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KNOWES HOUSING ASSOCIATION INSPECTION REPORT

Knowes Housing Association has been awarded a ‘good’ rating for its overall performance.

This follows an inspection in January 2008 by inspectors from Communities Scotland, now the Scottish Housing Regulator.

The purpose of the inspection is to provide an independent external assessment of the effectiveness of housing service delivery and make recommendations to help improvement.

Knowes Housing Association currently owns and manages 1,007 properties in Clydebank.

Michael Cameron, acting head of inspection at the Scottish Housing Regulator, said:

“Our inspectors found that Knowes Housing Association understands its strengths and weaknesses, and is committed to improving services for tenants.

“It has demonstrated strengths in a number of areas, particularly rent collection, reletting empty homes and providing support to vulnerable tenants.

“The association is aware that it needs to improve its procedures to ensure the accuracy of its recorded responsive repairs’ performance.”

Billy Stevenson, chairperson at Knowes Housing Associations, said:

“I am delighted to have confirmation that Knowes has consistently improved in its delivery of services to tenants since the previous inspection in 2000 and that the association’s tenants are receiving a high standard of service.

“The association has an ethos of continuous improvement and will strive to improve on the standards already in place.”

Director of Knowes, Pierre De Fence, added:

“The inspection process has helped the association to examine all areas of service delivery and accountability in detail, and whilst resource intensive, reinforces the opinion of the association and its residents, that they are receiving a quality service geared for further improvement.”

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

1. Inspectors gave the following grade:

2. Full details of the Knowes Housing Association inspection report can be found on the Scottish Housing Regulator website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk

3. The Scottish Housing Regulator came into operation on 1 April 2008. It is the successor to Communities Scotland’s Regulation & Inspection Division. As a government agency the Scottish Housing Regulator will have complete operational independence, but will remain accountable to Scottish Ministers, and through them to the Scottish Parliament for the standard of its work. The agency sits within the Justice and Communities Directorate of the Scottish Government and will work within the government’s overall purpose and contribute to its strategic objectives.