Looking back at our September 2006 edition, the following were making the news:
Housing and Planning Minister, Yvette Cooper, said new UK homes should be built to Scandinavian standards and better them within ten years.
She was speaking after a visit to environmentally friendly and sustainably designed housing developments in the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
The month saw the publication of the first two Welsh housing association inspection reports by the Wales Audit Office.
Pontypridd & District Housing Association was assessed as providing good or excellent services in nearly all areas.
Valleys to Coast Housing Association was seen as having made clear progress since it was established in September 2003, following the first large-scale voluntary transfer of housing stock in Wales.
Setting out the next steps on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Home Information Packs, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said she would be meeting mortgage lenders and energy companies to discuss the development of new incentives, such as green mortgages.
The Minister also said EPCs could be linked to schemes run by energy companies which give homebuyers cash up-front to make energy saving alterations to their houses.
The Government announced that new cases of homelessness have fallen to levels not seen since the early 1980s.
National Statistics released showed that just under 19,500 new households became homeless during April to June 2006. This was nearly 30% lower than the same time in 2005 - the largest such percentage reduction ever recorded - and continued the downward trend seen since the beginning of 2004.
A report by the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed that local authorities were systematically failing to provide suitable accommodation and support for vulnerable children leaving custody, in breach of their statutory duties, and putting the public in danger of further crime.
In his speech at the National Housing Federation (NHF) Annual Conference, Housing Corporation Deputy Chief Executive, Steve Douglas, announced that the very best partners could be rewarded with increased access to Housing Corporation funding over the coming three years.
He was launching a new discussion paper on Future Investment Approaches, which set out proposals for radical changes in the Housing Corporation's approach to investment.
Government consultation closed on how to amend the 70-year-old statutory definition of overcrowding.
Earlier in the year, the Government accepted that the status quo was no longer relevant, and launched a consultation exercise on alternative approaches.
The Housing Corporation commissioned research into how disabled tenants feel housing associations could improve their services.
The study aimed to examine how the Corporation can influence associations to respond better to disabled needs and also how the Corporation can itself make a significant contribution.
Shelter Cymru launched a new resource pack, aimed at highlighting the range of housing jobs available in Wales and encouraging young people into housing careers.
The pack, which has the backing of the Chartered Institute of Housing and Swansea Housing Association, will be widely distributed to secondary schools.
Six housing associations were selected as part of a new project to develop training and implementation of services for refugees and asylum seekers.
Opening Doors aims were to increase the availability of housing services to refugees and asylum seekers in more integrated neighbourhoods.
A groundbreaking new study of tenants' views concluded that housing associations could do better in terms of getting the basics right and opening up choices.
What Tenants Want is a new report from the Tenant Involvement Commission - an independent commission chaired by the Chief Executive of the National Consumer Council, Ed Mayo. It calls for housing associations in England to renew the relationship with their 5 million tenants, on the basis of better services and accountability.
The report recommended housing associations adopt a new ten-point Customer First Plan based upon pledges to improve services and accountability.
In September 2010 our headline news included:
Housing Minister Grant Shapps overhauled the way local areas assess the number of people sleeping rough, with the aims of more accurately assessing the scale of the problem and placing councils and homeless charities centre stage in the process.
Previously, only councils in presumed hotspot areas were required to conduct official rough sleeper counts. Consequently, only 70 councils submitted information to central Government.
New research and statistics showed that whilst domestic violence is one of the major reasons families become homeless, protection measures such as safe rooms are very effective in helping these families to safely stay in their homes.
Under what are known as Sanctuary Schemes, victims of domestic violence have special security measures installed to keep families safe in their own homes in case the aggressor tries to return.
A new report from Shelter warned that changes to Housing Benefit could lead to a surge in homelessness which would cost the Government £120 million a year.
This responded to the Government plans to cap the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) at 30% of average local rents, with future increases linked to the Consumer Price Index, rather than the Retail Price Index which tends to be higher.
But Shelter warned that an estimated 134,000 households would either be evicted or forced to move home when the cuts come in, because they would be unable to negotiate cheaper rents with their landlord.
A new tool was launched by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) to help landlords calculate how much Housing Benefit their tenants are likely to lose in planned Government reforms and assess the risk of vulnerable tenants falling into rent arrears.
CIH analysis revealed that the impact of one change alone, for example reducing Housing Benefit by 10% for those on Job Seekers' Allowance for over 12 months, would see claimants living in social homes lose on average £6.70 per week and those living in private sector housing lose on average £11.20 per week.
The latest figures from the Tenant Services Authority demonstrated that housing providers had continued to display financial strength in a challenging economic environment.
The figures also indicated that the regulated housing sector had retained the confidence of major lenders with new finance continuing to be attracted from both banks and the bond market.
Housing Minister Grant Shapps called on housing associations to throw open their books and expose how they spend money to public scrutiny.
He said - with public subsidies being reduced, housing associations will need to change so they can do more for less, and continue to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
The Minister also said - all organisations that manage and build social housing should open their books and publish their expenditure, so tenants can see how their money is being spent, and the wider public can see they are getting value for money.
The Minister added that anyone who relies on taxpayers' money to provide a public service will need to prove that they are providing the best possible service with the money available.
It was announced that the management of Ealing Borough's housing stock wass to be brought back under the Council's direct control.
The decision was scheduled to come into effect after 31 March 2011 when the agreement with Ealing Homes, the ALMO at the time responsible for housing management, was due to come to an end.
The launch of the RICS Online Academy brought virtual learning to many thousands of surveyors and trainees working in land, property and the built environment around the world.
Face-to-face learning was no longer the only option to either progress the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) courses, or to keep up-to-date with the latest industry processes and legislation affecting subscribers - many of whom are located in the world's emerging regions such as India and China.
L&Q called for the role of housing associations to be redefined to be better equipped to deal with the current economic climate.
In a report published in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), L&Q outlines the unique role housing associations could play in responding to a new age of austerity in public expenditure.
The paper - Hard Times New Choices - discusses how housing associations should operate, be funded and regulated in the future. It calls for a new contract to be struck between Government and housing associations.
It also offers recommendations to housing associations on ways to increase financial strength, improve operational efficiency, and open new pathways to home ownership.
Around 2,500 jobs at collapsed firm Connaught were rescued after administrators struck a deal to sell the bulk of its social housing division.
The £28 million deal with construction firm Morgan Sindall came two days after the appointment of KPMG as administrators for the main company, and its subsidiaries Connaught Partnerships and Connaught Technical Solutions.
Morgan Sindall confirmed that its affordable housing division, Lovell Partnerships, had reached an agreement to acquire the majority of the ongoing contracts and assets of Connaught's social housing business.
