Hedyn: Newport City Homes and Melin Merger Explained

On 1 April 2025, Newport City Homes and Melin Homes formally merged to create Hedyn, a new combined housing association operating across South Wales. Newport City Homes had managed the former Newport council stock since the 2009 large-scale voluntary transfer; Melin Homes worked across Monmouthshire, Torfaen and the surrounding area. Together as Hedyn, they now form one of the larger housing associations in South Wales.

If you were a contract holder with either landlord, you are now a Hedyn contract holder. Your underlying rights have not changed, but the name on the letterhead, the phone number, and the complaints contact have.

Why "Hedyn"?

"Hedyn" is Welsh for "seed". The merged organisation chose the name to signal a fresh identity rather than absorbing one landlord into the other. From the contract holder's point of view, the practical question is simpler: who do you call when the boiler stops working, and where do you complain when the repair does not happen.

What does not change

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 governs your occupation contract. A merger between landlords does not break your contract or weaken your rights. Specifically:

• Your occupation contract continues, Hedyn steps into the previous landlord's role.
• Your rent and rent review terms continue under the existing contract.
• The fundamental term that the dwelling must be fit for human habitation continues to apply (Sections 91 to 98 of the Act, and the Welsh fitness regulations).
• The landlord's repairing obligation continues, structure, exterior, heating, hot water, sanitation, electrics, gas.
• The complaints route continues, an internal complaint first. If the landlord leaves disrepair unfixed, you may have a claim, call us free on 0800 030 4669.

What does change

• Branding and correspondence. Letters and emails now come from Hedyn. The old NCH and Melin domains are being redirected.
• Phone numbers and online portals are merging. Check the current Hedyn website before sending in writing.
• Repairs operations. Two separate contractors and call-handling teams are being integrated. Mergers nationally show a 6 to 12 month dip in repair turnaround during integration. If your job was reported under NCH or Melin before April 2025, keep the original report date, that is the clock that matters.
• Local staff. Housing officers may have new patches. Re-introduce your case history in writing if a new officer takes over.

A reminder: Newport Council no longer holds housing stock

The London Borough of Newham this is not. Newport City Council transferred its council housing stock to Newport City Homes in 2009. The council is not a registered provider in its own right. If you are renting what was once a "council house" in Newport, your landlord is Hedyn (formerly Newport City Homes), not the council. Complaints about disrepair go to Hedyn, not to Newport City Council. See our Newport Council overview for context.

What your repair rights look like under Welsh law

Under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, your contract holder rights include:

• A fitness for human habitation fundamental term across the whole occupation
• The standard repairing obligation for structure, exterior, heating, hot water, sanitation, gas, electricity
• A specific list of 23 hazards in the Welsh fitness regulations, damp and mould, excess cold, electrical hazards, fire, falls, and more
• A duty on the landlord to act without unreasonable delay once they are on notice of a defect

See contract holder rights in Wales for the full picture.

What to do if Hedyn is not fixing your home

1. Report it in writing. Use the current Hedyn portal or email, phone calls alone are not enough.
2. Quote the original report date if the job pre-dates the April 2025 merger.
3. Use the formal complaints procedure, stage 1, then stage 2 if unresolved.
4. Get advice on a claim if the landlord leaves disrepair unfixed. A disrepair claim is the route to full compensation, call us free on 0800 030 4669.
5. Document everything. Photos, dates, doctor's letters where there is a health impact, copies of every report and response.
6. Get tailored advice before launching a disrepair claim, the law in Wales is different from England.

Compensation

Welsh disrepair compensation follows similar principles to England, a percentage of rent paid for the affected period plus general damages and the cost of replacing damaged belongings. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act adds specific remedies where the fitness term has been breached. Awards in straightforward cases generally fall between £3,000 and £15,000, with more where there is documented health impact.

Get help

If you are a Hedyn contract holder dealing with damp, mould, leaks, broken heating, or unresolved repairs, call Support for Tenants on 0800 030 4669 for a free assessment. We are a regulated company, not a law firm, we work with solicitors who handle Welsh housing disrepair on a no-win-no-fee basis.

Support For Tenants is a trading name of Cyntex Group Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Claims Management Company. FRN 1020217. Registered in England and Wales.