Housing Bodies Critical Of TSA's New Framework

New value for money rules are too prescriptive and could lead to social landlords struggling to meet them, housing bodies have warned. In response to a consultation on the Tenant Services Authority’s revised regulatory framework for England, several organisations, including the National Housing Federation and Chartered Institute of Housing, have submitted responses critical of aspects of the new rules. Under the framework, landlords must publish annual assessments of how they are delivering value for money and demonstrate a range of things including an understanding of cost of services, efficiency gains and the return on assets. The CIH’s response said the standard will push providers towards a ‘centralist and possibly prescriptive’ method of assessing value for money. It said: ‘While this is desirable good business practice, providing evidence may prove stretching for many providers.’ Read more on Inside Housing.

HCA Committee to Take Over Regulation from TSA

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has set out his plans to replace the regulatory function of the TSA by setting up a statutory committee, within the HCA. It follows the announcement last week that the TSA would be abolished.  The new committee will be legally separated from the HCA's investment functions and with its membership appointed by the Secretary of State.  CLG has published its long-awaited comprehensive report on social housing regulation, which Shapps commissioned in June.  It explains how stronger powers for tenants will drive up the quality of their homes. CLG said tenants can now expect local solutions to local problems - they will be able to set up local panels and call on their councillors and MPs to hold landlords to account to help resolve disputes.   The report also sets out how a new independent committee within the HCA will continue the economic regulation of social housing. It outlines how the committee will make sure public spending on social housing is delivering value for money and lender confidence is maintained, ensuring that housing providers continue to secure significant private investment for affordable housing.  Download a copy of the report from the CLG website.

Housing Providers to Miss TSA Targets

A quarter of housing providers think they will not meet regulatory requirements set out by the Tenant Services Authority as a result of government spending cuts. A survey carried out for Inside Housing revealed that 21% of providers said they might not be able to meet the requirements. A further 4% thought they would definitely not be able to. The standards in the TSA’s regulatory regime cover tenant involvement and empowerment, tenancy, home, neighbourhood and community, value for money and governance and financial viability. They are due to come into effect on 1 October. Read more on Inside Housing.

Toolkit to Help Tenants Write Annual Reports

HouseMark has written a toolkit to help tenants and landlords produce 'fit for purpose' annual reports. The "annual report to tenants" is a key component of the TSA's regulatory framework. Although the social housing sector is in a period of change, the TSA and its regulatory framework are still in place and the TSA expects providers to issue annual reports to their tenants by 1st October 2010. The toolkit:
*is intended for people involved in producing annual reports - for example, governing bodies, senior officers and tenants
*builds on existing good practice in terms of reporting to tenants
*is not regulatory guidance or meant in any way to be prescriptive - you take from it only what you need.
The toolkit is available on the HouseMark website.

Scrapping TSA Would Damage Associations’ Credit Ratings

A leading ratings agency has implied that any move by the government to close the Tenant Services Authority could see it downgrade housing associations’ credit ratings. Moody’s Investor Services said: ‘The strong role of the regulator, the TSA, and the funder, the HCA, have proven effective in minimising the sector’s credit risk in times of severe financial distress.’
Moody’s suggestions were echoed by the Housing Finance Corporation, which makes loans to associations funded by bond issues. They said the role of a single, independent regulator was important for investors and axing the TSA could potentially affect bond pricing. Read more on Inside Housing.

National Tenant Scrutiny Committee to Hold TSA to Account

Following publication of the TSA’s regulatory standards, the four national tenant organisations are to set up a joint independent national tenant scrutiny committee. The committee will hold the TSA and other Government bodies to account for their part in ensuring the delivery of better services in the social housing sector, comprehensive empowerment opportunities and improved quality of life for tenants. The Committee aims to publicly and independently scrutinise the Government and its regulatory systems. It will seek to work in partnership with the National Tenant Voice and will consider using a range of approaches, such as gathering information from tenants and from others of good and bad performance; examining evidence of how the TSA is making a difference to the lives of tenants; setting up an Empowerment Watch website; and inviting representatives from public and other bodies to independent and publicly recorded tenant scrutiny hearings. Read the full story on the TAROE website by clicking on the logo below.

TSA Issues New Regulatory Framework

More than eight million tenants across the country will benefit from new standards the TSA has set for all social housing landlords. In the biggest shake up of social housing regulation in decades, the six standards, drawn up with tenants and landlords up and down the country, will come into effect from 1 April and cover how landlords need to deal with issues such as tenant involvement and empowerment, repairs and maintenance, rents, quality of accommodation, complaints and anti-social behaviour. The new standards will apply to nearly 1800 social housing providers in England which include housing associations, ALMOs, councils and co-operatives. This means for the first time tenants will get similar levels of protection and services regardless of who their landlord happens to be. Find a copy of the Framework on the TSA website by clicking on the logo below.

Changing Powers – A Guide To How Regulation Is Changing

This guide explains how the TSA will provide services to registered social landlords during the period when its legal powers change. The TSA has set out how it will deal with the effect of previous decisions and work which is ongoing at the time when its powers change. Find a copy of the guide on the TSA website.

TSA Cross Domain Regulation Approved

The Housing and Regeneration Bill 2008 (consequential provisions) order has now passed through Parliament. The Order extends the remit of the TSA to regulate both housing associations and council landlords, including ALMOs, and gives the TSA the powers it needs to set common standards across all social housing providers. The TSA will regulate ALMOs from 1st April.