In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Chris Carr, a former in-house housing professional with over 20 years’ experience working inside the system.

We talk about the growing imbalance between residents and housing providers — and why access to justice is becoming harder just as standards are under greater scrutiny.

Chris explains how the legal and operational machinery behind housing associations works, why tenants face an uphill battle in tribunals and disrepair claims, and how internal cultures often prioritise reporting performance over actually delivering it.

We discuss:

• Why residents without legal support struggle against experienced housing teams
• The government’s push to limit claims management and what that means for tenants
• How funding pressures and development priorities are reshaping repair budgets
• Why whistleblowers and internal critics are often sidelined
• The legacy of Grenfell and whether meaningful accountability has followed
• Procurement, conferences, and the sector’s focus on image over substance

This is an honest conversation about power, process, and the structural imbalance built into social housing today.

If residents are truly at the heart of the sector, the system needs to work for them — not against them.

Follow, share, and visit housingsector.co.uk — because the more people who understand what’s really going on, the harder it becomes to ignore.

#HousingSector #SocialHousing #HousingAssociations #TenantRights #AccessToJustice #HousingDisrepair #Section11 #FirstTierTribunal #Grenfell #Accountability #Transparency #Procurement #PublicMoney #ServiceCharges #HousingPolicy #benjenkins

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