Closed Circuit: Con Airbnb

All the Twitter stars of the #ukhousing world were having a good laugh last Friday with a fun new game: #ifhousingmadefilms, a hashtag launched by CIH Futures – a group of younger housing professionals who seek to help attract and retain young talent in the sector.

The concept was pretty simple – turn a film title into a pun related to something housing-y and watch as the rest of social media pitches in with the likes and retweets or totally ignores you if it’s a bit less funny.

So after a day of the finest punning the sector could manage, Closed Circuit rounds up the best and the worst efforts.

We were impressed by some zingers – Saving Private Rented Sector, La La Land Banking, Con Airbnb and Friends With Housing Benefits, which deservedly mopped up the RTs.

The overall winner though (as far as we could tell) was Steve Ellard, leader of innovation at Yorkshire Coast Homes, with a whopping 125 likes for his effort: Harry Squatter and the Philosopher’s Home.

Harry Squatter and the Philosophers Home #ifhousingmadefilms

— Steve Ellard (@saellard)

Harry Squatter and the Philosophers Home #ifhousingmadefilms

— Steve Ellard (@saellard) October 12, 2017

In the less successful pile was Nick Horne, chief executive of Knightstone, who amassed a total of just one like for his three efforts (The Eiger Benefits Sanction, My Welfare Lady and Touching the Void).

We also disqualified Aileen Evans who picked Another Brick in the Wall which may have worked if the hashtag was #ifhousingmadesongs (the Pink Floyd film starring Bob Geldof is of course titled The Wall).

But the golden raspberry goes to Andrew Connell who went for: “9 1/2 Weeks Is More Than Enough For A Mandatory Possession Order On Ground 8 #ifhousingmadefilms”.

Anyway, all involved had fun which appeared to be the point.

Closed Circuit always finds an afternoon spent messing around on Twitter much more gratifying than actual work.