NHC upcoming events
Dealing with Disrepair: Ensuring Compliance and Tackling Claims
Coming into effect October 2025, Awaab’s Law seeks to ensure social landlords investigate and fix dangerous damp and mould in set time periods and repair all emergency hazards within 24 hours. Alongside the already existing duty to keep homes fit for human habitation, and the ongoing review of the Decent Homes Standard, registered providers are working to evolving and far reaching requirements.
Against this backdrop, Ward Hadaway and the Northern Housing Consortium are bringing the sector together for this full day conference.
The day will see leading practitioners and legal experts share good practice across proactive and innovative disrepair management, as well as equip attendees with confidence and knowledge to challenge the actions of spurious claims farmers.
The session will cover:
Managing Disrepair
- Preparing for Awaab’s Law, including developing the right organisational culture.
- Surveying, identifying, and dealing with hazards including damp and mould.
- Demonstrating compliance and improving both the officer and customer journey using technology and data.
- Decent homes; getting procurement right.
Standing up to Claims Farmers:
- Awaab’s Law, the requirements contained within the Act and what the implementation of these provisions mean for the sector from a legal standpoint.
- Dealing and responding effectively to disrepair claims.
- Gaining access to properties.
- Getting assertive with issued claims.
We will be joined by:
- Chris Machin, Park Square Barristers – ranked as a Leading Junior for Social Housing in The Legal 500 (2025)
- Lucy Hancock, Head of Redress, Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government
- Andrea Malcolm, Deputy Group Chief Executive, Bernicia Homes
- Darren Ibell, Assistant Director – Asset Management & Development, Broxtowe Borough Council
- Simon Thirtle, Partner, Ward Hadaway
- Alex Bagnall, Technical Manager, Total Legal Solutions
- Drew Frame, Head of Procurement, NHC Procurement
Additional speakers and a full agenda to be announced. You can sign up for the session here – https://www.mynhc.org.uk/event/general?id=Dealing_with_Disrepair_Ensuring_Compliance_and_Tackling_Claims2423813339
Temporary Accommodation Crisis in the North
A lack of secure, affordable housing is leading to increasing levels of homelessness and a greater reliance on Temporary Accommodation across the North. In addition to the human impact of housing people in often inadequate accommodation, addressing this crisis places a huge financial burden on Local Authorities and takes capacity away from strategic housing and regeneration ambitions. Meeting demand through housing growth or the development of new Temporary Accommodation will take time before having a major impact and the housing sector is having to find different ways of providing support now.
Being held following the Government’s Spending Review, the NHC, Campbell Tickell, and Devonshires are bringing together the housing sector and key stakeholders to discuss how to best address the Temporary Accommodation challenge across the northern regions. Together, attendees will contribute to efforts to ensure any use of Temporary Accommodation is both suitable and cost effective, with clear routes to settled housing.
Join us to:
- Explore the post-Spending Review landscape for homelessness and Temporary Accommodation.
- Establish the particular challenges associated with Temporary Accommodation provision for Local Authorities and housing providers in the North.
- Share and learn from innovative good practice; from making best use of funds and resource to partnership working.
- Generate new solutions and insights, opening pathways for further collaboration.
A full agenda will be confirmed in due course.
A Campbell Tickell – Devonshires Temporary Accommodation Network event in collaboration with the Northern Housing Consortium.
You can sign up for the session here – https://www.mynhc.org.uk/event/general?id=Temporary_Accommodation_Crisis_in_the_North4033134864
