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Government ‘must decide how proactive regulator should be’ on consumer standards
The government must decide how “proactive” it wants the Regulator of Social Housing to be in policing consumer standards, as it consults on expanding its remit following the Social Housing Green Paper.
This week’s major policy document proposed a series of changes to consumer regulation, aimed at giving the regulator an “Ofsted-style” role with “sharper teeth” on tenant affairs.
This could involve the removal of the ‘serious detriment’ test, introduced in 2010, which sets a high bar on the regulator’s power to intervene in complaints over services to tenants.
Sector sources close to the development of the document said ministers had been concerned that introducing too strong a focus on consumer standards could distract associations from new housing supply.
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The government is also understood to be keen not to unsettle lenders and investors, who place a strong emphasis on the existing regulatory system in providing the confidence necessary to bankroll the sector.
It is understood that this concern has been balanced against pressure to appease tenant groups, particularly Grenfell survivors, who want tougher regulation of the sector.
Jonathan Walters, deputy director of strategy and performance at the Regulator of Social Housing, said: “The question for government is how proactive they want us to be. We can define KPIs [key performance indicators], collect information and publish it, but do we then follow that up with regulatory engagement, judgements and enforcement?
“The question to be decided now, in conversation with the government, the sector and other stakeholders is how proactive they want us to be – is it a case of going back to a Tenant Services Authority [a consumer regulator scrapped in 2012] style model, or should it be something slightly different?”
He added that the funding of the regulator was “definitely a conversation to be had with the sector and with government” should its role expand.
“We have a certain budget which funds the economic regulation we do, and if our role expands we need to consider whether the budget to fund it needs to expand as well,” he said.
A government spokesperson said: “The green paper sets out a new deal for social housing residents that will improve fairness, quality and safety, as well as help them to get a step onto the housing ladder. There is clear government agreement on this, which will strengthen the voices of tenants and drive up standards in the sector.”
Geeta Nanda, chief executive of Metropolitan, said: “If you look back, the consumer standards were watered down a lot by the regulator before. We’ve had a regulator that’s been involved in both before, so there shouldn’t be any conflict.
“We have two purposes: to engage with customers and keep them safe, and to build new homes. If you are going to do both of those things, you should not shy away from anything that ensures you do them both properly.”
Social Housing Green Paper: full coverage
All our Social Housing Green Paper coverage in one place:
Green paper measures are not enough to create May’s ‘new generation’ of council homes Green paper proposals are welcome but much more is needed to support councils to build, writes John Bibby
Green paper shows ministers now see associations as trusted partners Focusing on the failure of the green paper to address supply misses the point, writes Boris Worrall
Government should focus on building on what is already strong Philippa Jones considers the Social Housing Green Paper through a slightly different lens
We need more than a week of delayed announcements bundled together Jules Birch reflects on the government’s ‘Housing Week’ announcements
The regulator should monitor how associations assist homeless people Government announcements this week are positive, but any enhanced role for the English regulator should include looking at homelessness prevention work, argues David Bogle
The regulator’s role should be limited to dealing with systemic failures Julian Ashby suggests the Housing Ombudsman Service should deal with all complaints
The green paper shows ministers are in listening mode Despite some glaring omissions, the government appears to be in listening mode and it is important the sector takes advantage, argues Emma Maier
A short history of social housing league tables Attempts to create league tables for housing associations are nothing new. Mervyn Jones looks at how they have worked in the past
League tables could prove blunt and counter-productive, sector warns Housing figures criticise government proposals to measure social landlords against performance indicators
Government ‘must decide how proactive regulator should be’ on consumer standards Ministers now face a dilemma over the regulator’s focus, sector figures say
The Green Paper: a golden opportunity missed? Melanie Rees assesses the Social Housing Green Paper against recommendations drawn up by the Chartered Institute of Housing and finds the government comes up short
Longer strategic partnerships and guranteed debt to boost social housebuilding The Social Housing Green Paper outlines key ways of boosting supply
The green paper is remarkable progress but it is still not enough The green paper suggests the government appears to be re-writing much of its policy since 2010, but more needs to be done, writes Jules Birch
Green paper marks a ‘milestone’ on resident involvement The government’s recognition residents need clear information is to be welcomed, now it up to the sector to embrace tenant involvement, writes Paul Hackett
Ministers consider stock transfer programme to community-led associations The stock transfer programme could be revived under proposals in the housing green paper
Access to housing grant could be tied to new league tables Grant could be awarded according to how well landlords meet performance indicators, the paper suggests
Ofsted-style regulation of tenant services proposed The government is considering expanding the Regulator for Social Housing’s remit to intervene over tenant services and give it a more “proactive approach to enforcement”
Government proposes dropping one-for-one Right to Buy replacement commitment A consultation paper published alongside the green paper proposes a broader measurement to replace the one-for-one pledge
A list of recent housing policy U-turns The green paper confirms yet more housing policy U-turns from the government, which has spent the past two years dropping policy ideas developed under the David Cameron government. Here is a rundown of the major changes in policy direction
Sector welcomes green paper but calls for more ‘ambitious investment’ Reaction to the proposals, from the National Housing Federation, Chartered Institute of Housing and more
Morning Briefing: reaction to green paper announcements how the media reported the proposals trailed by the government overnight
Government drops plans to force councils to sell higher-value stock The government drops plans to force councils to sell higher value homes
League tables and ‘sharper teeth’ for regulator in social housing green paper Ministers reveal some of the things in the paper ahead of its publication
Grenfell survivors: green paper does not go far enough survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have said the measures published in the Social Housing Green Paper do not do enough to rectify issues in the social housing sector
KEY PROPOSALS IN THE SOCIAL HOUSING GREEN PAPER
- New 'league tables' of housing providers based on key performance indicators, surrounding services such as repairs and neighbourhood management. This could be linked to housing grant.
- Consideration to scrapping of the current 'serious detriment' test, to allow 'Ofsted-style' tougher consumer regulation
- New home ownership options such as allowing tenants to buy as little as 1% of their property each year through shared ownership. This would only apply to new shared ownership purchases.
- Ditching of plans to force social landlords to offer fixed term tenancies rather than lifetime tenancies in social housing
- Ditching of plans to force councils to sell off their most valuable social housing when it becomes vacant
- The potential introduction a new stock transfer programme from councils to 'community-led' housing associations
- The return of guaranteed debt funding to help the development of affordable homes, and longer term 'strategic partnerships' for developing housing associations
