Regulator shares messages from its Consumer Regulation Review
The Regulator of Social Housing has today shared the main themes and learning points from its consumer regulation work over the last year
The Consumer Regulation Review 2018-19 includes case studies which demonstrate the Regulator’s approach to consumer regulation and explains its current role and mandate as set by Parliament.
The lessons from the review focus on the importance of registered providers of social housing ensuring there are effective systems in place to maintain compliance with the consumer standards including expectations that tenants’ homes are safe and well-managed.
Key messages from the 2018-19 report include:
- All registered providers have an obligation to act to ensure the homes where their tenants live are safe, and must meet the full range of statutory health and safety obligations. This requires registered providers to have robust reporting and assurance arrangements in place for effective oversight of compliance by boards and councillors
- Effective assurance relies on good quality data, and maintaining compliance requires effective systems
- Registered providers should understand and be able to demonstrate compliance across all aspects of the consumer standards, including how they engage with their tenants, how they deal with neighbourhood issues, and how they allocate their properties
- Delivering compliance with the consumer standards depends on good governance, and on an organisation’s culture
- The quality of relationship with tenants underpins registered providers’ ability to meet their objectives. The effectiveness of registered providers’ complaints handling affects the level of trust and confidence tenants have in their landlord
- Transparency with the Regulator is essential. Co-regulation requires registered providers to be transparent with the Regulator, and a failure to do so can indicate broader governance concerns
The Regulator’s Chief Executive, Fiona MacGregor, said:
The annual Consumer Regulation Review sets out the key issues we identified during 2018-19 in delivering our consumer regulation role and serves as a reminder to registered providers’ board members of our expectations.
It also reinforces that well-run and well-governed organisations need to have systems in place to listen to and engage with tenants, and to take prompt and effective action when tenants may be at risk. I continue to urge all social housing providers to look at how accountable they are and how they can be more transparent with their tenants.
The Consumer Regulation Review 2018-19 will be published on the RSH website.
Further information
- The Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 sets out the Regulator’s economic and consumer regulation objectives.
- RSH promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes 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. Find more information on our website.
- For press office contact details, see our Media enquiries page. For general queries, please email enquiries@rsh.gov.uk or call 0300 124 5225.