The new regulatory framework

Michelle Kidman

TSA – an overview

• New regulator for social housing

• Initially working for housing association tenants

• From April 2010 we will work across housing associations, councils and arms length management organisations

• We have new powers to take action to improve services

• Our ultimate aim is to make a difference to 10 million people living in social housing

Our timeline

• Jan – Sept 2009: National conversation and launch of ‘Building a new regulatory framework’ based on findings

• Nov 2009 – Feb 2010: Statutory consultation on new standards

• April 2010: TSA’s new powers ‘switched on’ for all landlords

Why regulate?

• A consumer regulator tenants have limited ‘market power’

• Security and protection for private investors regulation worth £250 a year per home for HA tenants

• Safeguarding public investment £120 billion investment in social housing

• Quality of life in communitiesdelivering effective neighbourhood services

Our objectives

1. Improve standards of service delivery for tenants

2. Support decent homes and neighbourhoods

3. Promote effective tenant involvement and empowerment

4. Ensure providers are well run and deliver value for money

5. Promote and protect public and private investment

6. Encourage and support a supply of well-managed social housing

What do we mean by co-regulation?

• A new relationship between landlords and their regulator

• A move away from top-down regulating

• The main relationship is between landlord and tenant

• Less red tape, more accountability

Our ten principles of co-regulation

1. Our national standards are based on clear criteria

2. They are clear and focus on outcomes, and avoid prescribing detailed processes

3. Providers should agree local service standards with their tenants

4. Providers should respond to the needs of their tenants and demonstrate how they have taken into account the needs of the diverse range of tenants

5. Promote transparency by enabling tenants, landlords and councils to assess performance of providers in their area

Our ten principles of co-regulation 6. Good governance is a universal principle and is

essential to the quality of service delivery, financial robustness and value for money

7. Independent validation, audit and benchmarking of performance to encourage providers to improve continually and free the best from unnecessary red tape

8. Focus our resources in 2010-11 on identifying and addressing the worst performing providers

9. Problems are identified the provider will usually be offered an opportunity for speedy self-improvement

10. Registration criteria should encourage new landlords into the social housing sector

Proposals for national standards

Proposed standard Particular requirements

1. Tenant Involvement and Empowerment

• Involvement and Empowerment

• Customer Service and Choice

• Equalities and Diversity

• Tenants with additional support needs

• Complaints

2. Home • Repairs and Maintenance• Quality of Accommodation

3. Tenancy Agreement

• Allocations• Rent• Tenure

4. Neighbourhood and Community

• Anti-Social Behaviour• Neighbourhood Management• Local Area Cooperation

5. Value for Money • Value for Money

6. Governance and Financial Viability

• Governance• Financial Viability

Tenant Involvement and Empowerment

Registered providers will offer all tenants opportunities to be involved in the management of their housing. This must include opportunities:

• to influence housing related policies and how housing related services are delivered

• to be involved in scrutiny of performance in delivery of housing related services

Registered providers must offer tenants support so they are more able to be effectively engaged, involved and empowered.

Customer service and choice

Registered providers must design and deliver housing services that tenants can easily access. Tenants must be offered choices over the services they receive, and be treated with fairness and respect. In relation to all the standards, registered providers must consider equality issues and the diversity of their tenants, including tenants with additional support needs.

Registered providers must understand their tenants’ needs and use this information to:

• design and deliver housing services• communicate with tenants

Neighbourhood Management

Registered providers will keep the common areas associated with the homes that they own clean and safe. To achieve this, they will work in partnership with:

• their tenants• other providers and public bodies, where this

is the most effective way of achieving this standard

Local area co-operation

Registered providers will co-operate with relevant partners to help promote social, environmental and economic well being in the areas where their properties are.

Standard Areas for Local Pilots

Theme Standard Area

Service offer to tenants Quality of accommodation (decent

homes)

Tenant choice and customer service

Repairs and maintenance

Neighbourhood and estate

management

Anti social behaviour and security

Tenant empowerment and

involvement

Tenant empowerment

The tenancy agreement Allocations

Local standards pilots Bristol Housing Partnership

Bristol Housing Partnership is a group of all Bristol Housing Associations, Bristol City Council and the Bristol HA Tenants' Network. The partnership will agree a common standard for delivering aids and adaptations across the city.

Chapter 1 ( Christian Alliance HA)

A specialist housing provider piloting customer service in 6 schemes across the country focusing on the personal interaction between staff and tenants.

Your Homes NewcastleYour Homes Newcastle wants to use the local standards framework to provide support for older tenants and those living in sheltered properties. Standards may cover facilities and the standard of homes available to let, plus control over local budgets.

Local standards

• Central to co-regulatory philosophy

• 39 local standards pilots – evaluation in May 2010

• No prescription around ‘local’

• Local conversation packs in January 2010

• Publish plans no later than October 2010 for how deliver local standards will be delivered

• Local standards in operation by April 2011

Not meeting the standards

• Co-regulation and the improvement agenda

• Reporting performance

• Complaints

• The use of inspection

• Voluntary undertakings

• Enforcement

Regulation in practice

Promoting sector led improvement

Providers produce annual report to their tenants, and TSA, on self assessment of compliance with the standards

TSA to publish information of providers performance against the standards

Making use of existing data – information should be ‘used and useful’

Inspection

Every Tenant Matters

Making a difference to 10 m residents

Making a difference to estimated 5 m prospective residents