Giles Peaker's corner Giles Peaker is a partner at Anthony Gold. His day-to-day work is representing tenants. But he is famous for something else: blogging. Laurna Robertson meets the man behind Nearly Legal

Anyway, here's a bit from 2014 in which my former colleague Laurna captures him (in my view) pretty well: www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/gile...

Extremely sad that his unique voice won't be there anymore, and I really do feel for those who were close to him. He leaves a big absence and it is one of those moments where it so very clearly feels like someone has left far, far too soon

Similarly, I would consider getting a positive repost or comment from the Nearly Legal account the highest form of praise. You'd know you'd produced something both technically and morally correct and put a bit of sass into it for good measure. Didn't happen much but was good when it did

There are small group of people whose views on housing I hold in such high regard that if I see them arguing a point, I naturally just think 'well I better cross the road to whichever side they're on, because I already know they're right'. Giles was probably top of that tree

His work on the Fitness for Human Habitation legislation has changed the picture for the better, and there's not much that you can say that about in recent years. A huge loss, and my thoughts are with all those grieving.

And while he often found a way to make his comments quite (scathingly) funny, it was always clear that it came from a place of caring deeply about his clients and the impact of poor housing in general.

I'm extremely sorry to read this. I interviewed Giles many times and followed his writing for years. He was one of these people who shared his thoughts and expertise so generously...

Haunting echoes of the Grenfell Inquiry in probe into devastating Hong Kong fire The Wang Fuk Court inquiry has uncovered some disturbingly familiar failings. PLUS - PEEPs, the NPPF and an alternative plan for London

Fire alarms had been deactivated for eight months in the Hong Kong building which suffered a devastating fire last year. A fire safety professional noticed, but said 'it didn't have to do with our work' open.substack.com/pub/peteapps...

The fall of Simon Dudley - and what it tells us about the pushback against change post-Grenfell Reform's former housing secretary's comments were almost cartoonishly offensive, but the ideology which sits behind them is also dangerous

Behind the fatuousness and oafishly offensive comments made by Simon Dudley on Grenfell, lurked a dangerous idea which tells us something about Reform and the pushback against fire regulations in general:

peteapps.substack.com/p/the-fall-o...

This is a quote about building safety, but I think it is reflective of how big industry-wide scandals often manifest, not just in construction and housing but across the board:

peteapps.substack.com/p/nothing-ne...

Residential PEEPs: how will they work and are landlords ready? Residential PEEPs will require landlords to identify residents in higher-risk buildings who may find it difficult to escape from a fire. But will they work?

Next week, rules come into effect for residents who live in high rise buildings and would struggle to evacuate in an emergency.

Seven years since the Grenfell Inquiry recommended this change, I've dug into what it means and why it's still controversial:

www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/resi...

'It's fundamentally unfair to expect leaseholders to pay for cladding remediation when their building has already burned down' The Greater London Authority seeks its money back at a block ravaged by fire - but leaseholders will pay if it succeeds. PLUS - heat soaked glass, fire doors and a review of Eviction by Jessica Field

'It's fundamentally unfair to expect leaseholders to pay for cladding remediation when their building has already burned down'

Latest Substack looks into an eyebrow raising dispute between burned-out residents and the GLA:

peteapps.substack.com/p/its-fundam...

LIVE NOW: Live with Pete Apps and Giles Grover Peter Apps on Substack

open.substack.com/live-stream/...

Live in 25 mins ⏰

Follow me here to join in: substack.com/@peteapps

Working on the basis of a £500 commission vs £1000 monthly rent for a room. Obviously, it can get worse in both directions

📆 This Friday at 12pm

We’re joining journalist
@peteapps.bsky.social for a live Substack chat on the building safety crisis.

We’ll discuss what’s going wrong and how Labour could fix it.

🔗 Link and how to join in next post.

Today, an investigation featuring multiple interviews, dozens of leaked documents, several trips out to meet sources, multiple Right of Reply exhanges, a 1,000+ word write up (including edits taking in legal advice) will do you for about two weeks' rent on a single room

Hello! I'm chairing a session at the forthcoming London Housing Summit where we will be discussing the distribution and demand for housing in the capital. Lots of great speakers across the day - register to attend here:

forms.office.com/pages/respon...

'This is going to turn into a whole new version of the EWS1 debacle' - the Building Safety Regulator and resident-managed blocks Submitting a 'safety case' proving a block is safe to occupy is a core part of the building safety regime. For resident directors, it is becoming a bureaucratic nightmare

Submitting a 'safety case' proving a block is safe to occupy is a core part of the building safety regime. For resident directors, it is becoming a bureaucratic nightmare

peteapps.substack.com/p/this-is-go...

I'd say this holds true for roughly 100% of the issues I've covered for the last 13 years

PAS 9980: is government-backed cladding guidance resulting in safe buildings, or allowing developers to dodge responsibility? PAS 9980 was intended to help solve the country’s most pressing building safety risks, but the guidance appears open to exploitation. Peter Apps reports.

We publish another important and detailed building safety story today from @peteapps.bsky.social, this time looking at cladding guidance and whether it is open to exploitation

www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/pas-...

Redraft of key cladding methodology ‘does not go far enough’, insurers say Insurers have warned that residents could still be exposed to high premiums even after work completes, due poorly redrafted guidance on cladding remediation.

Is the government-backed standard on building remediation making people safe, or allowing developers to dodge responsibility for dangerous buildings? Long read for Inside Housing here: www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/insi...

Sick buildings - new builds, retrofits and the damp and mould crisis Many people would naturally associate damp and mould with older homes. But new homes and retrofits can also be seriously impacted.

A lot of people would naturally associate damp and mould with older, poorly maintained homes. But actually the way we build and retrofit can create these problems or make them worse:

peteapps.substack.com/p/sick-build...

“If you’ve never flooded, you don’t realise that the water is filthy” The average flood damage in the UK is 0.3m, barely up to the shins in terms of water, but that can still mean thousands of pounds in damage. Peter Apps reports on the growing issue of flood poverty

As climate change makes Britain's weather wetter and wilder, the number of people living in 'flood poverty' will rise.

Bit by me for The Developer:

thedeveloper.live/reportage/if...

Always a pleasure to provide Reassuringly Boring content, which we could actually all do with a dose of sometimes

(and also, generally, just love good high concept commissioned art for policy features, having been in so many design meetings of this sort down the years)

Could the UK’s low house price growth be a good thing? Agents are ‘gloomy’ about ‘downbeat’ figures from 2025. Projections for 2026 are ‘boring’. But there is some cause for optimism

Really enjoyed getting the chance to write this for The FT. House price growth is lower than it was 10 years ago - but properly considered, isn't this a sign of economic health?

www.ft.com/content/1d5d...

The damp and mould quick fix with dangerous consequences Positive input ventilation units are marketed as an easy solution to damp and mould. But if improperly installed, they can have dangerous health impacts.

Another extremely important story by @peteapps.bsky.social, this time about a positive ventilation system gone wrong because it was installed in a mouldy loft. An extremely shocking story, which put at risk a very young baby

www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/indo...

A nice thing this. The GP in this article who has written Gloria Don't Speak a "challenging but tender" book about a young woman with learning difficulties is... my sister! So pleased to see her amazing writing getting the recognition it deserves

observer.co.uk/culture/book...

The damp and mould quick fix with dangerous consequences Positive input ventilation units are marketed as an easy solution to damp and mould. But if improperly installed, they can have dangerous health impacts.

When it comes to damp and mould - beware quick fixes and remember, it is what is in the air that is truly dangerous.

This story about a family whose health was seriously harmed by an inappropriate fix should be a big warning:

www.insidehousing.co.uk/insight/indo...

£134k deposits and record homelessness: London's housing crisis in numbers Plus: who is Build to Rent actually for, and why James Cleverly is wrong about Grenfell

London - a city of record homelessness, £134k mortgage deposits and collapsing levels of social home building. Hard to see how you'd look at these numbers and think the strategy is "cut minimum affordable housing levels for new projects"

peteapps.substack.com/p/134k-depos...