Sector Watchdog Changes Name To 'Regulator Of Social Housing'

The regulation arm of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has relaunched as the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). It follows the Homes and Communities Agency’s investment functions being rebranded and relaunched as Homes England. In a letter to housing providers, Fiona MacGregor, executive director of regulation at the RSH, said a previous review of the HCA “concluded that the HCA’s function as the regulator of social housing should be separated from its investment functions, and established as a standalone body to reaffirm the government’s commitment to a strong, independent regulator with credibility within the sector”. Read the letter on the HCA website.

MacGregor Appointed As HCA Head Of Regulation

Fiona MacGregor has been appointed executive director of regulation at the Homes and Communities Agency on a permanent basis. Ms MacGregor has been filling the role on an interim basis, since her predecessor Matthew Bailes left to become chief executive of Paradigm in August. She was formerly executive director for programmes at the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) – overseeing investment schemes such as the Affordable Homes Programme. Ms MacGregor has worked at the HCA since its formation in 2008 – and was previously deputy director of investment at the Housing Corporation, and head of development at large London-landlord L&Q. Read more on Inside Housing.

Government Responds To Social Housing Regulation Concerns

The CLG Committee has published the government’s response to its September 2013 Report, The work of the Regulation Committee of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). In its report, the Committee raised concerns that the regulator’s practice of using governance ratings to signal concerns about financial viability lacked openness, and was confusing and misleading. It recommended that this practice should cease and the regulator publish accurate financial viability ratings. The government welcomed the regulator’s introduction of a ‘watch list’ on its website giving an earlier signal that a provider’s grading is at risk of being downgraded. Download the report and the Government’s response from the Parliament website.

TPAS Voices Consumer Concerns

A tenant advisory body has said it remains ‘deeply concerned’ about the HCA’s approach to consumer regulation, claiming it is not doing enough. The HCA last month published a review of consumer regulation, including examples of real incidents that have failed to meet its statutory ‘serious detriment’ threshold for intervention on tenant complaints. But a Tenant Participation Advisory Service spokesperson said the HCA can do more to promote the status of consumer standards, while ‘remaining in its current remit’. Read more on the Inside Housing website.

HCA Sets Out Its New Approach to Consumer Regulation

The HCA has published its Consumer Regulation Review 2012/13, which sets out its experience of the new consumer regulation regime for social housing, which came into effect in April 2012. The HCA still sets consumer standards covering a range of issues including the quality of accommodation, tenant empowerment and tenancy arrangements. Landlords are expected to meet these standards, but under the new system the Regulator does not have powers to monitor compliance. It does have intervention powers but, it can only use them following breach of a standard and when that breach has caused, or could cause, serious detriment to tenants. The report sets out the Regulator’s approach and considers case studies and lessons learned. Download a copy from the HCA website.

HCA Releases Delivery Plan for Next Two Years

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has promised “robust economic regulation” of social landlords as part of its plan for the next two years. As well as its responsibilities as regulator, the HCA has set out key priorities in the delivery of new affordable homes, the release of public land for development, and support for economic growth through its various programmes.  The HCA’s Corporate Plan 2013-15 details delivery targets and how the agency will use its “commercial expertise, land assets and track record of delivering investment in affordable housing” to help it make a major contribution to the Government’s Housing Strategy, with its target to deliver up to 170,000 new affordable homes across England by 2015.  For 2012/13 the HCA said it is aiming to deliver 26,500 new homes with over 21,000 of those being affordable. Read more on the HCA website.

New Regulator Takes ‘Holistic’ Approach

The new social housing regulator has unveiled its approach to regulation.  The Homes and Communities Agency has published its Regulating the standards document, which provides detail on how it will operate. The regulator says it will work to understand landlords’ business models from a wide evidence base to identify those likely to fail, rather than focusing on governance and viability separately.  It will still publish separate verdicts on governance and viability in its regulatory judgements, but the regulator will now ask eight questions relating to topics including individual landlords’ strategies, financial plans and leadership. Download the document form the HCA website.

HCA Promises Transparency

The new social housing regulator has pledged to be transparent, despite not holding meetings in public.  A Homes and Communities Agency regulatory committee took over economic regulation of housing providers, monitoring governance and viability, following the abolition of the Tenant Services Authority on 1 April.  Unlike TSA board meetings, which were held partially in public, the HCA committee’s monthly meetings will not be open to the public or the press. Julian Ashby, chair of the committee, said most discussions will be commercially sensitive - covering matters previously discussed in the closed part of TSA board meetings.  Mr Ashby said: ‘We are committed to transparency and will improve openness in other ways, such as publishing redacted minutes.’  Read more on Inside Housing.