In this episode of the Housing Sector Podcast, I’m joined by Joanne — known on TikTok as @aunty.jo — for an open and honest conversation about why more tenants are turning to social media to talk about the reality of their housing experiences.

Joanne originally created her platform around community support and healing, but after speaking to hundreds of people she began to recognise the same housing problems appearing again and again: residents feeling ignored, overlooked, frightened to speak up and unsure where to turn for help. Her response has been to use her voice and her growing TikTok platform to encourage tenants to support one another and share their lived experience.

We talk about complaints, repairs, temporary accommodation, contractors, service charges and the exhaustion that comes from repeatedly chasing organisations for answers. We also discuss why residents often end up raising their concerns publicly after private emails and phone calls have failed — only to be told on social media to go back and contact the same customer service channels that have already ignored them.

TikTok has opened up a very different type of resident engagement. Search housing on the platform and you quickly find tenants talking openly about disrepair, communication failures, service charges and the struggle to get basic problems resolved. These conversations are often far removed from the carefully managed resident panels, conferences and engagement events that dominate much of the traditional housing sector.

Joanne and I discuss whether housing providers are really listening to those voices — particularly the difficult, outspoken and frustrated residents who may not fit neatly into the sector’s preferred model of engagement. Sometimes the feedback organisations most need to hear is the feedback they least want to hear.

There is also practical advice for residents. Joanne’s message is simple: don’t give up, reach out for support and document everything. Keep photographs, emails, dates and records, speak to people you trust and connect with other residents who understand what you are experiencing.

And there is a message for senior leaders in housing associations and councils: get out into your communities, speak directly to tenants, listen to what they are actually saying and take action. Reports, statistics and satisfaction scores can only tell you so much. Sometimes you need to speak to the people living with the consequences of the decisions being made.

This is a conversation about tenant voice, accountability, lived experience and why residents supporting residents could become an increasingly important part of the housing conversation.

Follow Joanne on TikTok: @aunty.jo
Follow Housing Sector on TikTok: @housing.sector

Website: housingsector.co.uk

If you have a housing story you think needs to be heard, get in touch.

#HousingSector #HousingSectorPodcast #TikTok #HousingTikTok #TenantVoice #Tenants #Residents #SocialHousing #HousingAssociation #CouncilHousing #ResidentEngagement #HousingRepairs #ServiceCharges #Accountability #HousingCrisis

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Could the UK be heading towards a new wave of rent strikes?

In this episode, I sit down with Suze Muna from SHAC (Social Housing Action Campaign) to explore why more tenants and leaseholders are reaching breaking point.

We discuss the growing pressure of rising rents and spiralling service charges, the financial position of housing associations, and whether frustration is beginning to turn into organised action. We also look at the proposal for a National Housing Union and ask whether the sector is listening to the people it exists to serve.

In this episode we discuss:

• What rent strikes are – and why they happen.
• The impact of rising service charges.
• Housing association finances and accountability.
• Whether residents' voices are being heard.
• The case for a National Housing Union.
• What the future could look like if confidence in the sector continues to decline.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you think rent strikes are becoming a realistic possibility, or can the sector rebuild trust before it reaches that point?

Please like, subscribe and share if you find these conversations valuable.

https://shaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SHAC-Blueprint-for-a-National-Housing-Union-July-2026-Full-Version-V1.pdf


#HousingSector #SocialHousing #RentStrikes #ServiceCharges #HousingAssociations #Tenants #Leaseholders #HousingPodcast #SHAC #NationalHousingUnion

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Housing Sector Podcast #73 – The Boardroom Blind Spot?

In this episode, I am joined by Hannah Howard-Jones to explore one of the most important questions facing the housing sector today: are housing association boards asking the right questions?

We discuss the role of boards, governance, accountability, CEO oversight, mergers, organisational culture, data quality, AI, and why transparency matters more than ever.

From scrutinising performance data to holding senior leaders to account, this conversation examines whether boards are getting the information they need, whether they are challenging effectively, and what happens when organisations lose sight of their purpose.

Topics covered:

• The role of housing association boards
• Governance and accountability
• CEO performance and leadership
• Board scrutiny and challenge
• Housing association mergers
• Data quality and decision-making
• Artificial intelligence and risk
• Resident trust and transparency
• Leadership culture in social housing

My thanks to Hannah Howard-Jones for joining me once again for a thoughtful and wide-ranging discussion.

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 #HousingSectorPodcast #SocialHousing #HousingAssociations #Governance #BoardMembers #HousingLeadership #Accountability #TenantVoice #ResidentVoice #DataGovernance #ArtificialIntelligence #HousingManagement #HannahHowardJones #BenJenkins

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