Regulator asks landlords to ‘act now’ ahead of changes to consumer standards
The Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) chief executive, Fiona MacGregor, has written to the bosses of every registered provider in England to set out the action they should take before the introduction of new consumer standards.
Fiona MacGregor, the Regulator of Social Housing’s chief executive
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The government’s Social Housing White Paper promises new consumer regulations for landlords to improve the quality of tenants’ homes.
But Ms MacGregor said the regulator expects providers to “act now” before the legislation is passed and regulatory assessments are made.
In a letter to chief executives of providers in England, Ms MacGregor said: “Proactive consumer regulation is part of the solution. It will help drive up standards and tackle poor performance.”
In November 2021 the regulator published its approach to the changing consumer regulations, which will be measured across six themes: safety, quality, neighbourhood, transparency, engagement and accountability, and tenancies.
The government also moved last week (29 March) to publish draft clauses to amend existing legislation that, if approved by parliament, will enable the new consumer regulatory regime at the RSH, alongside expanded economic regulatory powers.
The chief executive drew attention to the high-profile media cases of social housing tenants living in poor conditions.
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She said: “In these cases, individual tenants or groups of tenants have been waiting too long for issues they raise to be resolved, and as a result people have been living in poor-quality homes.
“It is vitally important that your tenants know how to report repairs, have a range of ways to access your services, and that they have confidence that when they do so, you will take appropriate and effective action.
“Without that confidence, people are more likely to feel the need to circumvent existing systems, which can be inefficient for everyone involved.”
Ms MacGregor also highlighted the importance of culture at providers to ensure the new standards are adhered to.
She said: “Where change is needed, it requires a culture change within the relevant registered providers.
“The quality and safety of the homes you provide, your ability to maintain them, and the quality of your services to tenants are vitally important.
“Where these are not as they should be, you should act now; before we proactively assess whether you meet the new consumer standards.”
Ms MacGregor advised providers to improve communication methods with tenants and understand what “insight they might be missing”.
She said: “We recognise that the current economic realities increase the challenge and complexity of the situation, and that responding appropriately will not always be straightforward. But registered providers need to adapt to the world as it is now.”
Elsewhere, Ms MacGregor stated that for-profit providers would be measured in the same way as traditional providers.
“We expect all registered providers to comply with the standards,” she said. “Including the economic standards for private registered providers, and to be able to provide assurance that they do so, regardless of their business model – providers cannot contract out their responsibility for meeting the standards.”
In addition, growth in for-profit providers and the “rapid growth of lease-based models of supported housing” will see the regulator’s powers updated to continue to “regulate effectively”.
Ms MacGregor added: “This is why, alongside the draft clauses on consumer regulation, the government has also published draft provisions relating to economic regulation.
“These draft provisions are intended to refine the existing economic regulation framework, so that we are able to continue to play our part in ensuring social housing providers are well governed and financially viable.
“This in turn, will better protect tenants and public money, as well as helping to enable new supply.”
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