Make Things Right: Improving Social Housing Conditions
Introduction
In an effort to enhance housing conditions, the UK government has launched the ‘Make Things Right’ campaign, encouraging social housing tenants to report problems and make complaints. With a £2 million advertising budget, the campaign aims to inform residents of their rights and put pressure on failing landlords to improve living conditions. Social housing tenants will be able to make use of various platforms such as social media, radio, and online search to report issues and seek resolution.
Informing Social Housing Tenants
- Advertisements will be published on social media, radio, and online search to inform social housing tenants of their rights and how to make complaints.
- The campaign builds on previous efforts, including the implementation of the Awaab Law, to improve housing conditions.
- Social housing residents are encouraged to challenge unacceptable conditions, notify their landlords, and make complaints to the Housing Ombudsman if necessary.
- The campaign aims to ensure that tenants are aware of their rights and landlords are held accountable for addressing concerns promptly and adequately.
Housing Secretary’s Call to Action
Housing Secretary Michael Gove is urging social housing tenants to take a stand against failing landlords and demand better living conditions. The ‘Make Things Right’ campaign serves as a platform for residents to voice their concerns and press for change. With the campaign officially launched, social housing tenants across England are encouraged to report problems in their homes and make complaints. By doing so, tenants can help tackle dangers and ensure that they live in safe and decent homes.
Promoting Landlord Accountability
The campaign highlights the responsibility of landlords to take action when complaints are made by tenants. Landlords are expected to support their residents and address any issues that arise. The government recognizes the need to provide assistance to landlords to ensure they meet their obligations of providing decent and safe housing. With 10% of social housing failing to meet the Decent Housing Standard last year, it is imperative that landlords do more to improve the quality of housing for their residents.
Quotes from Housing Secretary and Social Housing Activist
Housing Secretary, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP stresses the importance of holding social landlords accountable for their failure to meet residents’ needs. Through the ‘Make Things Right’ campaign, tenants have a greater voice in demanding change and seeking justice. The Social Housing Act, along with the Awaab Act, ensures that all tenants have the right to live in safe and decent homes while being treated fairly and with respect.
Social Housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa emphasizes the need for tenants to take action against substandard housing conditions. Reporting problems to landlords and making complaints are crucial steps in holding landlords accountable. Tweneboa urges tenants to escalate complaints to the Housing Ombudsman if landlords refuse to address the issues effectively. It is essential for tenants to stand up for their rights and demand better living conditions.
Mission to Improve Social Housing Quality
The government’s mission to improve the quality of social housing is reflected in the actions taken by the Housing Secretariat. Landlords who have neglected their responsibilities are being named and shamed, drawing attention to their failure to meet tenants’ needs. The new Social Housing Regulation Law grants additional powers, including unlimited fines and emergency repairs. These powers will hold landlords accountable and ensure that necessary measures are taken to provide safe and habitable homes for residents.
Reforms for Safer Homes
Following the tragic death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, the government is determined to enforce stricter regulations to prevent similar incidents. The Social Housing Regulation Law will introduce reforms that raise awareness of tenants’ rights and impose strict time limits for addressing dangers such as damp and mold. A consultation process is underway to gather views and opinions on the new direction to the Regulator of Social Housing. The government remains committed to creating safer and healthier living environments for social housing tenants.
Improved Complaint Management
The role of effective complaint management in resolving issues promptly is vital. The landlord complaint process should be accessible to all residents seeking to address their concerns. The process allows landlords the opportunity to rectify problems through repairs, apologies, or compensation offers. However, if residents remain dissatisfied with the landlord’s response, they can turn to the Housing Ombudsman for further assistance. The Housing Ombudsman is an independent authority dedicated to helping residents and owners find a fair resolution to their complaints.
Make Things Right Campaign Details
- The ‘Make Things Right’ campaign will run across England from today until March 31.
- Promoted ads will be aired on commercial radio, digital audio, and community radio stations.
- Radio spots will be broadcasted on various stations, including Capital, Gold, Heart, Hits Radio, Kiss, Magic, and Smooth.
- Ads will be translated into Arabic, Polish, Romanian, Urdu, Punjabi, and Bengali to reach a diverse audience.
- Social media ads will target social housing residents on platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and Nextdoor.
- Digital audio streaming platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud will also feature the campaign ads.
- Paid search advertising through search engines like Google and Bing will direct users to the campaign website for filing complaints.
Conclusion
The ‘Make Things Right’ campaign launched by the UK government aims to empower social housing tenants and improve their living conditions. By informing residents of their rights and encouraging them to report issues, the campaign puts pressure on failing landlords to take action. Landlords must be held accountable for their responsibilities and ensure that residents live in safe and decent homes. With the implementation of new regulations and the availability of support for both tenants and landlords, the campaign strives to create better social housing standards across England.
References:
- https://socialhousingcomplaints.campaign.gov.uk/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/letters-from-the-secretary-of-state-to-social-landlords-about-poor-performance
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-social-housing-act-receives-royal-assent-to-become-law
- https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-directions-to-the-regulator-of-social-housing-tenant-rights-and-complaints
Summary:
The ‘Make Things Right’ campaign launched by the UK government aims to improve social housing conditions by empowering tenants to report problems and lodge complaints. With a budget of £2 million, the campaign utilizes various platforms such as social media, radio, and online search to inform tenants of their rights and encourage them to hold landlords accountable. The government is committed to ensuring that residents live in safe and decent homes and is implementing reforms to achieve this goal. By providing support to both tenants and landlords, the campaign strives to create a better living environment for social housing residents across England.
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- A £2 million advertising campaign will allow residents to report problems and lodge complaints as part of efforts to improve housing conditions.
- Advertisements will be published on social media, radio and online search to inform social housing tenants of their rights.
- It builds on progress to improve conditions, including the Awaab Law.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove is urging social housing tenants to put pressure on failing landlords to improve their living conditions, with the government’s latest launch of the ‘Make Things Right’ campaign. live today.
Social housing residents are being encouraged to report issues and make complaints to tackle dangers in their homes in the next phase of the advertising campaign across England.
Residents should feel safe to challenge unacceptable conditions and notify their landlord when something goes wrong. The government wants to inform tenants of their rights and ensure they make complaints to the Housing Ombudsman if their concerns are not addressed quickly or adequately.
Building on the success of previous campaigns, the £2 million campaign will include promoted ads on radio and social media.
Landlords have a responsibility to take action when complaints are made and support will also be available to them, to ensure they are supporting residents in the best way possible.
With 10% of social housing failing to meet the Decent Housing Standard last year, this is a serious wake-up call to landlords who must do more to provide decent and safe housing for their residents.
Housing Secretary, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP said:
“Social landlords who fail their residents time and time again must be held to account.
“The continued success of our Make Things Right campaign gives residents a greater voice in making real change, ensuring they know their rights to stand up to bad landlords and turn to the Ombudsman when issues remain unresolved.
“Our Social Housing Act is now law and the Awaab Act remains a strong reminder of the importance of all tenants having the right to live in safe and decent homes while being treated fairly and with respect.”
Social Housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa said:
“I have said from the beginning that no one should live in a house that is falling apart or is unsafe. If a landlord wouldn’t do it, his tenants shouldn’t do it either.
“Inform your landlord, make a complaint to your landlord and, if they still refuse to take action, report it directly to the Housing Ombudsman.”
As part of the government’s mission to improve the quality of social housing, the Housing Secretariat has been name and shame owners who have not taken their responsibilities seriously.
Innovative changes through the Social Housing Regulation Law, which has now received royal consentwill introduce new powers for unlimited fines and emergency repairs that homeowners will have to pay.
Following the tragic death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, it is more important than ever to hold landlords accountable when they have clearly failed their tenants.
The new reforms will allow residents to better understand their rights and strict time limits will be introduced to take quicker action to tackle dangers such as damp and mould.
a new consultation is now open to views to help implement the first part of the Awaab Act, improving tenants’ access to information about their rights when the Housing Secretary issues new direction to the Regulator. A further consultation will be held in the coming months to address the dangers.
Since last year, it has been quicker and easier for residents to lodge complaints directly with the Ombudsman, removing the requirement to first write to a local MP or councilor and wait 8 weeks after completing the process with the landlord.
Referrals to the Ombudsman have increased in demand with a 78% increase in March compared to the same month last year.
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, said:
“Effective complaint management is vital to ensuring issues are resolved as quickly as possible.
“The landlord complaint process should be accessible to any resident who wishes to make a complaint. The process gives landlords a fair opportunity to make things right for residents when something has gone wrong, whether through a repair, apology or offer of compensation.
“If residents remain unhappy after the final response to the landlord’s complaint, they can take their complaint to us to the Housing Ombudsman. “We are free, independent and impartial to help residents and owners find a solution to their complaint.”
More information
The campaign will run across England from today until March 31 across social media and online search. There will be two phases of heightened advertising with spots on commercial radio, digital audio and community radio in languages other than English; the first until November and the second from February 2024.
The adverts will provide tenants with key information about their rights, their landlord’s responsibilities and provide step-by-step advice on how to make a complaint via the website: https://socialhousingcomplaints.campaign.gov.uk/
Social media ads, in image and animation formats, will target social housing residents on Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and NextDoor.
Radio spots will air on commercial radio stations (including Capital, Gold, Heart, Hits Radio, Kiss, Magic, Smooth and more). The ads will also be broadcast on community radio on regional and national stations in English and will also be translated into Arabic, Polish, Romanian, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali.
The ads will also run on digital audio streaming platforms such as Spotify, Amazon Music and SoundCloud, as well as podcasts across all platforms.
Paid search advertising through search engines such as Google and Bing will be leveraged to direct users to the campaign website, which offers advice on how to file a complaint.
TO communication toolkit for owners and partners (such as advice organisations, charities and community groups) have been produced with printable posters and leaflets as well as social media posts.
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