Central Bedfordshire Council news and press releases

A new way to manage your home online

Housing One is coming soon

We will soon be launching a new online customer portal, called Housing One. This system will make it faster and easier for you to manage your home, and it will be available 24/7 to help you raise items outside of regular office hours.

You’ll be able to take care of important tasks online, without needing to call or wait for office hours. At a time and place that suits you, Housing One will let you:

• pay your rent instantly and keep track of your payments
• book and track repairs so you know what’s happening
• report tenancy issues, like anti-social behaviour, quickly and easily

This is a big step forward. Our old system has been in place for around 10 years and hasn’t allowed tenants to self-serve. With Housing One, you’ll have 24/7 access from day one.

We have built the system with the future in mind, so it’s designed to grow with your needs. Other ways of contacting the Housing team will still be available if you need them.

When Housing One launches, you’ll need to sign up to start using it. You’ll need your tenancy number and your registered email address to set up a password. We’ll share more details soon.

We’ve carried out extensive work behind the scenes to get Housing One ready, including training and testing. As with any big change, there may be a few hiccups in the early days. We will keep you updated; if something doesn’t work as expected, please let us know so we can improve it quickly.

Protecting you from damp and mould

Awaab’s Law

 

In December 2020, 2-year-old Awaab Ishak died from respiratory conditions linked to direct exposure to mould in the home his parents rented from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. His death was preventable, and concerns had been raised several times.

Following the coroner’s ruling, the UK government introduced Awaab’s Law as an amendment to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, which became law on 20 July 2023.

What Awaab’s Law means for social housing landlords

Awaab’s Law applies to registered social housing landlords in England and Wales (including us) and comes into force on 27 October 2025. There will be three phases: Phase 1 in 2025, Phase 2 in 2026 and Phase 3 in 2027.

Phase 1 requirements – what this means for you

From 27 October 2025, damp and mould that present a significant risk of harm will be treated as an emergency repair. An emergency repair is a problem that poses an imminent and significant risk of harm to a tenant’s health or safety. Examples include:

• prevalent damp and mould with a material impact on health
• gas leaks
• severe electrical faults
• loss of water supply
• broken external door or window
• significant leak or structural damage

If the property cannot be made safe within the required timescales, tenants must be moved to another property at the landlord’s expense until repairs are completed. Landlords must keep tenants updated and provide information on how to keep safe.

Actions and timescales we must meet in Phase 1

• emergency repairs (including damp and mould) investigated and actioned within 24 hours
• significant hazards investigated within 10 working days of us becoming aware
• a written summary of findings provided to the tenant within three working days of the investigation concluding
• if a hazard presents a significant risk of harm, the property must be made safe and remedial works must begin within five working days of the investigation concluding, or within 12 weeks if specialist works or materials delay the start

What is damp and mould?

Damp occurs when water or moisture accumulates in a building. It can cause a foul smell, make a property feel cold and, in severe cases, cause structural issues.

Mould is a fungus that grows in damp or humid conditions. It appears as black, white, green or brown spots and often has a musty smell. Damp and mould can exist independently of each other.

Types of damp include:

• rising damp – moisture travels up from the ground through masonry to around one metre
• penetrating damp – water penetrates from outside to inside, for example from a leaking downpipe
• construction damp – damp caused by a design or build problem
• condensation damp – when normal water vapour can’t dissipate due to lack of insulation, ventilation or heating

What to do if you experience damp and mould

Report it to us as soon as possible so we can act.

• submit an online repairs form and one of our team will contact you
• call our repairs line, especially in an emergency, on 0800 074 0263

We will ask questions about where the mould is, how severe it is and how it is affecting you and your household, including any relevant health issues. Our contractor will survey your home, take moisture readings and recommend works. They will then contact you to arrange repairs.

Find out more about damp and mould.

Opportunities to talk to us

Upcoming events for our tenants – get involved

 

Want to know more about our services, influence improvements or just pop in for a chat? We’d love to see you at one of our upcoming events.

What’s on

Housing information hubs

Speak with one of the housing team for free advice and information. Learn how to become an involved tenant and have your say. Find out more about housing information hubs.

Tenant Open Day

All Saints View, Houghton Regis, on 15 November from 11am to 1pm.

Meet senior managers and housing teams, get advice, enjoy light refreshments and enter prize draws. More dates are coming soon.

Stay connected and make a difference

Keep an eye on our tenant engagement webpage for the latest listings. Join our Tenant Involvement Register to take part in focus groups and discussions. Email tenant.involvement@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk to find out more.

Share your views on how you contact us

Help us continue to improve our housing service

We want to make sure you can contact us in the way that works best for you. Take our short survey and tell us your preferences. Take part in the survey.

We supported a resident facing domestic abuse

Celebrating success with Home Finder UK

Our Homeless Intervention Team is pleased to share the first successful outcome from our partnership with Home Finder UK, a national move-on service providing access to social housing, accessible homes, retirement properties and select private rentals. Since 2013, Home Finder UK has helped over 1,800 households secure permanent accommodation.

Their Revive project supports victims and survivors of domestic abuse. A resident at risk was referred to Revive and secured social housing in another area without needing transitional accommodation. This is our first successful move through the scheme and we look forward to helping more people find safety and a fresh start.

To learn more, contact the Homeless Intervention Team at homeless.intervention@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

Man fined for social housing fraud in Harlington

Protecting homes for those who truly need them

At Luton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 16 September, Dean Whittaker, of Orchid Way, The Wixams, admitted sub-letting a social housing provider property in Harlington for eight months while living elsewhere. This is an offence under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.

He was ordered to pay a £200 fine, an £80 victim surcharge and £871 costs. Our investigation began following an anonymous tip-off. When interviewed, Mr Whittaker admitted he kept the tenancy in case a new relationship did not work out. He also said he had struggled to gain employment after the COVID-19 pandemic and apologised for his actions. The property has been returned and will be re-let to someone on the waiting list.

Local businesses helping to support your homes and communities

The rent they pay supports our Housing Revenue Account

 

Our Housing team has recently let several commercial units in Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable to new independent businesses. These units are part of our Housing Revenue Account (HRA) portfolio, so the rent they generate goes back into maintaining and improving council homes and housing services.

Recent lettings include:

• Get Glowing Limited in Mayfield Road, Dunstable – a beauty and tanning salon creating four local jobs
• a new accounting and financial services business at Priory View, Dunstable
• Heavy Head Tattoo Club in Clarence Road, Leighton Buzzard
• Care is Central expanding into additional office space at Priory View and All Saints View

These businesses bring choice for residents, create jobs and keep neighbourhood centres lively. Every lease contributes directly to the HRA, funding the services and improvements that matter to tenants.

Could you be a Shared Lives carer

Scheme run in partnership with Ategi

 

We’re looking for compassionate individuals to join our Shared Lives scheme, run with Ategi. This flexible role invites you to share your home and family life with an adult who needs support, helping them build skills, confidence and independence. Full training, ongoing support and financial benefits are provided.

Watch Lorna and Summa’s story.

Ategi will host a pop-up stand in Dunstable and attend the Festival for Older People in October. No booking needed.

• drop-in session on Thursday 25 September 2025, 10am to 1pm, Grove View Integrated Health and Care Hub, Dunstable LU5 4JD
• Festival for Older People on Friday 3 October 2025, 10am to 3pm, Rufus Centre, Flitwick MK45 1AH

Explore stories and FAQs on the Ategi website.

Give us your feedback

Comments, compliments, complaints and service requests

Your feedback helps us improve.

Comments

Suggestions to improve services are recorded as comments.

Compliments

Praise for good service or helpful staff is recorded and shared.

Service requests

Requests for us to take action to put something right are logged, monitored and reviewed. We will pass these to the relevant team.

Complaints

You can complain if you are affected by the way we provide services, for example delay, failure to act or follow procedure, poor communication, behaviour of staff or misleading information.

Share feedback by emailing Housing.Feedback@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or by completing our online form.

There are many other opportunities to be involved. Visit the tenant involvement webpage to register or see upcoming events.

Updating your details

Don’t miss out on updates from us

If you receive a paper copy of Housing Matters, or we write to you by letter when you have an email address, please let us know your email so we can keep you up to date in the easiest and cheapest way.

Email housinginfo@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk with your name and email address.

Please also tell us about important changes such as name changes, contact details or changes to your household. Email housingbusinessteam@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. If you’re unsure what contact information we hold, email us and we will check and update our records.