CIH Brighton: uptick in referrals around ‘basic health and safety compliance’, RSH says

Mr Perry said: “Just because we haven’t looked for a long time doesn’t mean there hasn’t been regulatory requirements in place, and one of the things that we’re learning is just how patchy performance against the existing regulatory standards is. 

“What you see when you look at some of the things that have been referred to us, [it] indicates that some organisations just don’t have a grip on some basics.”

Mr Perry said he thinks more things will come out of the woodwork gradually.

“There will be some uncomfortable judgements that we’ll have to put out. There will be some difficult conversations that we’ll have to have. There will be some instances where we’ll have to intervene and make use of some of the new powers we have,” he said, adding that he hopes they will be “minimal”.

He said: “We don’t hesitate to intervene where we need to, but I hope constructively, collaboratively over the next few years we can drive improvement for tenants.

“We can deliver more and better homes, and we can come out of what has been quite a difficult period in a much better place.”

Earlier, Mr Perry said when it comes to consumer standards, the RSH is “very consciously” moving away from talking about “compliance” and towards delivering outcomes. 

Panellist Stephen Blundell, director of operations at Leeds Federated Housing Association, said: “[The] biggest single risk with the consumer standards regime is that we look at it as primarily a kind of compliance framework.” 

Leeds Federated took part in one of the regulator’s inspection pilots. 

“We do need to comply with the consumer standards. However, if we are too focused on that, we will without really thinking about it, turn the regulator into our primary customer, and that is absolutely not what’s intended here,” Mr Blundell said.  

On the inspections, he said: “Overall, and overwhelming, it was a process of deep engagement and inquiry. It was a test as to whether we as an organisation truly understood our strengths and weaknesses, our opportunities to improve, whether we have sensible, rational, demonstrable bases for setting the priorities that we had.”

In response, Mr Perry explained that the English regulator is not going to come and check hundreds of homes to see whether they have damp, ill-fitted windows, or holes in the roof. 

“Us pointing that out does not add a great deal to the sum of human knowledge. It certainly doesn’t improve anything for the customers and tenants who call those places home,” he said. 

He added: “You should know that stuff, you should have a grip on your homes. You should have a grip on your performance. You should know where the problem areas are in your organisation. 

“You should know where you’re doing well as well. What we’re looking for is how you can explain that to us. How you assure yourself internally about your performance. How you challenge yourselves, how your internal controls work, how you know that you’re delivering those outcomes.”

The RSH warned last month that there “will be consequences” for social landlords that fail new regulatory standards.