Correspondence

2022 CEO letter re data collection - local authorities (accessible version)

Published 17 March 2022

Applies to England

Dear Chief Executive

I wanted to write to you to let you know about the arrangements for the collection of the Local Authority Data Return in the coming year. I would be grateful if this letter can be passed onto the appropriate person within your organisation.

LADR

The LADR, collecting information on social housing stock and rents, was first collected in 2020 and allows us to regulate compliance with the Rent Standard. We collect this return annually ^{[footnote 1]} from all local authorities registered with us ^{[footnote 2]}.

In 2022 the LADR survey will be open for submission between 1 April 2022 and 15 July 2022. Guidance on completing the LADR will be made available on the NROSH+ website on or shortly before it opens. It is important that guidance materials are reviewed before the completion of the LADR, and that stock is correctly categorised and recorded accurately according to the latest applicable legislation. Please submit returns as early as possible within the survey period to allow sufficient time for us to answer any queries you may have.

We strongly recommend that you review your 2021 submission using the ‘View Previous Survey’ facility on the NROSH+ system. You should ensure that changes in data between the two submission years are understood by your organisation. As in earlier years we may contact your organisation regarding changes in stock totals; the number of units excepted from the rent standard; and changes in rent figures which are outside of expected ranges as part of our data cleansing processes. Subsequent to that, we may be in further contact with a minority of providers where there are any regulatory issues arising from analysis of the validated data.

If you have any queries, please refer to the NROSH+ system and LADR survey guidance and FAQs on the NROSH+ website.

Changes to the 2022/23 LADR

Following engagement with users of our published statistics, the requirement to record dwelling equivalent counts has been removed from LADR. Local authorities should review the guidance notes carefully to ensure the correct recording of non-self-contained units in the Stock Information section and in rent calculations in Q1 of Low Cost Rental and Affordable Rent sections. For more information on the change please see our website.

2022/23 Data collection

We collect data through NROSH+. This is a web portal which allows providers registered with us to submit data and documents. The LADR is hosted on the NROSH+ system. Each Local Authority must maintain at least one user on the NROSH+ system throughout the year so that they can submit the LADR and keep contact details current. We will be in contact with all registered NROSH+ users later this month, providing them with more detailed guidance on the data submission requirements for 2022.

NROSH+ closure

In order to prepare for the 2022/23 survey period, the NROSH+ system will be offline from 18:00 on Friday 25 March until launch on Friday 1 April. During this time, you will be unable to access the site and should make alternative provision to access documents and templates should you require these during this period. We will notify all users by email when NROSH+ launches for the 2022 collections.

Organisational and contact details

Once your organisation begins submitting data via the NROSH+ website, it will be responsible for maintaining contact details for both the Chief Executive and a suitable Regulatory Contact. This information must be kept updated and accurate throughout the year. Please note that contact information cannot be updated between 1 April and mid-August except via your LADR return (please contact the enquiries team if you need to amend submitted data).

It is very important that the organisational and contact details in NROSH+ are kept accurate and up to date by your officers.

If they are not:

(a) your organisation may not receive important information on statutory consultations and/ or regulatory requirements; and/ or

(b) correspondence (which may include information about the provider’s business or regulatory compliance) may be sent to the wrong individuals (who in some cases may no longer work for the provider).

We take our duties in relation to data protection seriously, but to do this we rely on providers updating their contact information in a timely fashion. Please see our privacy policy on the NROSH+ site for more details.

If you have any queries, please refer to the guidance and FAQs on the NROSH+ website. If further assistance is required you can contact the referrals and regulatory enquiries team NROSHenquiries@rsh.gov.uk who will assist you with your query. We aim to respond to all queries within five working days, but as the LADR return is still a relatively new collection there may be some queries that require a longer resolution period.

Yours faithfully,

Will Perry

Director of Strategy

1. LADR is one of the returns included on the single data list from 1 April 2022 and must be completed by all LAs registered with us. ↩

2. All LAs who own any social housing stock are required to register with us and the rent standard applies to all registered providers. ↩