CONTENTS – 1 NEW Official Residents’ Association for all, in-person meeting Mon 15th Nov 6pm Community Centre – 2 Residents’ Charter oversight sub-group – 3 “Meet the Housing Ombudsman” notes – 4 Phase 1 Blackmore/Messiter/Molton
Hello all New Barnsbury Leaseholders. It would be great to meet as many of you as possible in person, at the first open meeting of the NEW Barnsbury Estate Residents Group on Monday 15th Nov, 6pm, in the Community Centre. It’s open to all residents – social tenants, private tenants, leaseholders both resident and non-resident. More info and the agenda is below, along with a few other updates.
You can your New Barnsbury Leaseholder Reps – Adele (non-res), me (Annie, non-res), or Jane (resident) on barnsburyleaseholders@gmail.com
- NEW! Official Residents’ Group – meeting this Monday open to all!
For the past few months, a mixed group of around 10 residents (including Reps from this Leaseholders Group) have been working to set up a new Residents’ Group for Barnsbury Estate.
Hopefully you’ve received an email flyer from Newlon (view it HERE), and there are posters around the estate, with the details of the first meeting – Monday 15th Nov, 6-8pm, in person at the Community Centre. Please come if you can, the more voices we have, the stronger we are.
The first meeting will include a chance to challenge Newlon on keeping up with cyclical works – especially for blocks which will still be standing in 5+ years
If you have skills that could help the Residents’ Association, such as fundraising, sponsorship, WordPress, MailChimp, please come along to the meeting and make yourself known to the Chair, Emma Preston-Dunlop.
2. Residents’ Charter – help to re-draft it and hold Newlon to account
How much will you get bought out for? Can you be bought out early? What happens if you move out of your flat, or back in, before it is knocked down? Will Mount Anvil limit construction noise? Will the new-build flats be of a decent standard? What can we do if Newlon breaks their promises?
The Residents’ Charter will contain the key details of issues like these, which will have a direct effect on your future and your quality of life for years to come.
You can access the Resident’s Charter v1.0 (identical to the Draft) HERE.
The Residents Charter was included with the Offer Document back in February. We were all confused about who wrote it, whether it was binding on Newlon, and how to change it if we were unhappy with something in it. In October, a Sub-Group of the main Residents Group was formed, with the aim of challenging Newlon and Mount Anvil about some elements of the Charter which are still vague, and making sure we have a process for holding them to account.
If you have any thoughts, comments, or requests about what the Charter says, especially the sections which directly affect you as a leaseholder, please join us at the Residents Group meeting on Monday or email us on barnsburyleaseholders@barnsburyleaseholders
3. “Meet the Housing Ombudsman” notes
Meet the Ombudsman (Richard Blakeway) 27/10/21 – organised by TPAS, attended by Annie (NB NRL Rep)
Q – What is the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS)?
An impartial organisation which decides on complaints about Social Housing – but only after the internal complaints procedure with the landlord (Newlon) has been exhausted.
- The HOS makes decisions on what’s fair.
- The HOS does not have legal powers – it is not a regulator – but it can be a useful alternative to going to court. There is follow-up to make sure landlords act on the HOS’ decisions.
- The HOS publishes guidance on best practice on handling/resolving complaints that their member organisations (incl Newlon) should be following. They also publish public accounts of the cases brought to them, and how they decided the outcome.
Q – Does the Housing Ombudsman accept complaints from leaseholders?
Yes, 1 in 5 complaints that are formally adjudicated by the HOS are from leaseholders and shared owners.
Q – Can the Housing Ombudsman Service take on complaints about redevelopments like ours on New Barnsbury?
They can, but decisions about jurisdiction can be complex – for example, a specific complaint may be more relevant to the Local Govt Ombudsman, or be considered a matter for a court tribunal.
Q – Can the ombudsman take complaints about overdue cyclical works for blocks?
Yes, though the complaint has to go all the way through the Newlon complaints process first. This will take time, so if you think something is due for repair or redecoration as part of cyclical works, complain to Newlon ASAP, and get the ball rolling. This also applies to other outstanding repairs that are Newlon’s responsibility.
Q – Can the HOS help us if the Residents’ Charter is breached?
This answer wasn’t clear. The HOS has not published any reports or guidelines on residents’ charters. They seem to be fairly new and as grey an area as we expected. Once the complaints procedure within Newlon has been exhausted, if the jurisdiction is appropriate, the HOS can take on a specific complaint. So unless Newlon specifies a procedure for how we address breaches of the Charter, and we have reached the end of this procedure, the HOS cannot be involved.
Q – Can the HOS have any role in the process of buying out leaseholders, including those who seek early buy-backs?
This answer was very unclear, with no indication given either way.
Q – Can we complain to the HOS as a group?
Yes, group complaints can be brought if several people have the same complaint about the same issue (guidance here: https://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/about-us/corporate-information/policies/dispute-resolution/guidance-on-group-complaints/) – this could be very useful for a group of leaseholders, as long as everyone’s complaint has gone through Newlon’s internal complaints procedure first.
4. Phase 1 – Blackmore, Messiter, Molton
If your block is in Phase 1, you should have received an email from us offering you support. Get in contact with us if you didn’t get it.
With best wishes from your New Barnsbury Leaseholder Reps, Jane (resident), Annie (non-resident) and Adele (non-resident)
barnsburyleaseholders@gmail.com
Barnsbury Estate Leaseholders Group 