SHAC: The Social Housing Action Campaign

Social Housing Action CampaignLondon Rents A Blow to Key Workers By Mary Pimm, SHAC member and Victoria Park Community Association Chair In November 2024, the Mayor of London initiated a consultation about devising a Key Worker Living Rent (KWLR) plan. It ended …

SHAC Article - London Rents A Blow to Key Workers - by Mary Pimm

shaction.org/2026/02/15/l...

"the failure to consult all interested parties [meant] the dominant voices were housing associations, councils and other providers"

Why we're campaigning for change.

Social Housing Action CampaignSHAC Research Finds Overcharging in More Than 63% of Tribunal Cases New research carried out by SHAC shows that across all the cases of service charges challenged at the First Tier Property Tribunal (FTT), more than 63% of landlords were found to be overcharging fo…

SHAC Research Finds Overcharging in More Than 63% of Tribunal Cases

But government and landlords continue to deny that it is systematic!

#EndServiceChargeAbuse

shaction.org/2026/02/13/s...

Social Housing Action CampaignHousing Associations and The Equality Act 2010 By Jess Owen A major Social Landlord has claimed that housing associations are not bound by some provisions of the 2010 Equality Act. Peabody Trust, which operates over 100,000 Social Homes and “pr…

SHAC Article - Jess Owens writes about the way that housing associations want to be treated as public sector bodies for some of the benefits it brings, but not when it comes to obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

shaction.org/2026/02/04/h...

Social Housing Action CampaignNothing Less Than Total Reform By Michael Savell Nothing less than total reform will cure the problems with housing. For the last several years I have been involved with SHAC as its Treasurer, and have occasionally contributed t…

SHAC Article - as Michael argues, nothing less than total reform will serve us now.

shaction.org/2026/01/31/n...

Apartment service charges go through the roof - sentinel.yuvoice.org Tenants and residents of apartments in England are facing escalating service charges, sources tell The Sentinel.

With thanks to @thisisthesentinel.bsky.social for giving international exposure to the scandal of service charge abuse in the UK, and to SHAC's #endservicechargeabuse campaign.

sentinel.yuvoice.org/apartment-se...

YouTube video by The Social Housing Action Campaign SHAC Interviewed by BBC Surrey Radio - Clarion Housing Group Failures

Listen to them lie! Clarion Housing Group simultaneously failing on repairs and service charges. Time to #EndServiceChargeAbuse. Join us!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3L3...

Call to action! 🫵

SHAC has just launched a survey collecting data on services charges to contribute to a strategic legal challenge

If you have suffered from service charge abuse, please complete and share this survey 💥

2026 Service Charge Survey We’re gathering insight on service charges. The findings will help build evidence for a strategic legal challenge over the government’s failure to protect tenants and residents from systemati…

SHAC Service Charge legal challenge Evidence Survey Launch

🔥 We are delighted to start the year with a call to action - a survey, but this is no ordinary survey!

shaction.org/2026-service...

We're collecting data to launch a strategic legal challenge against government.

🚩#EndServiceChargeAbuse

Housing association tenants ‘without heating and hot water since September’ HOUSING association tenants have been left without heating or hot water since September last year, a campaign group has said, amid freezing temperatures.Peabody Housing Association is accused of repea...

SHAC and Members in the Morning Star

More embarrassment for Peabody - exposed for leaving tenants and residents without heating and hot water even in a cold snap ... including vulnerable people.

morningstaronline.co.uk/article/hous...

East London Peabody residents left without heating and hot water – some since September 2025 Tenants and residents of Hoey Court and Massey House in Bromley-by-Bow, east London, have been left without heating or hot water for months, some since September 2025.  Their landlord, Pe…

Thx bsky.app/profile/labour-hub.bsky.social - also covering disgraceful lack of heating and hot water in east London Peabody tower blocks ...

labourhub.org.uk/2026/01/08/e...

Landlord responded after media descended - it seems public image rather than the law is their priority!

East London Peabody residents left without heating and hot water - some since September 2025 The landlord has repeatedly ignored residents' pleas to fix the problems, and has instead supplied some with blow-heaters as a solution.

Thanks to @thecanaryuk.bsky.social for reporting on the plight of tenants & residents left without heating & hot water. They've been ignored by @Peabody for five months and counting.

www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2026...

Why we're creating a housing union in 2026 A housing union bringing together renters, residents and leaseholders is needed in 2026, writes Social Housing Action Campaign's Suzanne Muna

Thanks to bsky.app/profile/bigi... for offering us the chance to talk about our vision for a national housing union!

#NationalHousingUnion

www.bigissue.com/opinion/hous...

As we look forward to stepping up the fight in 2026 ...

#NationalHousingUnion
shaction.org/a-national-h...

Social Housing Action CampaignBeware the Brainless Inquisition By Ella Austen It’s a truth universally acknowledged that arrogance and idiocy frequently travel together. “Empty vessels make the most noise” says Shakespeare in Henry V. And while Plus Dane Housi…

#PlusDaneHousing: "Even senior staff failed to behave in anything approaching a responsible or professional manner. One individual became so discomposed that she placed her hand in a resident’s face while the resident was talking."
#UKhousing @shacaction.bsky.social
shaction.org/2025/12/21/b...

Social Housing Action CampaignBeware the Brainless Inquisition By Ella Austen It’s a truth universally acknowledged that arrogance and idiocy frequently travel together. “Empty vessels make the most noise” says Shakespeare in Henry V. And while Plus Dane Housi…

SHAC Article

Our members are calling out landlord intimidation tactics. Here, Ella talks about her landlord, Plus Dane, who couldn't accept that tenants & residents might have legitimate complaints.

Landlords fear organised tenant & resident power. We welcome it.

shaction.org/2025/12/21/b...

Leaseholders win significant unfair service charges case A tribunal has ruled that property developers overcharged residents thousands of pounds in service charges over several years. This marks a

SHAC and Members in the News

@thecanaryuk.bsky.social reports on fantastic victory by our member Pete Wilks, but as we say, few people have the capacity to do what he has done on behalf of his whole estate. It cannot be left to individuals to challenge.

www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025...

The tenants forced to pay for their richer neighbours’ gyms | The Observer

More about how landlords are scamming tenants, residents, and the public purse. We are campaigning to stop it.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

YouTube video by The Social Housing Action Campaign SHAC on BBC Radio Sussex - Council Housing

SHAC in the News - making a powerful case for fully funded council housing instead of relying on private developers who then refuse to deliver promised new social and affordable housing. Meanwhile, thousands suffer on council housing waiting lists.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3lD...

Social Housing Action CampaignEight Ways That Landlords Subvert Disability Law By Carl Davis Social landlords increasingly use ‘vulnerability’ as the organising principle of their support frameworks. It sounds caring, progressive, human-centred. But in the topsy-t…

SHAC Article - Eight Ways That Landlords Subvert Disability Law

shaction.org/2025/11/17/e...

Carl shows how landlords adopt policies which downgrade the rights of disabled people and other groups. But the Equality Act 2010 is clear - landlords cannot choose whether or not to comply.

Social Housing Action CampaignFear and Subletting in Social Housing By Deborah I was convicted in December 2025 for subletting my social housing – something that is commonplace and legal only after tenants have written permission from their landlord, which I …

SHAC Article

Antisocial behaviour can drive people to desperate measures when landlords persistently fail to deal with it, backing them into a corner.

shaction.org/2025/11/12/f...

See also shaction.org/asb/

YouTube video by The Social Housing Action Campaign LBC Radio - Tom Swarbrick - Service Charges - October 2025

Thx to @tomswarbrick.bsky.social & LBC for inviting us to discuss service charge abuse after both SHAC and The Telegraph covered the story of Plus Dane charging more than £4K to tend a small area of garden & raising service charges by 60%+.

#EndServiceChargeAbuse

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZuE...

SHAC and Members in the Press

Thx @thetelegraph.bsky.social for covering the insane & unregulated world of service charges.

This will continue until govt gets a grip on this - and equalises rights for all.

shaction.org/wp-content/u...

Labour told its ‘numbers game’ approach to housing targets is doomed to failure CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves was dealt a fresh blow today after campaigners warned that Labour’s “numbers game” approach to its ambitious housing targets were doomed to end in failure.The warning came as ...

Thx @mstaronline.bsky.social for covering the Labour government's obsession with house building targets and ignoring deep structural problems in the housing market.

Landlords & developers whistle: the Labour govt dances to their tune.

morningstaronline.co.uk/article/labo...

YouTube video by The Social Housing Action Campaign LBC - Awaab's Law - October 2025

We were intvited onto James Hanson's LBC radio show to discuss Awaab's Law, which came into effect on 27th October.

Instead of a solution, it is an abdication of government responsibility.

Listen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI0K...

YouTube video by The Social Housing Action Campaign SHAC on BBC Radio - London Housing Targets - Oct 2025

Thank you to Shay Kaur Grewal and BBC Radio for inviting SHAC to comment on the London Mayor's latest reduction in housing targets, bowing to pressure from big developers. It's the same across the country & needs to be called out!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K5g...

Social Housing Action CampaignConference Agrees to Build a Housing Union More than 100 activists gathered in person and online on the 11th October to plan a national tenants and residents (housing) union. The event was organised by SHAC as the basis for forming an indep…

Our conference agreed - we need a national housing union!

Now we're starting the process of building on. Find out more, get involved, build tenant and resident power here:

shaction.org/2025/10/16/c...

A great read! Thank you @housingsector.bsky.social.

More on the conference and National Tenants and Residents Union initiative here:
shaction.org/a-national-t...

Join SHAC free here
shaction.org/shac-registr...

YouTube video by Housing Sector Housing Sector Podcast Episode #54 - The Case for a National Tenants and Residents Union

It's necessary. It's happening. Ben Jenkins & Housing Sector gave us the chance to explain plans for a genuinely democratic National Tenants' and Residents' Union.

Conference: 11-4 - 11th October

Indian YMCA, 41 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6AG - and online.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZROt...

Social Housing Action CampaignPlus Dane Charging Thousands for Services We Never See By Ella Austen The paperwork that ties me to Plus Dane Housing was written in 1989. I was a barely sentient one year old. My name isn’t on it. Plus Dane’s name isn’t on it. Yet somehow, this paperw…

SHAC Article: Plus Dane Charging Thousands for Services We Never See

shaction.org/2025/09/21/p...

📣 Plus Dane is financially exploiting tenants and residents.

✊ SHAC is supporting their fight back.

YouTube video by The Social Housing Action Campaign SHAC on BBC Radio - London Housing Development

Thx @bbclondon.bsky.social for inviting SHAC to comment on a flawed @homebuildersfed.bsky.social report that urges cutting social housing targets. Actually, social housing should be funded through full council grant - it's more effective & pays for itself.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYM-...