Category: The Dot Dot Dot story

5 September 2023 | The Dot Dot Dot story

Three questions would-be social entrepreneurs should ask

Looking to establish your own social enterprise? Here are Dot Dot Dot founder, Katharine Hibbert’s, top three questions to ask yourself to ensure you’re on the right path to sustainability in the long-term – while enjoying the ride along the way.

Housing sector trends and predictions – what to expect in the latter half of 2023

Having emerged from the COVID pandemic as well as a politically charged and economically challenging 2022, the focus for those in the housing sector during the first quarter of 2023 has been on change and innovation. With a push from the government to ensure housing safety; increases in building materials; regulatory changes and an ever-growing need to create social value, property owners need to look for ways to save time, money and energy. In this article, we take an in-depth look at the housing trends and issues that will define the latter half of 2023.

How addressing the housing crisis helps everyone – not just renters

Dot Dot Dot Founder, Katharine Hibbert, examines how her motivations behind launching Dot Dot Dot in 2011 shape up 12 years on in a country still plagued by housing shortages and soaring costs. After over a decade of housing thousands at less than 66% of local market rents, Katharine argues that Dot Dot Dot’s work can only ever be part of the solution on the way to a much needed strategy to build the right homes, in the right places at prices local residents can afford.

14 December 2022 | The Dot Dot Dot story

Reflections on five months as Dot Dot Dot’s Chief Executive

This month we have welcomed our Chief Executive, Mark Ackroyd, back from five months of parental leave.  In his absence, I covered his role alongside my usual responsibilities as Dot Dot Dot’s Executive Chair, bringing me closer to the nitty-gritty of our work. Here are my reflections on five months in the driving seat.

Dot Dot Dot and LB Brent turn empty flats into inexpensive homes in South Kilburn

Ines, Dot Dot Dot property guardian in Queen's Park

Empty flats in a housing estate scheduled for demolition as part of a major regeneration programme are now inexpensive homes for people who volunteer, thanks to a new partnership between Dot Dot Dot and the London Borough of Brent.

How we work with housing associations

Our work with housing associations began back in 2011, when Andrea Baker, Poplar HARCA’s Director of Housing and Corporate Services, met Dot Dot Dot founder Katharine Hibbert. Since then, we have partnered with over 20 housing associations across England, most often in regeneration contexts, to secure empty buildings with property guardians, and we still work with Poplar HARCA today. 

Helping clients weather a perfect storm

With rising costs and reduced resources, it can be hard for property owners to invest any time in considering the best option for their empty buildings. Yet just a little bit of work up front will reap great financial and social benefits once properties are under our management, explains Dot Dot Dot CEO, Mark Ackroyd.

In conversation with Mark Ackroyd, our new CEO

As we get into the swing of a new year, we catch up with Mark Ackroyd, new Chief Executive at Dot Dot Dot, about his love of the nitty gritty, how the landscape has shifted in the past five years and his aims for 2022.

On the Dot Dot Dot bookshelf: 10 things to read to understand the business we are today

At Dot Dot Dot we make no apologies for being geeks. We think hard about housing, about social impact, and about how to be a successful business which makes a useful contribution to both spheres.  Much of that thinking has come from our hands-on experience of housing almost 2,000 property guardians, but just as important is what we’ve learned from books. Discover founder Katharine’s top 10 books that have shaped the business we are today.

Then and now: 10 years of property guardianship

Dot Dot Dot founder Katharine Hibbert looks back at the industry she walked into in 2011 and how it’s developed over a decade.

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