You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
One in 10 associations believe regulator could do more to tackle breaches
One in 10 social landlords regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) believe the body could be tougher on those that breach standards.
In its second annual survey of stakeholders, the RSH asked a new question over whether it takes “appropriate action” where consumers standards have been breached or tenants have been at “significant risk of detriment”.
Of the organisations that completed the question, 10% of respondents disagreed that the regulator took appropriate action, while 2% strongly disagreed.
Of the larger housing associations, 6% either disagreed or strongly disagreed, while 12% of small associations disagreed.
Overall 28% of respondents referred to as ‘other stakeholders’ – including tenant groups – said they disagreed the regulator was doing enough.
Of those, 20% said they disagreed the regulator was taking the necessary action, while 8% said they strongly disagreed enough was being done.
READ MORE
The survey, which had 376 complete responses, also revealed that most organisations appear unaffected by the RSH launching as a standalone body last year. The body was spun off from the Homes and Communities Agency, after a review in 2016 called for an independent regulator of social housing.
Nearly half of the respondents said they were neutral on whether the change had a positive or negative impact on effective regulation. Around three in 10 said it was positive, while 21% said the change had no effect.
Elsewhere, the survey showed a lack of familiarity with the RSH’s in-depth assessment model, which checks whether associations are complying with economic standards. Only half said they were familiar with the model, with that number dropping to less than a third among small registered providers.
The RSH said it had told its staff the results and will reflect on them in its “work planning and development plans”.
Of the 323 registered providers that completed the survey, 304 were housing associations, nine were ALMOs and 10 referred to themselves as for-profit providers.
The body publishes regulatory judgements for all providers owning 1,000 or more social housing homes.
