explains why building strength is key. Timber & Joinery......................................47 www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM September 2016 | 3 industry news Editor’s comment Publisher: Housing sector on Lesley Mayo Managing Editor: stand by James Parker Patrick Mooney, [email protected] News Editor News Editor: Patrick Mooney [email protected] This year’s Autumn Statement by the new Chancellor Philip buy and to rent, from councils, housing associations and Hammond is eagerly anticipated as it will surely provide the private landlords. Assistant Editor: strongest clues yet of changes in Government policies which Low income tenants are facing the difficult prospect Teodora Lyubomirova affect housing. of a reduction in the benefit cap with many commentators Editorial Assistants: Since Theresa May took over the reins from David Cameron and practitioners warning about a possible upsurge Jack Wooler we have been waiting for signs to see if planned welfare cuts in homelessness. Roseanne Field Sue Benson will be eased or if house-building targets will be firmed up. This would be a tragedy at a time when we mark 50 years The new ministerial team at the Department of since the making of Cathy Come Home, the seminal film on Production Assistants: Communities & Local Government has been strangely substandard housing and homelessness. The BBC re-screened Mikey Pooley quiet – and we don’t know if this is because they are getting the film over the summer while many of us were heading off Shelley Collyer Rob Duncan to grips with their new responsibilities or busily changing on holiday, something which was probably denied to Kim Musson existing policies. thousands of families facing an uncertain future. Senior Sales Executives: In the meantime life goes on and so does the merry- Nathan Hunt go-round of housing association mergers and deals. Over the Frightening Sheehan Moir-Edmonds summer months we have seen proposed deals falter and new It’s a frightening statistic that in the first quarter of 2016 Display Sales: deals emerge. This is likely to continue for some time yet, as some 14,780 homeless households were registered as being Courtney Smith social landlords respond to the changed financial climate and owed a rehousing duty by local authorities in England – up the enforced rent cuts. Sales Executives: nine per cent on last year and 54 per cent higher than the Suzanne Easter Council housing bosses can be forgiven for being a bit same period in 2010. The focus on various housing for sale Kim Friend tetchy as they are having to contend with a difficult set of initiatives under George Osborne has clearly not worked for problems. With a shortage of details (and time!) they are Circulation: these families. Jane Spice preparing for the introduction of Pay to Stay, the ending of The public spat between the National Housing Federation lifetime tenancies, the forced sale of higher value homes and a and private lenders over who is to blame for the huge growth Managing Director: Simon Reed surge in Right to Buy applications. in the housing benefits bill was neither educational or helpful. This is just the tip of a busy agenda and a bulging in-tray. Neither side emerged with any credit from the argument. Cointronic House, Station Road, Inevitably the Brexit vote has caused a deal of uncertainty Heathfield, Unknowns over the economy and future financial policies, but instead of East Sussex TN21 8DF Following the passing of the Housing & Planning Act local putting the squeeze on rented housing, the Government could Advertising & authorities are being given new duties and responsibilities for do us all a huge favour by developing a clear strategy for administration regulating the activities of private landlords in their areas, but improving standards and security, allied to the delivery of Tel: 01435 863500 once again the details still need to be firmed up before full housing at prices which people can afford. Fax: 01435 863897 [email protected] implementation can take place. Surely extending the right to buy is not the solution, www.housingmmonline.co.uk Prosecutions of rogue landlords are taking place and court particularly when so many of the sold homes end up being Editorial features fines do appear to be increasing, but private sector rents will owned by speculative private landlords who let the homes at Tel: 01435 863500 only stop rising if demand can be eased by giving a big boost higher rents, to tenants who are reliant on housing benefit. Fax: 01435 863897 to the building and supply of truly affordable new houses – to Beware the law of unintended consequences! [email protected] Press Releases [email protected] The manufacturer of the paper used within our publication is a C hain-of-Custody certified supplier operating within environmental systems certified to both ISO 14001 and EMAS in order to ensure sustainable production. Subscription costs just £18 for 6 issues, including post and packing. Phone 01435 863500 for details. Individual copies of the publication are available at £3.25 each including p&p. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or tran smitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, recording or stored in any information retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. On the cover... Although every effort is made to ensure the HOUSING & accuracy and reliability of material published September 2016 The September issue of Housing Management & Maintenance features Orchard Village in Rainham, in Housing Management & Maintenance, the publisher can accept no responsibility for the Essex (Image © AluK). claims or opinions made by cont ributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Editorial The former Mardyke Estate in Rainham, East London, has been transformed by Circle Housing which contributors to this journal may have made a payment towards the reproduction costs of invested £80m to redevelop the old estate using AluK aluminium curtain walling, window and door material used to illustrate their products. systems through four phases. A total of 555 new affordable homes will be provided. Printed in England Features this month Show preview Latest news, events & Accessibility UK Construction Week products for the social Cladding & Facades housing sector Lighting & Electrical News This product registered with Roo(ng Home Group helps tenants buy Structural & Damp Repairs Pay to Stay to charge high earners For more information, go to page 23. ABC in October 2015 but has Comment: Reducing voids S i l t i f l t www.housingmmonline.co.uk not yet issued its first certificate. 4 | HMM September 2016 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk industry news Nine in 10 renters Home Group to help cannot afford tenants buy homes minimum deposit ne of the UK’s largest housing directed into savings), high deposit values providers is offering to help its and the property price increase as the three Ocustomers overcome a major barrier biggest obstacles to saving a deposit. to owning a home – saving for a deposit while In order to tackle the issues Home Group paying rent. has identified three ways in which we can help

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