The latest Resident Voice Index™ report, ‘Surviving but not living’ is out, giving results from the Cost of Living survey that many of you answered between March and May this year. Results showed that 33% would not know where to get financial support from if they were to experience a financial struggle – a situation that unfortunately, many these days are finding themselves in. However, many of the answers from [...]
Following the publication of the Neighbourhoods & Communities report our resident ambassadors talk about the outputs.
Over the past six months we’ve been speaking a lot about The Resident Voice Index™ project, which launched this year to gather insights into those living in social housing in the UK. Now we are finally able to share what the almost 4,000 social housing residents who joined in feel about where they live! The first survey topics explored by the Resident Voice Index™ project included: What facilities [...]
Your hours of searching and chatting to other swappers have paid off - congratulations, you might have found the perfect home! To make sure, you’ll need to have a good look around to get to know the place and the neighbourhood and make sure it’s the right move for you. However, with the UK opening up again and lockdowns easing, we know many people are still concerned about the risk [...]
Our Resident Ambassador Jackie had some good ideas of what social housing in the 21st century may look like.
This week we meet our third Resident Ambassador for the Resident Voice Index™ project, Jim. Living in the North East of England, he’s a no-nonsense stalwart of local activism and contribution. From being on tenant advisory panels, becoming a town councillor, contributing to national think tanks on social housing, to helping us with the Resident Voice Index™ project, he’s passionate about improving his local community and the interests of social [...]
Our second Resident Ambassador, Val lives in the North East of England and has been working alongside her housing association and for national resident boards for years. She came forward as a Resident Ambassador for the Resident Voice Index™ project and describes how resident engagement takes dedication and partnership working. The relationship that Val has with her housing provider is a strong one. “We don’t feel it’s us and the [...]
A new TV series on home swapping is soon to be made, showing the positive stories in social housing. Would you like to be in it?
Community projects such as changing a public space or building new developments should involve those who actually live in a community.
The Neighbourhoods & Communities survey is the first of a project which aims to get to know what social housing residents in the UK think
Understanding an area better means finding out about the people living there and how they feel. Our Resident Voice Index™ aims to do that.
Your voice matters and giving a few minutes to share your opinion can give the people planning improvements to services a real insight into where their efforts can be best placed.
In times like these, it may be hard to find the incentive to start saving. But there are schemes available that can turn this around!
The Regulator works with government, Housing Ombudsman and housing providers to make sure that social homes are safe, decent and sustainable.
At HomeSwapper, we take a look at one scheme called the Good Work Standard in more detail. Read all about it here.
The idea of a job for life and a pension to come along after is a thing of the past. Read our blog post about consolidating all your pensions.
The colder months are drawing in, the days are getting shorter and most of us are spending more time at home than we bargained for. Making sure that your home is ready for this cold spell can help you stay warm and healthy as well as save a little on those winter bills! There’s lots to look forward to in the winter; from those cosy nights, to catching up with [...]
Getting older often means accepting more support than we needed before. Retirement has an effect on the spare money we have to spend on the more exciting things in life. For those nearing that time we’ve put together a list of the help that’s out there to support us:
NHS Healthy Towns proposes that homebuilding and town planners think of health, economic growth, infrastructure, housing and environment as factors that are interconnected.
Congratulations! You’ve found a swap, your application has been approved and now all that’s left to think about is the move itself. Moving home is a chance to shed some of the possessions that over time, have turned into clutter. Instead of sending them to landfill there are places you can put them so others can find your unwanted goods. When preparing for a big move, items hidden [...]
With all the current goings on, the news has been filled with our Members of Parliament (or MPs). Especially at this time, it can feel as though a lot of decisions about our day-to-day lives are being made for us. But who are the people that are making them and how can you have your voice heard? This week we’re giving you the lowdown on what an MP is and [...]
Have you ever looked on HomeSwapper and seen a property that’s labelled ‘No swap needed’? This is what’s called a ‘void property’, which means that it is immediately available to be moved into! On HomeSwapper, landlords are able to upload any properties that they have that might be sitting empty and need a tenant. Why are there void properties? As of 2019, there are an estimated 216,000 empty [...]
We’ve all been spending more time at home than we usually would and that may mean that use of electricity and gas in households will likely have risen. It’s estimated that by switching energy providers, a single household could save up to £350 per year! Read on for our tips on finding the cheapest option and how to go about switching. Switching energy supplier may seem like a [...]
We understand that at this particular time, we may all be a little anxious about what the future holds. And while the world’s news is full of stories about the global coronavirus pandemic, we want to draw your attention to another piece of news that may affect some of you, so that you can make sure that you’re better prepared for some changes that will be coming in next week. [...]
We’ve come to the last instalment in our series on how local government works in the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland lies across the Irish Sea from mainland Britain and local councils there hold different responsibilities than those in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland there are 11 councils run by elected councillors. Only in 2015, Northern Ireland put reforms in place around how local councils work in the country. [...]
This week we are continuing our trip around the UK, taking a look at what local authorities are responsible for in the different countries that make up the UK. Scotland’s local governments have developed over the ages from ancient ‘Burghs’. They watch over thriving big cities like EdinBURGH and the sparsely populated areas of outstanding natural beauty in the Highlands. Local councils in Scotland have to manage the delivery of [...]
Housing Associations and local authorities are seeking out tenants for their opinions on how they work. Scrutiny panels are groups led by tenants that point out areas to investigate that matter to them, such as repairs, anti-social behaviour or debt advice. The outcomes from the findings are reported to the leadership and board members of your landlord and could make a difference to their decision-making. What is a [...]
With the cold weather closing in, in the UK we can expect buckets of rain, gale force winds and maybe even snow coming our way over the following months. Whilst this season has many good things: cosy evenings, the return of the roast dinner and Christmas, winter can also be challenging for homes and health. But there’s help out there and things you can do to prepare for the cold [...]
Local councils are responsible for providing a variety of services in the areas they manage. From education to waste disposal, local authorities provide and organise the frontline services that we all rely on. In England, more than 2 million people are employed by local government - these are some of the most respected workers in the country, such as firefighters, social services and schoolteachers. Over the next few weeks, we [...]
We can’t all get along with everyone all the time, in fact it’s completely normal to have your ups and downs with family, friends and neighbours. These little disputes can affect us in the moment and be forgotten about a day later. However, more disturbing or routine behaviour can make a real impact on our day-to-day lives and might actually be termed ‘antisocial behaviour’. Here’s what it means and some [...]
Many of the landlords that are signed up to HomeSwapper hold events throughout the year to touch base with you all, answer any queries and – often – put on a day of activities and games. No doubt you’ll have attended one with your landlord before, but if not, we recommend giving them a try! Here we tell you why… Meeting other swappers There will probably be other tenants [...]
Childcare – what you’re entitled to The costs of childcare in the UK can eat up a big chunk of the family budget – but there is help to be had! In this article, we’ll take a look at the financial support out there that you can access, from when your children are toddlers, right up to when they’re teenagers! Tax-free childcare If you're a working parent with [...]
Whether you’ve been living in one place for a while, or have just moved, home security is always a hot topic. It’s often only after a break-in that many people realise just how many spots around their house are vulnerable, but in fact many of these could be prevented or deterred with some simple security changes. Nobody likes to think about something like this happening, but prevention is always the [...]
In the UK there is one person that we can all agree is a national treasure: David Attenborough. For years he has been campaigning for us to make changes to help save the environment and people seem to be starting to listen. Plastic free July has been taking over social media for the last month - but trying to make more eco-friendly decisions can be intimidating and it’s hard to [...]
The areas we live in can mean ‘home’ to us, just as much as the property we’re living in… and the people who know what’s best for a street, community or public space are the people who live in it every day: you! Is there a space in your local community that could do with some love and care? Could you plan to bring your neighbours together through an event? [...]
If you’ve got a spare room, you may be affected by ‘Bedroom Tax’ and looking for an option that allows you to stay in your home. Getting a lodger in could be a great way of solving this – and you’ll even make some extra income in the process. As of October 2013, social housing tenants have been able to rent out their spare room, although some people may not [...]