LOCARLA

Social Housing RMI Business Intelligence & other stuff

Hello everyone. On this National Librarians Day eve, I call on you all to read at least 3 books this weekend, unless you’re busy, in which case leave it till next week, or the summer holidays, or retirement.
Firstly, an apology. If anyone saw my post on LinkedIn yesterday showing a £100M increase in Fire Safety contracts in April, this was complete BS. Due to a glitch in the matrix, contracts were accidently added which led me to post lies and mistruths which ruined my reputation. The staff responsible were not only sacked but also humiliated in front of friends and family and made to wear the Locarla ‘collar of shame’ (RRP: £59.99, available now from our merch shop)

Sad about Breyer.

If you’re new around here we sell data on anything and everything to do with Social Housing. But that doesn’t define us. Amy is actually an internationally renowned harpsichord player, and I once learnt, to a very low standard, Japanese, at night school in New Zealand.

Enough about us, on with the show …. we have a packed* Easter bumper edition for you this month, chock-a-block full of mostly adverts for Locarla stuff, but also the usual AI generated filler we stick in each month that no one really reads

*It’s not packed.

‘Blue links‘ for all and ‘green links‘ are behind login so dependent on your licence.

Our new and renewing clients in March, thank you so much.

The Locarla Social Home Database.

You did what with 4.9M records?! That’s amazing. You must be so clever, or boring.

Yes friends, we cracked it. With a monumental amount of effort from the crew, and a crack machine learning team, we cleaned 4.9M Land Registry titles from Housing Associations & Local Authorities, so we could put UPRNs on our property database.

Procurement Act 2023 ‑ Locarla changes

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” ‑ Steve Jobs

Stage 1 of the work is coming soon.

–	My Locarla is disappearing for a while. Premium & Works users will land on ‘Tenders’ and Business users ‘Housing’.
–	Tenders & Awards will be split.
–	My Notices will be proper hardcore.
–	Show / Hide notices with the same ID
–	Latest Company information will appear in a left-hand panel onclick the ‘building’ icon in the header.

Stage 2 is all about ‘My Notices’ and will come out shortly after stage 1.

–	Once a notice is added as a favourite, all documents relating to it (planning, tenders, awards & KPIs) will appear in My Notices. According to .gov all notices before the award are collectively known as ‘planning docs.’, and everything after are now known as a ‘whoop of awards’.
–	Colour coding on the document groups.
–	Document history chart when you open the contract panel.
–	Bid Process filter.

Stage 3 is a major update to the user admin section, but dull, so let’s leave it there.

It’s all News to me!

AI generated content

Shepherds Bush Housing Association has fully merged into the Guinness Partnership, transferring all assets and stock. Source: Housing Today. Tower Hamlets Community Housing joined the Hyde Group on 1 April 2025, with no changes to services. Source: Hyde Group. Melin Homes and Newport City Homes have merged under the new name, Hedyn. Source: Hedyn. Ancho tenants have officially transferred to Cairn Housing Association. Source: Cairn Housing Association. South Yorkshire Housing Association and Places for People have entered merger talks. Source: Places for People. Paradigm Housing plans to buy 3,500 homes from L&Q, and is in talks to merge with Settle Group. Source: Paradigm Housing Group

Bolton at Home is rebranding to Be One Homes, marking a new chapter for the organisation. Source: Bolton at Home. Two Rivers Housing has unveiled a new brand identity, including a redesigned logo and font, to reflect improvements like integrating their repairs team. Source: Two Rivers Housing

The Regulator of Social Housing published regulatory judgements for seven landlords. Cross Keys Homes, LiveWest Homes, Midland Heart, and Thirteen Housing Group received C1/G1/V1 gradings, while Places for People Group received C1/G1/V2. Source: GOV.UK

Essex-based CHP has acquired 480 homes in Chelmsford from L&Q and formed a partnership with NewArch Homes, which purchased 220 homes, including 59 from CHP’s development pipeline. Source: UK Property Forums, UK Property Forums. Westminster City Council has finalised the purchase of 368 homes from A2Dominion and will complete a £33m refurbishment. Source: South London Press. Red Kite Community Housing has acquired 319 homes from Riverside Housing Group. Source: Red Kite Community Housing Ltd.

Clarion Housing has renewed its £3bn EMTN Programme to support sustainable investments. Source: Housing Today. Sanctuary Housing has launched a £2.5bn EMTN Programme to support development. Source: Sanctuary Housing Association. Sovereign Network Group has introduced a £1.5bn EMTN Programme for financial growth. Source: Sovereign Network Group. Vico Homes is investing £303m to build 1,500 new homes. Source: Housing Executive. Home Group has boosted liquidity by £260m through refinancing. Source: Business Live. Notting Hill Genesis has issued a £250m bond to support home upgrades. Source: Housing Today. Bromford Flagship secured £75m in private placement post-merger for its strategic goals. Source: Bromford Flagship

Cardo Group has acquired Breyer Group’s Roofing division and taken over a repairs and maintenance contract for over 6,000 homes with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, ensuring service continuity. Source: Cardo

United Living has appointed Claire Kershaw as CEO of United Living Property Services to lead growth and service delivery. Source: United Living

The UK government has committed £2bn to build 18,000 new social and affordable homes. Source: GOV.UK. Lloyds Banking Group has launched its first affordable housing development in Pudsey, seeking proposals for a fully affordable scheme. Source: Lloyds Banking Group

Between 1 April 2024 and 23 March 2025, 199,100 new homes were delivered in England. Source: GOV.UK. UK construction saw a 21% drop in planning approvals and a 14% decline in main contract awards in February 2025. Source: Construction News. BCIS forecasts a 17% rise in building costs and a 15% increase in tender prices over the next five years. Source: BCIS. As of February 2025, 48% of buildings have started or completed remediation, with 32% fully completed. Source: GOV.UK

The Great British Insulation Scheme has installed 64,600 measures in 51,200 homes as of March 2025. Source: GOV.UK. The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2.1 has delivered 28,500 measures in 14,500 homes. Source: GOV.UK. The Green Homes Grant and Home Upgrade Grant continue supporting energy-efficient upgrades for low-income households. Source: GOV.UK. The UK housing retrofit bill could reach £118bn by 2030. Source: The Construction Index

A report reveals 100+ year waiting lists for family-sized social homes in some English councils. Source: National Housing Federation. A survey shows 72% of councils may dip into reserves to balance housing budgets, affecting housebuilding goals. Source: Local Government Association

AI generated content

Housing Complaints Insights 2024

Show me the money!

A PDF guide to contract management on Locarla.

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Big builds, bold plans, and the rise of early market signals. This month’s roundup brings bold regeneration, and smart repairs shaping the sector.

Turning 21 hectares into 2,500 homes, Homes England’s £950m Preliminary Market Engagement for Forth Yards – Long term Delivery Partner sets the stage for Newcastle’s bold waterfront transformation. A Vision for Community Renewal, The London Borough of Brent has issued a Market Engagement Notice to identify a Single Delivery Partner for the final phases of the South Kilburn Regeneration Programme, valued at £750m, The selected partner will help deliver around 1,600 mixed-tenure homes across multiple sites over the next 10 to 15 years. Big fixes are on the way for housing in West Leeds, with a £185m contract by Leeds City Council covering Responsive Repairs, Voids and Cyclical Service & Maintenance Work excluding gas and asbestos services. Breathing new life into urban core, Hull City Council has issued a Pre-Market Engagement Notice for its £100m Albion Square Development to envision a vibrant, mixed-use district featuring housing, retail, culture, and public space. Rethinking waste for a greener tomorrow, Derbyshire County Council has announced a £55m Pipeline Notice for Commissioning of Contractor(s) for a Green and Food Waste collection services. Homes on the horizon, Eastleigh Borough Council is laying the foundation for a £53.3m Pipeline Notice for Kings Copse Avenue Residential Housing Project to deliver 193 new homes. Tackling damp, one home at a time, City of York Council is preparing a £48m Pipeline Framework for Damp Surveying and Remedial Works with a focus on improving property condition and long-term housing quality.

Residential upgrades at scale is coming to Nottinghamshire, with Ashfield District Council setting out a £41.6m Pipeline Notice for its Housing Refurbishment Programme aiming to uplift council homes through essential repairs and modern upgrades. Elevating cleanliness across every corner, London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames and Wandsworth London Borough together are rolling out a £22.4m Corporate Properties & Sheltered Housing Cleaning Services tender to ensure cleaner, safer, and more vibrant communities. Bathroom bliss meets capital investment, as Guildford Borough Council invites bids for a £15.1m Kitchen and Bathroom Capital Installations to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms across homes in Guildford and Waverley. Repairs with precision, Southampton City Council has launched a £12.75m Tender to bolster its internal team for Voids and Major Works, spanning trades from roofing to groundworks, it boosts repair capacity and turnaround times. Painting the future, Stonewater Ltd is inviting market input on its £12.5m National Cyclical Decorating Programme (2025–2031) through a Pre-Market Engagement Notice covering six England regions, the framework will deliver cyclical external and internal upgrades across 40,000 homes. Compliance at the core, West Lothian Council is preparing a £12m Tender Framework for Asbestos Services, Structured into surveying, analytics, and removal lots to target safe property management across region. Calling all subcontractors, VIVID is back with a £12m Pre-Market Engagement Notice for a revitalised Repairs Subcontractor Procurement Framework, covering responsive repairs, voids, and minor works. Shaping tomorrow’s landscapes, Lewes and Eastbourne Councils will open a £11m Grounds Maintenance Services tender in May 2025 to enhance and maintain their treasured parks and green spaces. Enhancing Homes, Empowering Communities, Futures Housing Group is seeking to appoint multiple contractors to deliver a wide range of Strategic Asset Management works across its estate. The services span various disciplines including general building, plumbing, electrical, roofing, kitchen and bathroom installations, and more.

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The Other League Tables

Along with our main monthly league tables, ❲see below❳, we also produce tables based on the following trades: Retrofit, Asbestos Survey, Fire Risk Assessment, Water/Legionella & Stock Condition Survey. ❲Premium Clients, click here for the PDF❳

Top of the league in each table are ….

Retrofit:

Wates Living Space

Asbestos Survey:

Environtec

Fire Risk Assessment:

Frankham Consultancy Group

Stock Condition Surveys:

Savills (UK)

Water / Legionella:

Aquatrust Water & Ventilation

March League Tables

Built Environment Contracts

The trades we cover; Responsive Repair, Planned Works (Kitchen/Bathrooms, Doors/Windows), Gas Servicing/Central Heating, Voids, Fire Safety & Roofing.