Homes in Deprived Areas Costing Landlords £750 More Per Property

Housing associations operating in deprived neighbourhoods face increased costs of around £750 (19%) per property, analysis from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) shows.  The figure was published by the HCA in an analysis of factors driving unit costs in registered providers with stock of 1,000 homes or more.  The analysis is designed to help boards and executives demonstrate how they are meeting the new Value for Money standard, part of the new regulatory framework. The HCA believes driving out unnecessary unit costs should be part of a provider’s strategy to achieve this. Last year providers put operating costs per social housing unit at £3,440. However, the HCA says there is “considerable variance” around this figure with two-thirds of landlords reporting operating costs per unit ranging between £1,200 and £6,800.  Download a copy of the research report from the HCA website.