New Social Housing Regulation Standards Announced

The Tenant Services Authority has announced the new regulatory standards that will apply from 1 April 2012.  From next month, the TSA will be abolished through the Localism Act with its regulatory functions absorbed by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).   The new regulatory framework for registered providers reflects the future distinction between the regulator’s economic and consumer regulation roles.  The HCA's Social Housing Regulator will shy away from consumer regulation and only intervene in a service delivery matter "if there is evidence of actual or potential serious detriment to tenants".  It will now be for registered providers working with their tenant panels and with councillors and MPs to deal with "less serious breaches" of the consumer standards.  On economic regulation, the regulator’s top priority will still be to ensure that private providers are financially viable for the long term and that their Boards are providing effective direction and oversight to their organisations. The framework also includes a new Value for Money standard as one of the economic regulation standards. Download a copy of the new standards from the TSA website.

Revised TSA Standard Enables Tenancy Reforms

The Tenant Services Authority has published its revised tenancy standard which enables housing associations to introduce fixed-term tenancies and charge higher rents. The regulator has been consulting on changes to the standard which will give landlords the power to scrap lifetime tenancies and start raising money for new development under the affordable rent regime. The new standard says social landlords must offer ‘the most secure form of tenure compatible with the purpose of the housing and the sustainability of the community’. It says they must make it clear to tenants how they are meeting their statutory obligations in an annual report published each year. Find full details on the TSA website.