Housing Association Shared Ownership Sales Rise Almost 10% In 2020

Housing association (HA) shared ownership sales saw a near-10 per cent rise across England during 2019-20, with a significant increase seen in sales in outer London. A total of 12,396 first tranche shared ownership units were sold over the period in England – an increase of 1,090 sales. The data is based on the Regulator of Social Housing’s statistical data return (SDR) for 2020. It showed that the bulk of shared ownership sales took place outside the capital (80 per cent), with London accounting for 19 per cent of sales. Read more on the Social Housing website.

https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/insight/special-report-housing-association-shared-ownership-sales-rise-almost-10-in-2020-72787?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60 

Regulator of Social Housing: Powers – Parliamentary Written Answer

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the Regulator of Social Housing’s investigatory powers.

Christopher Pincher: The most important step we will take will be to work with the Regulator of Social Housing to create a strong, proactive consumer regulatory regime, strengthening the formal standards against which landlords are regulated, requiring them to be transparent about their performance so they can be held to account, to put things right when they go wrong and to listen to tenants through effective engagement. The Regulator of Social Housing will be given stronger powers to proactively monitor and drive compliance with consumer standards, as well as regular inspection of the largest landlords and new tenant satisfaction measures to help assess landlord performance on issues like repairs and complaints handling. We are committed to implementing the reforms laid out in our Charter for Social Housing Residents, and will look to legislate as soon as practicable.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2021-09-03/42055 

ITV Exposes Weaknesses Of Housing Regulation – Again

This excellent HQN opinion piece by Roger Jarman, former Head of Housing, Audit Commission, neatly summarises the events of the last 13 or 14 years which has brought us to the point where the Regulator of Social Housing isn’t allowed to even speak to service users (or tenants as we know them). Roger relates how the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) came into being following the Cave Review in 2007, how it was scrapped by a Coalition Government which wanted little or no regulation, how – at the assistance of housing associations’ money lenders - this lead to a regulator more concerned with governance and financial viability than consumer standards. Then came the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the failure of this regulatory system was clear for all to see.

https://hqnetwork.co.uk/news/opinion-itv-exposes-weaknesses-of-housing-regulation-again-5553 

Clarion Cleared By RSH Following ITV Investigation

 Clarion, which owns and manages around 125,000 homes across the country, referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after the report aired in June. ITV News and My London spoke to unhappy residents at Clarion’s Eastfields Estate in Merton, south London, with images showing vermin infestations and widespread disrepair. In many cases, residents had to wait long periods for issues to be rectified by the landlord. In an unusual statement, the RSH said: “While there were clearly individual repairs issues which required resolution, our investigation did not find evidence of systemic or organisational failure which indicates a breach of the consumer standards.” Its conclusion means Clarion will retain its G1/V1 regulatory grading, the highest possible. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/clarion-cleared-by-rsh-following-itv-investigation-72111?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Clarion Under Investigation By Regulator Again Following ITV Revelations

Clarion Housing Group, which manages a stock of around 125,000 homes, was the subject of an ITV News expose last month, which revealed squalid conditions at its Eastfields Estate. The landlord apologised to residents on the 500-home estate over the issues and said the service provided “had not been to the standard that the association would have liked”. During a debate in the House of Commons, minister Luke Hall said the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is now “considering information received from Clarion Housing Association about the Eastfields Estate”. “It will form a view on whether there is evidence of systemic failure that would indicate a breach of regulatory standards,” he added. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/clarion-under-investigation-by-regulator-again-following-itv-revelations-71416 

RSH Announces Tenant Satisfaction Measures Sounding Board

The Government’s Social Housing White Paper asks the RSH to deliver a new consumer regulation function to help reset the relationship between landlords and tenants. One of the changes will be to implement a set of tenant satisfaction measures that will help tenants and the RSH hold providers to account and inform regulation. To allow enough time for implementation, the RSH is to consult on a proposed set of tenant satisfaction measures in winter 2021-22, ahead of discussions and consultations on the standards and operating model. To help with this, a sounding board has been crated with representatives from across the sector. Members of the tenant satisfaction measures sounding board include representatives from the organisations including;

·         ARCH

·         Chartered Institute of Housing

·         Councils with ALMOs

·         National Federation of ALMOs

·         National Housing Federation

·         TAROE

·         Tpas

Read more on the Gov UK website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rsh-announces-tenant-satisfaction-measures-sounding-board 

Croydon Council Becomes Second Landlord To Breach Tenant Standard

Croydon Council has been found to be in breach of two of the English regulator’s key standards after an investigation by ITV News exposed terrible conditions for tenants living in some of its homes.  A regulatory notice published by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) found the council had breached the Home Standard and the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard after it found that some of the homes the local authority managed were “uninhabitable and unsafe” and that some tenants were at “risk of serious harm” as a result of the conditions. Read the judgement online.

Regulatory judgement: London Borough of Croydon - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Success Of In-Depth Assessments ‘Dependent On Honesty’

 The success of in-depth assessments (IDAs) carried out by the English regulator are reliant on organisations being honest and transparent, a review has found. An evaluation of IDAs by IFF Research and commissioned by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) found that some registered providers (RPs) feel the process could be strengthened. IFF said: “It was felt the effectiveness of IDAs is often primarily contingent on the RP being willingly open, honest and interested in the process. “Some felt the IDA process was not in depth enough to identify weaknesses if the organisation chose to hide them.” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/success-of-in-depth-assessments-dependent-on-honesty-review-into-rsh-finds-70332?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Tenant-Led Housing Association Downgraded

An association with a tenant majority board has been downgraded due to the cost effectiveness of some of its current activities, the latest set of judgements published by the English regulator has revealed. Watmos Community Homes, which was formed by a transfer of eight tenant management organisations (TMOs) from Walsall Council in 2003, has had its governance rating downgraded from G1 to G2. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/tenant-led-housing-association-downgraded-in-latest-regulatory-judgements-70254

Social Housing Sector ‘Under Scrutiny’, Warns Regulator

Social landlords face significant risks to their reputations, with the sector “under scrutiny” as it confronts tough choices on standards, safety, decarbonisation and housebuilding, the English regulator has warned. Speaking to the National Housing Summit, Fiona MacGregor, chief executive of the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), noted that “the backdrop against which providers are working in is one of increasing pressures, heightened expectations and, in some areas, significant uncertainty”. She added: “The sector is under scrutiny and the choices and decisions providers are and will be making speak to the culture of sector and individual organisations and will significantly impact reputation.” Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/social-housing-sector-under-scrutiny-warns-regulator-70138#:~:text=Social%20landlords%20face%20significant%20risks,the%20English%20regulator%20has%20warned. 

Social Housing Owned By For-Profit Providers Increases By 75%

Data collected by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) showed that 49 for-profit providers reported having 9,313 social homes compared with 5,342 in the year to March 2019. The data reflects the growth of the for-profit sector in recent years, with a number of high-profile private companies registering for-profit arms in recent times. These include asset management giant Legal & General setting up L&G Affordable Homes and Sage Housing which is owned by investment giant Blackstone. Both of these providers have begun delivering hundreds of homes through Section 106 and direct delivery. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/social-housing-owned-by-for-profit-providers-increases-by-75-69680#:~:text=The%20number%20of%20social%20housing,2020%2C%20new%20data%20has%20revealed.&text=Data%20collected%20by%20the%20Regulator,the%20year%20to%20March%202019.

Council Moves To Shut Down ALMO

Haringey Council in north London has begun the process of shutting down its ALMO and bringing some 15,000 homes back in house. The council said that the decision to close Homes for Haringey was an “essential” move to strengthen resident voice, improve accountability and ensure services are joined up. It comes amid a spate of councils across England taking similar decisions to shut down their ALMOs for reasons including breaches of the Regulator of Social Housing’s Home Standard and cost-saving measures. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/london-council-moves-to-shut-down-almo-69375 

Richard Peden, director of finance and corporate services at the RSH, said that the regulator would be holding fees at the same level for the whole of the next financial year. He said that this was in recognition of the above inflation fee increase put on associations last year, but also the resource pressures providers are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every year, associations with more than 1,000 homes have to pay a fee to the regulator for every home they own. If an organisation has fewer than 1,000 homes it is required to pay a flat fee of £300. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/regulator-to-freeze-fees-for-rps-next-year-due-to-covid-19-69020 

Housing Associations To Borrow £42bn Over Next Five Years

 Data collected by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) shows housing associations are expected to agree new debt facilities worth £42bn. This comes as the regulator predicts that total sector turnover will fall 7.6%, from £136.9bn to £126.4bn. The data comes from the RSH’s financial forecast returns (FFR) which is gathered annually from registered providers owning more than 1,000 units, and demonstrates the sector’s continued appetite for debt. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/housing-associations-to-borrow-42bn-over-next-five-years-regulator-predicts-68686#:~:text=Housing%20associations%20to%20borrow%20%C2%A342bn%20over%20next%20five%20years%2C%20regulator%20predicts,-News24.11.20&text=Housing%20associations%20in%20England%20are,10bn%2C%20Inside%20Housing%20can%20reveal

White Paper: RSH To Take Up Consumer Regulatory Function

 The government’s long-awaited Social Housing White Paper has outlined a host of changes to the regulatory regime within which social housing providers operate, revolving around a new consumer regulatory function to be delivered by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The document, titled The Charter for Social Housing Residents, sets out that a new consumer regulatory regime should “hold landlords to account” and “build the links between economic and consumer regulation – giving the regulator a full rather than partial view of the landlord”. Establishing the new consumer regulatory function within the existing regulator is therefore seen as the “best approach” to delivering the changes required by tenants while avoiding confusion and complexity. Read more on the Social Housing website.

https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/news/white-paper-rsh-to-take-up-consumer-regulatory-function-that-is-proactive-proportionate-outcome-focused-and-risk-based-68629?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Council Gains Resident Backing For ALMO Closure

Gateshead Council said a consultation on scrapping The Gateshead Housing Company (TGHC) found that 93% of tenants and leaseholders who responded were in favour of the plans. The council’s cabinet will meet on 17 November to “consider the next steps” following the consultation, which received just under 2,500 responses. Councillors agreed in principle to close TGHC in March, having placed the ALMO under review in 2019. Putting the ALMO under review came after the Regulator of Social Housing deemed the council to have breached the Home Standard on fire, asbestos and electrical safety failings. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/north-east-council-gains-resident-backing-for-almo-closure-68331#:~:text=A%20council%20in%20the%20North,19%2C000%20homes%20back%20in%20house.&text=Gateshead%20Council%20said%20a%20consultation,in%20favour%20of%20the%20plans 

Staffing Issues Emerging In High-COVID Areas

Social landlords are facing staffing issues in areas with high rates of COVID-19 as people stay away from work to self-isolate, a survey by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has found. In a summary of responses to its sixth monthly Coronavirus Operational Response Survey (CORS) for September the regulator said that some providers “described emerging issues including increased levels of absence” among care and support staff. The absences were a result of employees “self-isolating in locations where the number of COVID-19 cases is high”, it added. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/staffing-issues-emerging-in-high-covid-areas-rsh-survey-finds-68275

Lease-Based Provider Downgraded To Lowest Governance Rating By Regulator

 A second lease-based provider has been given the lowest possible governance rating – G4 – by the Regulator of Social Housing. The regulator downgraded Prospect Housing in a regulatory judgement after finding “issues of serious regulatory concern”.  These included: a failure to understand its assets, contractual arrangements and the needs of tenants; and significant weaknesses in its control framework around rent-setting and collection. The regulator also found that Prospect had carried out reviews into “two serious safeguarding incidents” that revealed weaknesses in procedures that it could not remedy through its third-party service providers. Read more on the Social Housing website.

https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/news/lease-based-provider-downgraded-to-lowest-governance-rating-by-regulator-68212?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

Lease-Based Providers Found To Have Breached Rent Standard

Two lease-based providers of specialised supported housing (SSH) have been found to be in breach of the regulator’s new Rent Standard in what was described by the watchdog as “a serious matter”. Trinity Housing Association and Westmoreland Supported Housing both breached the standard after their respective boards agreed that there was insufficient evidence that they should be exempt from rent-setting because they provide either SSH or, in the case of Trinity, temporary supported housing (TSH). “It is a serious matter if an exception from rent requirements is inappropriately applied,” said the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) in its regulatory notices. Read more on the Social Housing website.

https://www.socialhousing.co.uk/news/lease-based-providers-found-to-have-breached-rent-standard-68177?utm_source=Housing60&utm_medium=email&utm_content=article_link&utm_campaign=H60

 

Record Number Of ‘Serious Detriment’ Cases In 2019/20, Says RSH

 The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) determined that 15 breaches of its consumer standards met the “serious detriment” test, up from six in 2018/19. In its eighth annual consumer regulation review setting out themes and lessons from the cases, the RSH said this “significant” increase was driven by referrals relating to local authority landlords. Reports to the RSH of potential consumer standards breaches at councils were up more than three-quarters (76%) on the previous year and the regulator found there was a “serious detriment” in seven cases. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/record-number-of-serious-detriment-cases-in-201920-says-rsh-67984