In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Hannah, a consultant at Data Clan with experience across both the private housing sector and large national housing providers.

We start by talking about service charges and the lack of insight and scrutiny around them, including how councils assess and pay housing-related costs. From there, the conversation broadens into a more honest discussion about power, cost, accountability, and transparency in housing.

Hannah draws on her experience in the private sector to explain how service charges are expected to withstand challenge, tribunal scrutiny, and case law — and why that level of discipline is often missing in social housing. We talk about build quality, long-term costs, siloed organisations, the impact of mergers, and why residents are increasingly questioning what they are being asked to pay for.

We also discuss:

Why service charges have become a flashpoint for residents
How development decisions affect long-term costs
The disconnect between service delivery and what residents are charged
Fragmented systems and the loss of local knowledge
The rise of defensive responses and legal escalation
New Social Tenant Access to Information requirements and what they are intended to address
Leasehold reform and the imbalance of power between residents and landlords

This episode is about having a calm, open, and honest conversation about how housing works in practice — and why accountability matters.

#HousingSector, #ServiceCharges, #HousingAccountability, #SocialHousing, #LeaseholdReform, #HousingAssociations, #Transparency, #TenantRights, #HousingCosts, #ResidentVoice

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