Anne Marie, The Housing Inspector, has worked in housing, property management and residential services for more than two decades, combining practical experience with a strong understanding of people, property and the complex situations that can arise between them.

Housing is about people as much as property.

Anne Marie has worked in housing, property management and residential services for more than two decades.

Her career began in operational management within the insurance sector, where she developed a strong grounding in leadership, customer service, problem-solving and relationship management.

In the early 2000s, she went on to co-found Digital Inventory, recognising how important clear, accurate property evidence was in preventing disagreement between landlords and tenants.

That experience shaped much of the approach she still uses today.

Good housing management is not simply about forms, inspections or repairs.

It is about understanding what has happened, communicating clearly and making sure somebody takes responsibility for what needs to happen next.

From Property Reporting to The Housing Inspector

Over the years, Anne Marie’s work expanded far beyond inventories and property condition reporting.

She increasingly became involved in:

tenancy management;

landlord and tenant communication;

property inspections;

disrepair;

failed repairs and contractor problems;

compliance concerns;

complex tenancy matters;

leasehold and block-management issues;

complaints and dispute resolution; and

cases where several different organisations or professionals needed to work together.

That wider role ultimately developed into The Housing Inspector.

Today, Anne Marie works with landlords, tenants, leaseholders, agents and housing professionals to understand housing problems properly and find practical ways forward.

Sometimes that means inspecting a property.

Sometimes it means reviewing years of correspondence.

Sometimes it means getting a landlord, tenant, agent, contractor or freeholder talking to one another again.

And sometimes it means recognising that something has gone wrong and saying so clearly.

Experience Before Assumption

Anne Marie’s approach is deliberately evidence-led.

She does not begin a case by deciding that the landlord is wrong or that the tenant is wrong.

She begins with:

What has happened?

What does the evidence show?

What needs to happen next?

That independence is particularly important in difficult housing cases, where relationships may already have broken down and different parties may have very different accounts of the same events.

Her role requires a combination of practical housing knowledge, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, tact and diplomacy.

Those skills are as important in resolving a housing problem as knowing which repair needs to be carried out.

Early Intervention

A recurring theme throughout Anne Marie’s work is that problems are usually easier to resolve before they become disputes.

A missed repair can become disrepair.

Poor communication can become mistrust.

A contractor mistake can become a significant financial loss.

A tenancy concern left unmanaged can become a much more difficult housing problem.

The Housing Inspector therefore focuses strongly on early intervention, clear evidence and practical follow-through.

See the problem. Understand it. Deal with it.

Professional Knowledge & Qualifications

Anne Marie combines extensive practical housing experience with continued professional and legal study.

Her professional background includes:

Chartered Institute of Housing membership

Professional housing knowledge and continued engagement with good housing-management practice.

Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators — ACIArb

Reflecting her interest and experience in dispute resolution, evidence and finding workable outcomes.

Legal studies

Anne Marie has completed 180 credits towards an LLB Law degree, strengthening her understanding of legal reasoning and the framework surrounding housing, contracts and disputes.

Her legal knowledge supports her housing work, but The Housing Inspector does not act as a solicitor or provide reserved legal services.

Where formal legal advice is required, Anne Marie is comfortable working alongside solicitors and other regulated professionals.

Anne Marie – Working With People

Housing problems can be extremely personal.

A landlord may be worried about a property they have invested in.

A tenant may be living with a problem every day.

A leaseholder may be unable to get action from a managing agent.

An agent may be trying to coordinate several parties with conflicting information.

Anne Marie is comfortable working in those situations.

She listens carefully, communicates directly and tries to make complicated situations understandable.

There is room for empathy without losing sight of responsibility.

There is room for fairness without avoiding difficult conversations.

And there is usually much more value in finding a solution than simply deciding who won the argument.

Rethink Housing

Anne Marie’s approach ultimately became the philosophy behind Rethink Housing.

It is based on a simple idea:

Look at the whole situation.

Listen properly.

Establish the facts.

Challenge poor practice where necessary.

Recognise good practice where it exists.

Take practical action before a manageable problem becomes something much bigger.

That is how Anne Marie has approached housing for more than twenty years.

And it remains the principle behind The Housing Inspector today.

Need Help With a Housing Problem?

You do not need to know exactly which service you require.

Tell Anne Marie what is happening.

She will look at the circumstances and help identify the most appropriate next step.