The Better Social Housing Review panel published its report in December, setting out a range of recommendations for the sector to consider.

Why watch?

This session will look at the key recommendations from the Better Social Housing Review and what housing providers can be doing to support next steps.

Session speakers:

• James Prestwich, director of policy and external affairs
• Sarah Dunkerley, director of professional development, at the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Session chair:

• Rachael Williamson, head of policy and external affairs, Chartered Institute of Housing

Asset Management is about so much more than just repairs and maintenance - but what does this commonly used term really mean and how can we do it well? The answer is that we need to actively involve people from across the whole organisation if we are going to tackle the raft of property investment challenges we face.

Why Watch?

This event is exclusive to CIH members and will be particularly relevant to board chairs, board members, local authority councillors and those working in governance-related positions.

In this virtual event, you will:

• Learn from our expert speaker Richard Medley as he guides you through everything you need to know around asset management. 
• Discover new ideas to guide your organisation through the complexities of asset management.
  

Why Watch?

The housing sector in Ireland is going through a period of unprecedented change. Here at CIH Ireland, we want to support our members and ensure they have the relevant skills, knowledge and expertise to face the future of housing and ultimately support their residents.

In this virtual event, you will:

• Find out more about the CIH Professional Standards
• Understand how the standards will apply to you as a housing professional working in the profession
• Learn how your organisation can create learning & development opportunities that will support both talent attraction & retention.

The housing sector knows that it hasn’t always got this right, and with a new proactive consumer standard coming we all need to be thinking about how we build a ‘values-based’ approach with tenants and residents at the heart.

This session will provide an opportunity to explore what ‘good’ looks like when it comes to setting and sustaining a positive and open operating culture that promotes constructive challenge, empathetic response and ensures everyone has a voice.

Why Watch?

• Understand what ‘good’ looks like when setting and supporting a positive and open operating culture
• Learn from the experiences of other landlords on how to encourage and empower constructive challenge and ensure everyone’s voice is heard, putting tenants at the heart of the organisation
• Consider what is needed to drive and sustain meaningful culture change
• Take time out to think about the leadership role you can play.

Since the pandemic, there has been a sharp rise in complaints which we can see has remained from the 2022 Housing Ombudsman insight report. Complaints will also be one of the key indicators within the Tenant Satisfaction Measures and overall consumer standards.

In this Housing Management Masterclass, we’ll explore how to use complaints to achieve real improvements in services and customer satisfaction. You’ll hear the latest updates and best practice guidance from the Housing Ombudsman and housing providers who have taken measures to effectively handle complaints and improve tenant satisfaction.

Why watch?

• Hear first-hand from the Housing Ombudsman on the lessons learnt from its recent spotlight on complaints
• Learn from case studies showcasing ways in which housing providers are handling complaints effectively
• Explore ways to make complaints a lever to improve services.

This session will look at what registered housing providers should be doing to ensure legal compliance.

Why watch?

This webinar will help you understand:

• Landlord legal obligations in respect of damp and mould.
• How to approach access to inspect and undertake works to treat damp and mould - what steps need to be taken to ensure legal compliance?
• What can be learned from the Housing Ombudsman’s findings and Spotlight Report on Damp and Mould - are Landlords using their complaints process to best effect? 

During COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns, neighbourhood disputes increased exponentially across the UK, with some areas reporting a whopping 196 per cent rise in reported cases. It was a challenging time, and the pressure of the pandemic and individuals spending more time at home amplified local frustrations and tension within communities.

During this masterclass, our expert panel will explore practical means of conflict resolution and how to use mediation effectively in an increasingly challenging environment. It provides the opportunity to explore the issues across the range of partners at work in local areas (police, local authority and housing).

Why watch?

• Learn practical means of resolving disputes at early stages, including the value of effective mediation
• How to resolve complex cases and address mental health issues
• Managing customer expectations – what is “reasonable noise”?
  
  

During this session, we’ll help you understand the new parameters and what you should be doing to prepare to deliver resident engagement strategies in your high-rise buildings. We also discuss best practice that goes beyond the requirements of the Act.

You will hear from a landlord which has already started developing their resident engagement across their high-rise stock as well as consider the specific needs of disabled and older people living in high-rise buildings and how landlords should engage with them.

For the past 18 months housing associations have faced intense public scrutiny over cases of damp, mould and poor quality homes.

Six months ago, alongside the National Housing Federation, we jointly commissioned an independent panel to carry out the Better Social Housing Review (BSHR) to make independent, urgent recommendations on how to solve these problems. We expect the panel to publish its findings soon.

During this session, BSHR panel chair, Helen Baker, Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing and Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, discuss the recommendations and next steps. 

It is clear that the problem with damp and mould is a significant one in the social housing sector.

It has huge impacts on the experiences of tenants and can be difficult to get right. However, it is vital that landlords work with tenants to address the problems where these arise, finding solutions quickly that make a real and lasting difference.

Why watch?

• Understand the long-term implications of damp and mould, and impacts for tenants’ health and wellbeing

• Learn from the experiences of other landlords on how to tackle the issue

• Explore the value of technology to help identify these most at-risk (homes and households)

• Consider what is needed to provide a rounded solution to the problem – repairs, income maximisation etc. (people and resources).