RSH publishes questions for coronavirus risks survey

Fiona MacGregor, chief executive of the RSH, said: “We want to help providers maintain tenant safety by identifying emerging operational risks across the sector and providing regulatory support where it’s most needed.

“That’s why we’re surveying providers across the sector to give us up-to-date information about the areas worrying them the most.

“We need providers to be honest with us about the risks they’re facing in these areas as they make difficult choices and trade-offs so that we can help them and others across the sector. This is neither box-ticking, nor an exercise to identify non-compliance.”

The RSH said it will use the survey results to help spot risks and where the sector or individual landlords need support.

All stock-retaining councils and housing associations with more than 1,000 homes will be told to complete the survey, as well as a handful of smaller associations selected by the RSH.

The questions have been published on the regulator’s data collection portal, NROSH+, which will host the survey along with guidance.

Landlords will have a week to complete the survey after it opens for responses on 17 April, with the RSH planning to repeat the process on a monthly basis during the coronavirus crisis.

Those struggling to ensure tenant safety or financial viability in the face of the pandemic are being urged to contact the RSH as soon as possible rather than wait for the survey.

The RSH has also suspended its programme of in-depth assessments and postponed deadlines for data submissions in response to the outbreak.