Briefings and guidance

Briefings and guidance, toolkit and good practice from members already active in this field.

Briefings and guidance

Briefings are free to members. Non-members may purchase selected briefings for a fee. Contact us on 01904 557150 to enquire or join the network for full access to all briefings as part of your Strategic Network membership.

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Total results: 94 Current Under Review Expired Archived Show all
Format Status Title Description Size Download
pdf Current File size: 681KB Published Date: 30/01/2019
pdf Current File size: 1MB Published Date: 21/01/2019
pdf Current File size: 516KB Published Date: 07/01/2019
docx Current File size: 912KB Published Date: 21/12/2018
pdf Current File size: 436KB Published Date: 20/12/2018
pdf Current Strategic Network Blog: The future of the DFG File size: 208KB Published Date: 11/12/2018 Download
pdf Current File size: 512KB Published Date: 03/12/2018
pdf Current File size: 568KB Published Date: 29/11/2018
pdf Current Strategic Network Blog: Making council housebuilding great again File size: 248KB Published Date: 27/11/2018 Download
pdf Current File size: 532KB Published Date: 31/10/2018
pdf Current File size: 2MB Published Date: 23/10/2018
pdf Current Network blog – EDI aspects of the Green Paper File size: 340KB Published Date: 22/10/2018 Download
pdf Current Strategic Network blog: How to build successful new communities File size: 344KB Published Date: 08/10/2018 Download
pdf Current File size: 250KB Published Date: 17/09/2018
pdf Current File size: 511KB Published Date: 10/09/2018
pdf Current File size: 2MB Published Date: 03/09/2018
pdf Current Network briefing – The Social Housing Green Paper File size: 990KB Published Date: 17/08/2018 Download
pdf Current Analysis of housing complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman File size: 2MB Published Date: 10/08/2018 Download
pdf Current File size: 444KB Published Date: 07/08/2018
pdf Current File size: 221KB Published Date: 16/07/2018
pdf Current Strategic Network blog – Local Government Association Conference - the real housing event File size: 253KB Published Date: 09/07/2018 Download
pdf Current Building a safer future - the Hackitt Review: An overview File size: 901KB Published Date: 08/06/2018 Download
pdf Current File size: 440KB Published Date: 04/06/2018
pdf Current File size: 578KB Published Date: 04/05/2018
pdf Current File size: 510KB Published Date: 30/04/2018
pdf Current File size: 909KB Published Date: 26/04/2018
pdf Current File size: 744KB Published Date: 17/04/2018
pdf Current File size: 1012KB Published Date: 12/04/2018
pdf Current File size: 552KB Published Date: 19/03/2018
pdf Current File size: 554KB Published Date: 05/03/2018
xlsx Current The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 gained Royal Assent on 27 April, in the final hours before Parliament was dissolved. The Act places new responsibilities on local authorities in England (LAs) to provide advice and assistance to prevent homelessness, regardless of priority need, at an earlier stage. File size: 3MB Published Date: 08/02/2018
pdf Current File size: 1MB Published Date: 06/02/2018
pdf Current File size: 2MB Published Date: 01/02/2018
pdf Current File size: 160KB Published Date: 18/01/2018
pdf Current File size: 2MB Published Date: 17/01/2018
pdf Current File size: 395KB Published Date: 06/12/2017
pdf Current File size: 586KB Published Date: 04/12/2017
pdf Current Tackling homelessness and rough sleeping in England File size: 2MB Published Date: 21/11/2017 Download
pdf Current File size: 2MB Published Date: 20/10/2017
pdf Current File size: 448KB Published Date: 06/10/2017
pdf Current File size: 560KB Published Date: 31/08/2017
pdf Current Boosting affordable housing supply - The challenges ahead File size: 334KB Published Date: 24/07/2017 Download
pdf Current Despite the General Election, there was considerable media coverage of the mayoral elections in six city regions and sub-regions on Thursday 4 May 2017. The success of Conservative candidates in four areas heightened the interest! File size: 467KB Published Date: 04/07/2017
pdf Current This new Strategic Excellence Network (SEN) toolkit replaces the previous HQN enabling checklist which many enabling services have previously used to assess their performance. It covers a wider range of work areas, reflecting the more complex environment in which many teams now operate. File size: 716KB Published Date: 27/06/2017
pdf Current Progress on linking housing with health and social care is at best slow at the national level, even though there is an ever-increasing evidence base highlighting that good housing can help to address issues such as delayed discharges. File size: 319KB Published Date: 19/06/2017
pdf Current The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 gained Royal Assent on 27 April, in the final days before Parliament was dissolved. The Act places new responsibilities on local authorities to provide advice and assistance to prevent homelessness, regardless of priority need, at an earlier stage. File size: 268KB Published Date: 08/06/2017
pdf Current Cases of housing disrepair brought by tenants against social landlords are on the increase. Claims companies are routinely targeting tenants with the aim of cashing in on vulnerabilities with social landlords’ practices. File size: 325KB Published Date: 01/06/2017
pdf Current Shared housing is not a new concept in the housing market, but recent government changes have made it clear that more people are expected to rent a room in a shared house. This briefing, written by HQN Associate Emma Lindley, gives an overview of the key issues to consider in offering shared housing solutions. File size: 272KB Published Date: 18/05/2017
pdf Current For members who were unable to attend our 'Fixing our broken housing market – turning the White Paper into action' events in Manchester and London, HQN has produced a summary and notes from the day, covering all the main talking points and topics discussed by HQN Chief Executive Alistair McIntosh, the representatives from the DCLG and by the attending delegates. File size: 369KB Published Date: 28/04/2017
pdf Current File size: 389KB Published Date: 19/04/2017
pdf Current HQN Blog - Inheritance tax change will have huge impact on the market Writing for Inside Housing, HQN associate Roger Jarman warns changes to inheritance tax this month will reinforce inequality and do nothing to encourage better use of stock. File size: 301KB Published Date: 06/04/2017 Download
pdf Current This briefing is the first in a new series looking at regional issues within England as devolved powers develop. Later papers will consider the Midlands Engine and Great Western regional proposals, the latest on London, and the series will be completed with an update to Tim Brown’s devolution overview paper from last year. File size: 507KB Published Date: 30/03/2017
pdf Current The Budget that forgot housing To be honest, the housing world wasn't holding its breath. Following hot on the heels of the government's housing white paper and funding commitments already outlined in the Autumn Statement, it was always unlikely that housing would be a key focus of Philip Hammond's Spring Budget. File size: 307KB Published Date: 09/03/2017 Download
pdf Current The housing white paper was published on Tuesday 7 February 2017 to a mixed reception. Certainly there was widespread support for the government’s analysis of the problems facing the housing sector in England. File size: 508KB Published Date: 08/03/2017
pdf Current The oft-delayed housing white paper was published on Tuesday 7 February 2017 under the banner headline of ‘Fixing our broken housing market’. However, the housing market is a market; it is driven by demand rather than supply and want rather than need. File size: 536KB Published Date: 16/02/2017
pdf Current This briefing looks at how the enabling role can be delivered in the challenging context of changing government policy and reduced budgets. It also highlights examples of good practice across the country. File size: 369KB Published Date: 02/02/2017
pdf Current It’s such an obvious way of creating new housing that it’s amazing nobody took more advantage of it sooner. In addition to building homes (and virtually everyone agrees the UK is not building enough), why not create more housing from bricks and mortar that already exist? File size: 514KB Published Date: 26/01/2017
pdf Current It’s such an obvious way of creating new housing that it’s amazing nobody took more advantage of it sooner. In addition to building homes (and virtually everyone agrees the UK is not building enough), why not create more housing from bricks and mortar that already exist? File size: 514KB Published Date: 26/01/2017
pdf Current Welcome to the first in our occasional series featuring good practice and innovation. We start with five organisations working on lettings management innovations and wider opportunities for tenants. File size: 287KB Published Date: 09/01/2017
pdf Current This week’s Autumn Statement brought some cheer at least for the housing sector – but there were disappointments too, and the odd surprise. This briefing summarises the main announcements relevant to housing, and offers a commentary from HQN’s Back to the Future event held the following day. File size: 143KB Published Date: 25/11/2016
pdf Current Our last review noted that the PRS now accounts for 20% of all dwellings and this is likely to increase to 22-25% over the next decade. What’s more, the nature of the sector is changing with, for the first time in living memory, families constituting the most common household type renting privately. File size: 492KB Published Date: 22/11/2016
pdf Current Regardless of which indicator you use, homelessness appears to be on the increase. Across England, and particularly within London, more people are living in temporary accommodation and there are more people sleeping rough. File size: 362KB Published Date: 25/10/2016
pdf Current This briefing, written by Emma Lindley, considers three approaches to working with the PRS: private sector leasing (PSL) schemes, developing a market rent portfolio, and collaboration with PRS landlords. File size: 992KB Published Date: 12/10/2016
pdf Current This is the fourth briefing reporting on this summer’s Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)/HQN consultation workshops. A quick recap: the recently passed Housing and Planning Act is fundamentally aimed at tackling the problems of ‘generation rent’. File size: 268KB Published Date: 27/09/2016
pdf Current On Thursday 15 September the government announced its proposals for the future funding of supported housing. It has averted the imminent disaster of the closure of projects. But has it merely delayed difficult decisions over the future of the sector? File size: 311KB Published Date: 22/09/2016
pdf Current This is the third briefing from the Housing Quality Network which reports on the recent Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG)/HQN consultation workshops. A quick recap: the recently passed Housing and Planning Act is fundamentally aimed at tackling the problems of ‘generation rent’. File size: 599KB Published Date: 20/09/2016
pdf Current There is a perfect storm facing homelessness in England. There is an increasing need for prevention services as demonstrated by official figures at the end of June 2016. The number of households accepted as homeless and in priority need has now risen for the sixth consecutive year. File size: 361KB Published Date: 16/08/2016
pdf Current The Housing and Planning Bill was introduced into the Commons on 13 October 2015 and was given the Royal Assent on 12 May 2016. The Act sets out a clear determination from the government to keep the country building and in the government’s own words ‘giving hard working families every opportunity to unlock the door to home ownership’. File size: 311KB Published Date: 26/07/2016
pdf Current The current focus on the planning system hindering housebuilding is not new. “The planning system is far from perfect; it has been criticised by government ministers almost as a matter of course for the last 35 years for being slow and bureaucratic, failing to deliver housing and impinging on personal liberties.” File size: 209KB Published Date: 05/07/2016
pdf Current Form follows function: an HQN consultation How should a social housing provider review its structure? What’s the best way of meeting your objectives? How do we put residents at the heart of decision making? File size: 164KB Published Date: 15/06/2016 Download
pdf Current One year on from the roll out of Universal Credit (UC) in England and new research published by the National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) and the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) shows that 79% of council tenants in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) are in rent arrears. This report reveals that prior to claiming UC only half of those households had pre-existing rent arrears. File size: 420KB Published Date: 09/06/2016
pdf Current The London School of Economics has published a major study called ‘Taking Stock’ on the Private Rented Sector commissioned by the Paragon Group. It focuses primarily on buy-to-let but has chapters on, for example, the current profile of private renting, change and growth in the sector, and government policy. File size: 2MB Published Date: 31/05/2016
pdf Current The Queen’s Speech did not include proposals for new homelessness legislation, but there are two forthcoming Bills of significance. Janis Bright and Tim Brown summarise the main measures relevant to housing, plus those expected - but omitted - from the programme. File size: 356KB Published Date: 24/05/2016
pdf Current We had a fantastic response to our SEN member survey about the future direction of the Strategic Excellence Network. Your answers were invaluable, and we've put together a summary of the results for you so you can see what issue are important to you as our members. File size: 280KB Published Date: 22/03/2016
pdf Current Councils and their partners (especially housing associations) have been innovative in utilising a range of funding streams over the last couple of decades for estate regeneration. These have included the private finance initiative (PFI), stock transfer and estate renewal challenge funding. But these sources are generally no longer available. The government is now looking to the private sector (including housing associations) to take forward the new national programme. File size: 319KB Published Date: 15/03/2016
pdf Current ouncils and their partners (especially housing associations) have been innovative in utilising a range of funding streams over the last couple of decades for estate regeneration. These have included the private finance initiative (PFI), stock transfer and estate renewal challenge funding. File size: 319KB Published Date: 08/03/2016
pdf Current There are plenty of examples of innovative thinking by councils, housing associations, financial institutions and third sector organisations that are often forgotten in ‘doom and gloom’ scenarios. File size: 396KB Published Date: 05/01/2016
pdf Current This year has witnessed considerable legislative and regulatory change in the Private Rented Sector (PRS), initiated first by the coalition government and latterly by the Conservative government elected in May. File size: 285KB Published Date: 24/11/2015
pdf Current This review, from Lead Associate Roger Jarman, complements our regular SEN newsletters by covering in more detail the key issues facing the PRS. In these periodic reviews we focus particularly on legislative and regulatory issues affecting the PRS. File size: 220KB Published Date: 25/09/2015
pdf Current With more people living longer than ever before, much recent publicity about ‘last time buyers’ in the market, and more emphasis on the supply of specialist accommodation, it is an appropriate time to look at the housing needs of older people specifically. File size: 210KB Published Date: 20/08/2015
pdf Current Now that the sector has had chance to take stock of the content of the Chancellor’s Budget Statement last Wednesday, and the subsequent announcements later in the week, here is a briefing drafted by Ian Parker of the Housing Finance Excellence Network for SEN members which focuses on the key issues for social housing practitioners. File size: 231KB Published Date: 15/07/2015
pdf Current In 2012, Futures Homescape took its first steps into the private rented sector by leasing properties from private owners to provide temporary housing to homeless individuals and families. Three years later, it is now beginning to develop its own portfolio of PRS properties. File size: 201KB Published Date: 09/06/2015
pdf Current This week’s briefing looks at the implications for HQN members. We review the manifesto commitments for housing, planning and welfare reform and their translation in to the Queen’s Speech. File size: 268KB Published Date: 28/05/2015
pdf Current The Department for Communities and Local Government has published statistics for lettings for April 2013 to March 2014, including information on affordable rents and flexible tenancies. File size: 387KB Published Date: 18/05/2015
pdf Current This new briefing looks at the latest issues within allocations and lettings and sets out the current state of play. It also identifies sources of ideas for further innovation. File size: 213KB Published Date: 16/03/2015
pdf Current This new briefing for SEN members looks at the principles and specific measures set out in the Elphicke-House Review into the review of the role of local authorities in boosting housing supply and how they will impact on landlords. File size: 286KB Published Date: 17/02/2015
pdf Current At a time of ever-decreasing government grant funding for affordable housing development and an enormous shortage of housing of all descriptions, affordable housing providers are considering a wide variety of financing and development options to ensure they can meet the housing needs of their communities. File size: 212KB Published Date: 10/11/2014
pdf Current There has never been a more important time for housing providers to get to know their customers better through the gathering of data. Management data is critical to today’s housing sector. But are you making the most of it? File size: 176KB Published Date: 14/10/2014
pdf Current The government’s Infrastructure Bill has significant implications for housing. This latest briefing from Adrian Waite sets out the key issues and how the Bill aims to address these. File size: 283KB Published Date: 30/09/2014
pdf Current During a time of ever-decreasing government grant funding for affordable housing development and an enormous shortage of housing of all descriptions, affordable housing providers are considering a wide variety of financing and development options to ensure they can meet the housing needs of their communities. File size: 185KB Published Date: 16/09/2014
pdf Current This new briefing from the Strategic Excellence Network updates the Housing Quality Network’s 2012 briefing Focusing on early intervention for families by looking in detail at how well the programme is being delivered. File size: 417KB Published Date: 05/08/2014
pdf Current With twice as many people renting privately than there were a decade ago, the private rented sector (PRS) now has more than four million homes. The sector is bigger than the social rented sector across England as a whole, and in seven out of the nine English regions. File size: 251KB Published Date: 03/06/2014
pdf Current This latest Network briefing looks at the ‘why, what, and how’ - essential reading for anyone embarking on this journey. File size: 195KB Published Date: 27/03/2014
pdf Current As the Financial Reporting Council produces new guidance for financial auditors of housing providers’ businesses, this wider briefing explores the role of the Audit Committee in the current environment and looks at how effective they are, given the extent of the risks and challenges faced by housing providers. File size: 205KB Published Date: 06/02/2014