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THE SCOTTISH HOUSING REGULATOR ISSUES REGULATION PLANS TO HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS

The Scottish Housing Regulator has today released Regulation Plans, based on its assessments of housing associations in Scotland, as part of its new risk-based approach to regulation. In a move away from routine cycles of inspection for all landlords the Regulator has reviewed the financial and performance information it collects from each landlord to decide the level and type of engagement it will have with each housing association over the next year. And in a move towards greater transparency it has published its Regulation Plans for higher engagement landlords.

Chief Executive, Karen Watt said:

“This is a fundamentally different approach which represents a new relationship with the housing association sector. It takes us beyond our routine dealings with landlords and towards a more targeted series of engagements with the organisations that need to give us greater assurance about their financial health, their services to tenants and other customers, the condition of their houses or their governance. Overall, the housing association sector in Scotland is financially sound and many landlords deliver good quality services and homes. Our job is to make sure all landlords remain financially healthy, and continue to provide good quality, value for money, social housing and services now and into the future. This approach allows us to do this.”

Note to editors:

1. The Scottish Housing Regulator was established from 1 April 08 following the abolition of Communities Scotland. Although it is now a separate, specialist regulation agency, it has a long-established and successful track record of regulating housing providers over the last 30 years within previous organisations.



2. The Regulator’s new approach to risk-based regulation is set out in more detail in its Guide to Regulation that can be found on its website www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk. The Regulation Plans are also available on the website.



3. The Regulator carried out assessments of 163 mainstream housing associations, using a wide range of information – financial indicators, stock management and quality data, complaints from service users etc. The Regulator has categorised each housing association as requiring high, medium or low engagement. Where an organisation requires high or medium engagement the Regulator has developed and published a Plan about how that engagement will work. Sometimes it will be through an inspection, but often it will be through the provision of further information, the development of improvement plans, meetings with senior staff or board members, or a financial review. There are 247 organisations on the Regulator’s register. Around 19% of this total have been categorised as needing high or medium engagement.



4. Where a housing association is classed as “low engagement” this means the Regulator will have a routine regulatory relationship with it – it needs to meet Performance Standards and the Regulator’s guidance, provide the Regulator with routine financial and information returns, and notify the Regulator of a change in circumstances or a significant event. Organisations in this category may be included in the Regulator’s thematic inspection work.