social housing

What makes an established and successful housing association decide to work with a little-known Dutch boiler manufacturer? Terri Taylor, Marketing Executive, Intergas Boilers, demonstrates why ‘it’s good to talk’.

by Victoria Galligan, Housing Association Magazine editor

Chancellor Philip Hammond’s affordable housing guarantee scheme means that housing associations can borrow up to £3billion to deliver 30,000 new affordable homes in England.

This is not additional funding, but merely the OK for HAs to borrow more money.

And it is not enough to provide the number of social rent properties which are so desperately needed.

Vent-Axia has launched its updated Lo-Carbon Revive fan with a range of new and improved features

Multi-Trade property service company The McDougall Group has boosted productivity with the introduction of a BigChange service management system, which can help mobile workers within the social housing sector.

The web-based system can be used by building and housing maintenance teams, and connects in-house teams with contractors thanks to being accessed on computers, phones or tablets – basically, BigChange offers a single platform for easier management.    

McDougall has equipped its tradespeople and engineers with smartphones and tablets running JobWatch, part of the all-in-one solution from BigChange.

Whether it’s the kitchen sink or the shower, there’s a good chance that all social housing tenants will experience plumbing problems in their home at some point. The Water Regulation Advisory Scheme (WRAS) recently commissioned a study into the most common plumbing issues in the home, with dripping taps and leaking pipes being the leading problems reported.

Many of these can be prevented by using properly tested products and hiring a qualified plumber or installer, ensuring that water systems or fittings meet the requirements of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations and Scottish Water Byelaws.

Elfed Thomas is the founder and CEO of British Fibre Networks, a pure fibre network infrastructure provider. Here, he outlines why fibre networks are the next innovation in home building…

What do people expect from a new build home? Structural integrity, electricity supply, and access to clean water are some of the necessities that immediately spring to mind. Increasingly, however, good internet connection is being pushed towards the top of the “essential” pile and 54% of people moving into homes that have been newly built expect it to have been built with pure fibre connectivity. Currently, only 4% of UK homes have this.

Windoor balcony enclosures not only increase the light inside a home but they allow for an outside seating space which can be enclosed on cooler spring and autumn days – therefore extending balcony use more than a traditional design.

The balcony enclosures can be fully opened up when the resident wants to bask in the summer sunshine, and for the chillier days the system has a unique track which allows all the panels to slide and turn inwards. They are then secured safely and discreetly against the inner wall.

Here, Housing Association magazine editor Victoria Galligan speaks to the Windoor team about the benefits of the products' design, and finds out why they are a popular choice for the housing sector…