Housing associations

Energy theft is a serious problem for housing associations and there are a number of reasons for this. In this article we will focus on the theft of electricity, though tampering with gas supplies and meters can have devastating consequences if a leak causes an explosion.
Interfering with electricity supplies and meters can be extremely dangerous. Electric shock can cause burns, injury or death, not only for the culprit but also cohabitants, neighbours, future tenants, housing association staff and contractors. As they are landlords, housing associations have a statutory responsibility for electrical safety as well as a duty to prevent personal injury caused by defects in the property. They also have a duty of care towards staff and contractors.

The Yale Patio Door Lock, supplied by door and window hardware distributor Carl F Groupco, is becoming increasingly popular, steadily gaining positive attention since first appearing in the range in 2019. Manufactured by door lock experts Yale, the Yale Patio Door Lock is a secure choice for inline patio doors. Offering six fully stainless-steel bi-directional security hooks and a stainless-steel faceplate, providing anti-lift multipoint locking. The optional addition of shootbolt locking points offers door fabricators enhanced security to suit their project. High-performance and quality construction methods ensure this locking system provides first-class protection; featuring 20mm backset and 92mm PZ centre case, the patio lock is suitable for a wide range of profiles. Carl F Groupco also supplies all supporting hardware for the patio lock, including patio buffers, wheels, and handles.

In episode 19 of Aico TV, our Regional Specification Manager David Cunningham speaks with Veritas Fire Support Services, we explore Cornerstone Housing’s experience with our Ei1000G SmartLINK Gateway and the episode concludes with a presentation on Systemic Building Safety with Orbit Group.

Since Grenfell, fire safety in flats has been in the spotlight. The Stay Put policy has been scrutinised and reviewed, fire doors replaced, and the Wake Watch introduced, all with the aim of ensuring that flat buildings are compliant and safe for tenants to live in.

However, fire safety compliance isn’t always easy to coordinate. Especially if you are in control of multiple buildings, which is a highly likely scenario.

We kick off this weeks episode with our Regional Specification Managers Paul Barret and Steve Bulley discussing RF. The pair walk through the evolution of the technology, where the future of RF lies and are also joined by Paul Waterman from Charge Electrical Contractors to discuss his experiences with Aico’s RF devices.

Our Regional Specification Manager Alex Parker sits down with Paul Merrifield, Senior Learning and Development Partner for Sanctuary. The pair discuss Pauls role within The Sanctuary Group, skill shortages in the sector and the values that Sanctuary and Aico share.

And finally, we re-join National Sales Manager Daniel Little for the second installment of our panel discussion on the Smart Home Healthy Home Leeds project. Daniel is again joined by Richard Bould Technical Manager for New Builds at Yorkshire Housing, Daniel Hardy Project Lead, Housing of the Future at Leeds City Council, Jess Kuznia Innovation Analyst at Yorkshire Housing and our very own Jordan Toulson Product Manager at HomeLINK. The group ends the discussion on how we can better utilise the Internet of Things to better engage with residents and how to scale the projects in the future.

Housing associations and local authorities responsible for management of housing stock, along with their specialist advisors, are to be offered advance access to the UK’s first Ventilation MOT® which has been specifically designed to establish the adequacy, or otherwise, of the ventilation measures installed in an existing home.
 
David Bly, Director of Cornerstone Professional Services (UK) Ltd, the organisation behind the Ventilation MOT®, explains why social housing providers and their advisors are being offered first adopter status, “Inadequate ventilation, or, as it’s referred to in the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act, “not enough ventilation”, can be a major contributor to condensation and mould growth in a home. If a property is a recently built one, then there’s a chance that one of the recognised ventilation systems in Approved Document F has been installed and it can be demonstrated that there is “adequate means of ventilation provided for people in the building”. It’s a completely different situation in older properties which make up the vast majority of the housing stock and that’s where the Ventilation MOT® will prove very useful to social housing landlords. As a key process in the Property MOT® platform, it will let them know where they stand in terms of ventilation adequacy and what, if anything, they need to do to get there”

We begin with a panel discussion regarding the Smart Home Healthy Home project, chaired by our National Sales Manager, Daniel Little. We have some great panellists, including Richard Bould Technical Manager at Yorkshire Housing, Daniel Hardy Project Lead, Housing of the Future at Leeds City Council, Jessica Kuznia Innovation Analyst at Yorkshire Housing, and our very own Jordan Toulson Product Manager at HomeLINK.

Next, our Operations and Learning & Development Manager, Lee Duffy, examines the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the measures taken throughout the distribution network that ensured continuity within the sector. Lee speaks to Andy Crockett Managing Director at TWC Parcel Collection Services, David Brown Managing Director at UPN, Colin Rann Operations Director at APC and Lydia Hopley, QHS&E Administrator about their experiences.

In the last segment, our Relationships Manager Tina Mistry is joined by Lord Porter of Spalding and Robert Chilton of Cratus Communications. Together, they discuss The Hackitt Report, the Golden Thread and Lord Porter’s views on the changing landscape of the sector.

We finish the episode with an FAQ delivered by our Product Development Executive, Samuel Marston, who explains how to remove a product from a SmartLINK Gateway system.