Briefings

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 Housing Management Network membership.

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Total results: 49 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: 1018KB Published Date: 31/08/2018
pdf Current Network briefing – The Social Housing Green Paper File size: 990KB Published Date: 17/08/2018 Download
pdf Current File size: 535KB Published Date: 19/06/2018
pdf Current Building a safer future - the Hackitt Review: An overview File size: 901KB Published Date: 08/06/2018 Download
pdf Current File size: 166KB Published Date: 12/02/2018
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: 395KB Published Date: 06/12/2017
pdf Current File size: 2MB Published Date: 28/11/2017
pdf Current Occasional Paper 31 - Financial Conduct Authority File size: 3MB Published Date: 06/10/2017 Download
pdf Current File size: 474KB Published Date: 31/08/2017
pdf Current File size: 702KB Published Date: 24/08/2017
pdf Current The government’s focus on new-build together with the rent reductions and reduced income from welfare reform mean that organisations are routinely seeking to challenge asset management teams to reduce their spend on existing stock. Non-decent housing stock increases the likelihood of disrepair claims and with reducing budgets the risk may increase. File size: 389KB Published Date: 17/03/2017
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 Tracking the moving target of welfare reform is a challenge for some. HQN Associate Sue Beasor, has updated our timeline to include the recent changes. We also take a look forward to 2017 and beyond. File size: 178KB Published Date: 21/12/2016
pdf Current The Digital Projects team at Adactus Housing Group, Suzy Robinson and Jon Jackson, have put together this briefing about how they’re using an online web application to gamify resident involvement. File size: 453KB 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. File size: 574KB Published Date: 14/09/2016
pdf Current The Neighbourhood Network held its first Regional Engagement Group for the South in May 2016 and our host for this event was Ealing Borough Council. The regional events allow the host organisation to showcase any neighbourhood related good practice, and for Ealing this entailed a site visit to one of their fantastic regeneration schemes in Copley close, Hanwell W7. File size: 2MB Published Date: 17/08/2016
pdf Current The need for change and efficiency in how we deliver housing services has never been greater. But how do we create innovation and lasting change when morale is low and the external environment is unstable? Our briefing provides an overview of five self-limiting beliefs within the sector that inhibit innovation and efficiency in housing management - and it identifies techniques for leaders and managers to help overcome them. File size: 253KB Published Date: 22/06/2016
pdf Current The Queen’s speech, delivered on Wednesday 18 May, sets out UK government proposals for 21 new bills with the emphasis being on social reform. Prime Minister David Cameron says he wants to achieve three things: Deliver security for working people, increase life chances for the most disadvantaged and strengthen national security. This briefing focuses on the element of neighbourhood planning and seeks to find out from members how this is being interpreted within member organisations File size: 289KB Published Date: 07/06/2016
pdf Current Sallie Bridgen at Progress Housing Group has put together a briefing for Neighbourhood Network members, which is about the collaborative approach in Rochdale between housing associations, the Council's Strategic Housing and Public Health Teams and the Clinical Commissioning Group. They are seeking to tackle health inequalities, improve the health and wellbeing of people living in the most deprived communities, and demonstrate the impact housing can have. File size: 235KB Published Date: 01/06/2016
pdf Current On 17 February 2016, members of the Neighbourhood Network were sent a survey about how to help us ‘shape’ their membership. File size: 365KB Published Date: 13/04/2016
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 This briefing looks at the challenges facing the social rented sector today, and what this means in terms of the future for neighbourhood management. File size: 261KB Published Date: 02/12/2015
pdf Current The aim of this week’s briefing paper is to help members make informed choices on their engagement with health. We look at the challenges, opportunities and provide six steps that you can take immediately to make connections. File size: 338KB Published Date: 23/09/2015
ppt Current This Powerpoint presentation complements our new briefing which provides a quick guide to the purpose, test the facts that lie behind thenew ASB tools and powers. Feel free to use it for any team briefings, training, or management sessions. File size: 215KB Published Date: 17/09/2015
ppt Current This Powerpoint presentation complements our new briefing which provides a quick guide to the purpose, test the facts that lie behind thenew ASB tools and powers. Feel free to use it for any team briefings, training, or management sessions. File size: 166KB Published Date: 04/09/2015
pdf Current This guide has been put together to help members prepare for Universal Credit and to provide advice on how to apply for Alternative Payment Arrangements (APA). File size: 545KB Published Date: 19/08/2015
pdf Current Now that the sector has had chance to take stock of the content of the Chancellor’s Budget Statement and the subsequent announcements that followed, here is a briefing written by finance expert Ian Parker of the Housing Finance Excellence Network. File size: 213KB Published Date: 22/07/2015
pdf Current Turning around empty properties, and repairing and letting them quickly is crucial to a housing provider. Our latest briefing explores effective void management and includes key factors for letting properties quickly as well as factors impacting on performance from NeighbourhoodNet members. File size: 392KB Published Date: 03/06/2015
pdf Current The older population is growing rapidly and more people are living longer. This briefing summarises reasons for developing housing and planning policies to meet the housing needs of older people and key points to consider when developing and implementing policies. File size: 455KB Published Date: 20/05/2015
pdf Current This new briefing from Tony Kiely provides an update on the Live Running Sites and the latest from Department for Work and Pensions as they refine the processes associated with claiming and paying Universal Credit. File size: 130KB Published Date: 22/04/2015
pdf Current It is often said that the housing and healthcare sectors speak different languages. Each has its own systems and culture and it can be hard to communicate with each other effectively. Helena Taylor-Knox is a professional working across housing, care and support, seeing issues from different perspectives. HQN asked her to write this personal account giving examples of case studies to help housing professionals understand and improve practice in providing integrated services. File size: 873KB Published Date: 25/03/2015
pdf Current Allocations and lettings of social housing is a neglected topic. Yet in 2013/14, there were nearly 400,000 lettings in England compared with less than 27,000 housing completions by housing associations and councils in 2012/13. “Who gets housed?” is therefore an important question. File size: 259KB Published Date: 11/03/2015
pdf Current Over the past four years, Stroud District Council has spent a great deal of time establishing strong tenant involvement and co-regulation. To ensure its tenant involvement really is meaningful and a good use of everyone's time, it carried out an impact assessment. Stroud has kindly shared the findings which are available in this case study. File size: 325KB Published Date: 28/01/2015
pdf Current This briefing paper examines the issues that are emerging from the areas where Universal Credit has already started to roll out. File size: 177KB Published Date: 11/12/2014
pdf Current The thirst for data in housing has never been greater. Not only do landlords need to check that tenants pay their rent on time, but there are increasingly good reasons for knowing whether a tenant is in work, the benefits they receive and even how much money they earn. File size: 484KB Published Date: 26/11/2014
pdf Current Back in 2010 we produced a briefing; Practical partnership working, on partnerships which highlighted the increasingly diverse range of organisations that landlords and strategic housing authorities are partnering with. This new briefing for 2014 looks at what has changed since then, and looks ahead to the key global trends that will drive partnerships over the next five to ten years. File size: 274KB Published Date: 12/11/2014
pdf Current The release of the rent setting inflation figures highlights the critical importance of management data to the sector. There has never been a more important time for housing providers to get to know their customers better through the gathering of data. Wider marketing data can be applied to tenants and give fuller picture of their habits and needs. Better data use can also improve customer service, with more opportunities for individual residents. Our complimentary briefing will steer you through the essentials. File size: 173KB Published Date: 15/10/2014
pdf Current New ASB tools and powers to put the needs of victims first come into effect on 20 October 2014. This new briefing provides a quick guide to the purpose, tests the facts that lie behind the powers and offers a more detailed look at some of the practicalities. File size: 315KB Published Date: 17/09/2014
pdf Current In the second of our briefings on the programme we look in detail at how it is being delivered, the involvement of housing providers and how the arrangements are working. File size: 393KB Published Date: 20/08/2014
pdf Current This new briefing from the Neighbourhood 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: 393KB Published Date: 06/08/2014
pdf Current It is now more than two years since flexible (fixed-term) tenancies were first introduced by the Localism Act. This briefing paper looks at the pros and cons of flexible tenancies and their impact to date. File size: 274KB Published Date: 09/07/2014
pdf Current Parliament has now passed legislation which provides for Housing Benefit rather than Universal Credit, meeting housing costs for more people living in supported housing and protecting them from the household benefit cap. This briefing paper looks at the new categories of ‘specified accommodation’, the implications for residents and housing providers, and what supported housing providers need to do to ensure that the needs of their tenants are properly met. File size: 318KB Published Date: 11/06/2014
pdf Current Policies and strategies can all too easily become a tick box exercise - but how many of us fully understand why they are important and how to write an effective policy? File size: 217KB Published Date: 22/04/2014
pdf Current Over recent years housing providers have become increasingly concerned to assess and measure the impact of their activities. This has been particularly evident in discussion of their wider role in neighbourhoods and communities. File size: 169KB Published Date: 19/03/2014
pdf Current The Digital Deal provides funding for internet services and training for social housing tenants. Its aims are to encourage more social housing tenants to get online, to improve their skills and to help them benefit from wider internet services. File size: 164KB Published Date: 24/02/2014
pdf Current Over the last two decades there has been a growing awareness of the importance of urban green spaces. Housing providers are among the most significant owners of green space in our towns and cities, they are now recognising that their estates can be standard-bearers for more attractive neighbourhoods and involved residents. File size: 968KB Published Date: 22/01/2014