Christopher Proctor’s Post

This insightful article from Ward Hadaway by Robert Emson delves into the revised consumer standards introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) and the updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the RSH and the Housing Ombudsman. 🏠 Here are the key takeaways: Distinct roles: the RSH ensures that the social housing sector is viable, efficient, and well-governed, while the Housing Ombudsman resolves disputes between landlords and tenants. Collaboration: under the new MoU, these two bodies will collaborate more effectively, sharing information and aligning efforts while maintaining their independent roles. Importance of independence: both the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman will continue to operate independently to ensure fairness, transparency, and improved outcomes for all stakeholders in the social housing sector. 🔗 To read the full article to learn more about these crucial updates. https://lnkd.in/eF7Dn6km #SocialHousing #RSH #HousingOmbudsman #Regulation #Governance #TenantRights #housingassociation

Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) announced its first judgments under the new expanded Consumer Standards which includes the assessments not only for private registered providers but now also for local authorities managing housing stocks. The new Consumer Standards, introduced in April, focus on ensuring safety, quality, transparency, accountability, and tenant satisfaction. These standards are graded from C1 (excellent service delivery and tenant satisfaction) to C4 (major regulatory concerns). As consultants working with social housing providers in England, Scotland, and Wales, we assist in regulatory compliance and governance. We understand the complexities that local councils face in meeting these new standards committed to supporting providers in navigating these challenges and ensuring they meet and exceed regulatory expectations. Here are some of our tips for local councils: Embrace transparency: communicate openly about your grading results and improvement strategies with your teams to help create a consistent standard of service. Continuous improvement: invite feedback from residents and your teams to drive ongoing improvements in service delivery and regulatory compliance. Holistic approach: incorporate C grades in internal communications to provide a complete view of performance to help align operational efficiency with community needs. https://lnkd.in/e5y42Wfm Get in touch to explore how we can assist your council in achieving regulatory excellence and fostering thriving communities. #UKHousing #LocalCouncils #ConsumerStandards #Governance #socialhousingUK Alice Pearce PhD

🏠 What We Can Learn from Labour’s Plans and Wales’ Approach to Social Housing 🏠 The Social Housing Regulation Act has raised the stakes for housing providers. With The Labour Party promising more investment to address underfunding, the focus is shifting to data-driven accountability, providers will need to show real improvements in both housing quality and tenant experience. Meanwhile, #Wales is ahead of the curve. They’re using quantitative data and tenant feedback to drive improvements, combining hard facts with real-life stories to ensure better homes and services. It’s a great example of how proactive management can work. For providers across the UK, the action is clear: you'll need to use both data and feedback to not only meet the new standards but to improve the impact on the lives of residents. 🔧 How are you ensuring tenant experience is a priority as you prepare for the future of social housing? References: The Guardian - https://lnkd.in/eK3BU7AK National Housing Federation - https://lnkd.in/eJwJdTgV #SocialHousing #Compliance #ProactiveInspections #LabourPolicy #WalesHousing #DataDrivenSolutions #HousingStandards #HRBs #Equans

"The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) and Housing Ombudsman have made a fresh commitment to work together – including sharing information on landlords – to help providers deliver 'sustainable improvements'." 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/en_za5C9 #fivepointrecruitment #recruitment #constructionrecruitment #construction #innovation #technology #constructionnews #buildingandrenovating #constructionjobs #socialhousing #womeninconstruction

The Regulator of Social Housing has published the first set of regulatory judgments from its planned inspections, including the new consumer standard gradings. Each of the RPs have been given G1 for governance, V1 for viability and C1 for the consumer standards. This means the Regulator considers each of the landlords is delivering the outcomes of the new consumer standards and that they "have demonstrated that they identify issues affecting tenants and put plans in place to solve them and minimise recurrence". The Regulator has confirmed its expectation that even when a landlord is assessed as C1, they must continue to review, evaluate and improve their service to tenants. #UKhousing #housingregulation #regulation #socialhousing #consumerstandards #governance

Following sustained and constructive engagement with the Scottish Government, we are delighted to see that a key HFS ask to see Housing recognised as a standalone National Outcome in its own right has been proposed by the Scottish Government.   HFS has long advocated for the provision of high quality, sustainable homes across all tenures to be recognised as the core economic enabler it is, and the core foundation to achieving a flourishing wellbeing economy across Scotland. With five local authorities having already declared housing emergencies, and recent independent research finding that 28 per cent of all Scottish households are in some form of housing need, this week's new leadership presents an ideal opportunity for the Scottish Government to integrate housing across all directorates in recognition of its critical role in Scotland’s social wellbeing, economic success and transition to net-zero.   HFS will be working closely and at pace with the Scottish Government to ensure that, once adopted, any new indicators required to measure Housing as a National Outcome are robust, tangible and fit for purpose in ensuring housing supply can be tracked against future government regulation and policy. #deliveringmore #homesforscotland

Part Two of the second video of our series of four expert conversations about the new Regulator of Social Housing's Consumer Standards (Part one is available here - https://lnkd.in/efB4_XYw) Paul O'Callaghan CIHCM and Helen Scurr FCIH discuss the key points of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, including resident engagement and communication and what organisations need to consider to meet and exceed the Standard. If you missed the first video, on the Safety & Quality Standard, featuring Nick Sedgwick CIHCM you can view it or read the transcript on our website here - https://lnkd.in/ewyp43_T To find out more about how we can help you and your organisation to become compliant, or even look to go beyond compliance, get in touch with us at https://lnkd.in/efUYavWy #socialhousing #affordablehousing #regulation #consumerstandards #tenants #accountability

Exciting developments in Social Housing regulation! The regulator has unveiled new consumer standards designed to protect tenants and enhance service quality. Dive into the details of the Safety and Quality Standard, Transparency, Influence, and Accountability Standard, Neighbourhood and Community Standard, and Tenancy Standard. Gain insights into the upcoming changes, effective April 1, 2024, impacting all social landlords. Don't miss out on staying informed about the future of the housing sector! 📑🌐 https://lnkd.in/e5CWHB4Y #SocialHousing #Regulation #TenantProtection

👀 ICYMI 👀 Earlier this month we launched our report outcomes from our project on rethinking repairs and maintenance. This project was set up as a result of recommendation three of the Better Social Housing Review. The report features six themes. The second, on ‘Inclusivity and tackling discrimination’, aims to help housing providers use data and information to help remove poor service due to inequalities. Read the full report here➡️https://ow.ly/mJEC50RFthL #BSHR #UKHousing #BetterSocialHousingReview #Rethinking

Excited to be at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention this week and getting the chance to chat with folks from across the province on all things housing! 🏘 As Day 1 wraps up, some of my key takeaways included: ⏩ Although provincial housing reforms are a positive move, the housing sector is now grappling with the capacity constraints brought on by the pace of these regulatory changes, including densification, climate resilience, and building code updates. This is at a time when there is a 30% decline in building permits, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced resources and strategic support. 📚 Achieving progress in delivering attainable housing solutions requires a more comprehensive understanding and alignment among all housing stakeholders, including within municipal councils, on the end-to-end processes of planning and construction. 🛠 The readiness of the workforce to meet the demands of modern construction practices remains a pressing concern, underscoring the need for focused workforce development. These insights strongly resonate with the arguments outlined in our recent position paper at Small Housing: while the legalization of gentle density homes is an important milestone, it is just the beginning. To truly advance housing delivery, additional measures—including industry upskilling and broader education across the housing ecosystem—are essential. If you're interested in learning more about our work, head to https://smallhousing.ca/ #housing #unlockingssmuh #policies #britishcolumbia #ubcm2024