Meet Mel

I am absolutely passionate about social housing and delivering a holistic approach to management of social housing stock to make providers the landlords their tenants want them to be.

I had undertaken and completed my Law Degree whilst working full time in the Housing Department of the Local Authority in my area and expected that when I left to do the Bar Vocational Course, I would not return.

However, it became very clear to me that although being a Barrister helped me be the voice for justice for individuals and organisations, it was too far removed from the day to day issues faced in all aspects of social housing.  I therefore decided to remain in frontline housing services, sharing my passion as well as my legal training to provide effective housing solutions within the sector.

I have done this for over 20 years now in a number of different ways.  I am and have been for nearly 15 years the Homeless Review Officer for City of York Council.  For 10 of those years, I have also been contracted out by them to several of the other North Yorkshire Local Authorities to undertake their reviews too, using the fees for doing this to top up the Council's Homeless Prevention Fund.

For 20 years, I've provided consultative services to several social housing providers including London Boroughs, Local Authorities and Registered Providers around all aspects of social housing management, including homelessness, tenancy management and enforcement, anti-social behaviour, disrepair, asset management and responsive repairs as well as leaseholder management.

I've also provided training, for over 15 years, on all aspects of social housing law.  I deliver courses both nationally and in house.  With my background, my training shows officers their statutory and legal obligations in a way they can apply to their day to day roles and I find is very well received.  I find that officers know that there are laws and rules that they must follow but are, obviously, more interested in learning how those rules shape the services they deliver.

Pre-Covid I delivered face to face training which I absolutely love and miss terribly.  Many of these courses, were on behalf of HQN Limited with whom I have been an associate since 2000.  When I first started working with them much of the work was consultative and I was one of the team of consultants who reviewed the first Homelessness Reviews and Strategies for the then ODPM.  I was also one of their mock inspectors for a time assessing homelessness and allocations services.

I am also very privileged to be a Housing Adviser for the Local Government Association and have assisted several local authorities over recent years for them.

I am also a member of Middle Temple, the Chartered Institute of Housing and the Social Housing Law Association.

Mel Cant LLB (Hons) CIHM