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Scottish social landlords highlight own areas of non-compliance in annual assurance statements
The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has published this year’s annual assurance statements, in which social landlords set out any areas where they do not comply with regulatory standards.
Many landlords claimed in their annual statements they met all regulatory standards, but several set out issues in relation to the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses, for example.
Some councils, including East Lothian, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire, said the COVID-19 crisis had temporarily affected their ability to comply with gas safety requirements as they could not access tenants’ homes during the early stages of lockdown.
Both East Lothian and East Renfrewshire confirmed they now comply fully with gas safety requirements.
Renfrewshire said delays caused by COVID-19 to planned capital improvement works will also affect the council’s ability to meet the government’s Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing in December, as well as the new fire and smoke alarm standards by February next year.
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Several councils also laid out areas where they did not comply with homelessness regulations.
Dundee City Council told the regulator it breached the Unsuitable Accommodation Order (UAO), which forbids councils from placing families in hotels and B&Bs for more than one week, three times in 2019/20.
Midlothian Council said it had breached the UAO five times, with four families placed in unsuitable accommodation for more than one week.
The government will expand the UAO in January to include all homeless households.
Glasgow City Council, whose homelessness service was recently subject to an investigation by the SHR, said the use of B&Bs during the COVID-19 crisis enabled it to “significantly improve” its “response regarding the provision of emergency accommodation” for homeless people, compared to the previous year.
The council made 6,012 offers of temporary accommodation between 23 March and 9 September. However, it still failed in its statutory duty by not offering temporary accommodation to homeless households on 44 occasions.
Several councils, including Aberdeen City Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council, also told the regulator that they had issues complying with minimum site standards for Gypsies and Travellers.
This is the second year that social landlords in Scotland have been asked to complete annual assurance statements.
In recognition of the impact of COVID-19 on landlords, the SHR updated its guidance to help landlords complete this year’s statements and extended the deadline for their submission.
Michael Cameron, chief executive of the SHR, said: “We recognise the efforts landlords have made to prepare and submit their statements during the pandemic.
“We hope the process has helped them to identify the extent to which COVID-19 has impacted on their ability to deliver services and comply with requirements, and that this supports their recovery planning.
“We will assess the statements as part of our annual risk assessment and start publishing engagement plans for each landlord from the end of March 2021.
“This will include a regulatory status for RSLs. In doing so we will take account of any non-compliance which is due to the pandemic.”
