Regulator of Social Housing de-registers St Andrews and Kinsman
RSH has decided to remove St Andrews Community Housing Association and Kinsman Housing Limited from the register of social housing providers.
The Regulator of Social Housing has today (16 August 2023) published its decision to de-register St Andrews Community Housing Association (St Andrews) and Kinsman Housing Limited (Kinsman) from the register of social housing providers.
Registration as a registered provider brings with it the requirement to meet RSH’s standards on an ongoing basis. St Andrews and Kinsman are both small providers which have been in serious and persistent breach of the regulator’s standards. Each own and manage social homes under arrangements entered into after registration which give material controls and all beneficial interest to a third party. As a result, the regulator has had ongoing and serious concerns about each provider’s financial viability and weak governance arrangements.
Each provider has failed to take adequate action to address their ongoing non-compliance in response to enforcement notices that the regulator published in February 2023.
The regulator has now concluded that St Andrews and Kinsman have each failed to meet the eligibility criteria for registration. They do not have adequate control over their social housing assets, putting them at undue risk, which means they are unable to sustain their financial viability on an ongoing basis as required.
Jonathan Walters, Deputy Chief Executive of RSH, said:
Being a registered provider of social housing is an important and valuable role, that comes with responsibilities and obligations. Maintaining the register is crucial for us to deliver our fundamental objectives, and all registered providers must meet the registration criteria.
St Andrews and Kinsman have failed to do this, and they have persistently breached our standards. As a result we have decided to remove each provider from the register of social housing providers.
Notes to editors
- RSH maintains a register of providers of social housing. To be eligible for registration, an organisation must demonstrate its eligibility as set out in section 112 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008.
- RSH published regulatory notices for St Andrews and Kinsman on 19 December 2018 and 28 November 2018 respectively, following breaches of the economic standards. RSH also published a further regulatory notice for Kinsman Housing Limited on 13 March 2019 following a breach of the consumer standards. The regulator published enforcement notices for each provider on 15 February 2023.
- The regulator notified both St Andrews and Kinsman in June 2023 of its intention to de-register them from the register of social housing providers (under section 118 of the Housing and Regeneration Act).
- RSH promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver and maintain homes of appropriate quality that meet a range of needs. It does this by undertaking robust economic regulation focusing on governance, financial viability and value for money that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. It also sets consumer standards and may take action if these standards are breached and there is a significant risk of serious detriment to tenants or potential tenants.
- For press office contact details, see our Media enquiries page. For general queries, please email enquiries@rsh.gov.uk or call 0300 124 5225.