The Quick Guide to Jargon used in Housing

ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation): A company set up by a local authority where they retain ownership of the housing stock, but transfer the landlord function to the ALMO.

CiH (Chartered Institute of Housing): The representative organisation for housing professionals.

Defects: When new accommodation is built, it has a fixed ‘defect period’. This means that the builder is responsible for putting right anything that needs repairs or maintenance during this time. It is perfectly normal for newly built properties to develop minor cracks, condensation and other problems whilst the materials used in the building settle.

Eco Homes: EcoHomes is an environmental rating for homes. The rating considers the broad environmental concerns of climate change, resource use and impacts on wildlife and considers seven different categories: energy, water, pollution, materials, transport, ecology & land use, and health & well being. Four ratings can be achieved from Pass, Good, Very Good and Excellent.

Foyer: Foyers provide accommodation with opportunity for young people, and a health-promoting community in which they can grow and thrive. By integrating training and job search, personal support, and motivation with a place to live, they provide a bridge to independence, and a chance for young people to realise their full potential. Foyers help over 10,000 young people every year to escape the "no home, no job, no home" cycle.

General Needs Housing: This is housing considered to be suitable for people of all ages who do not have support needs.

Key Worker Accomodation: Housing for workers who provide what the Government describes as essential services, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, police etc.

Leaseholder: A resident who lives in a property and pays rent or a service charge to a landlord. Our shared owners can be classed as leaseholders.

Modern Methods of Construction or MMC: Modern Methods of Construction is a term used by the Housing Corporation to describe a variety of build approaches, many of which including constructing large parts of the build off site in a factory environment.

Ombudsman: The Housing Ombudsman Service considers complaints against housing associations and councils, and deals with other housing disputes.

Quorum: The minimum number of members an organisation needs at any meeting when making a decision.

Scheme: A housing development. Can be a block of apartments, an estate, a group of houses or bungalows, or a mix of all of these.

Service Charge: Service charges reflect common costs that are linked to the provision of communal facilities. For example: grounds maintenance, communal heating & lighting, communal cleaning etc. The actual cost of providing these services is split amongst all those benefiting from it.

Shared Ownership: This involves someone part-buying and part-renting a property. You can find out more about this under the ‘Shared Owners’ section of this website.

Stakeholders: A stakeholder is somebody/ a company that has an interest in an organisation. Stakeholders of a company include stockholders, bondholders, customers, contractors & suppliers, employees etc.

Stamp Duty: Stamp duty is the tax payable to the Government for changing the documents that specify who owns a particular property, so it is most often paid when somebody is buying a house.

Supported Housing: Housing for people with support needs, such as elderly or infirm people, or people with mental health needs.

Tenure: The term used to describe what type of occupancy a house holds, ie whether is rented or shared ownership etc.