In November 2020 the Government published The charter for social housing residents: social housing white paper (SHWP). The SHWP proposed changes to the consumer regulation of social housing to strengthen the accountability of landlords for providing safe homes, quality services and treating residents with respect.
Most of the proposed changes can only be made when Parliament has passed legislation to change the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH’s) objectives and legal powers. However the RSH is taking steps to prepare for its expanded consumer regulation role and last month it published Reshaping consumer regulation: our principles and approach, setting out its preliminary ideas which will be further developed in response to feedback from stakeholders, including tenants and landlords, initially focusing on four key areas:
- Principles and outcomes
- New consumer standards
- Its consumer regulation approach and
- Tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs).
The RSH has now launched its consultation on the introduction of TSMs.
The RSH is proposing to introduce a new consumer standard which would include a requirement for registered providers to collect, publish and submit information about their performance against the TSMs.
The RSH is proposing 22 TSMs covering a six themes as set out in the table below. The proposed TSMs are a mix of 12 tenant perception measures and 10 measures which would be collected through providers’ management information.
Overall satisfaction
- Overall satisfaction
Keeping Properties in Good Repair
- Homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard
- Repairs completed within target timescale
- Satisfaction with repairs
- Satisfaction with time taken to complete most recent repair
Maintaining Building Safety
- Gas safety checks
- Fire safety checks
- Asbestos safety checks
- Water safety checks
- Lift safety checks
- Satisfaction that the home is well maintained and safe to live in
Effective Handling of Complaints
- Complaints relative to the size of the landlord
- Complaints responded to within Complaint Handling Code
- Satisfaction with the landlord’s approach to handling of complaints
- Tenant knowledge of how to make a complaint
Respectful and Helpful Engagement
- Satisfaction that the landlord listens to tenant views and acts upon them
- Satisfaction that the landlord keeps tenants informed about things that matter to them
- Agreement that the landlord treats tenants fairly and with respect
Responsible Neighbourhood Management
- Anti-social behaviour cases relative to the size of the landlord
- Satisfaction that the landlord keeps communal areas clean, safe and well maintained
- Satisfaction that the landlord makes a positive contribution to neighbourhoods
- Satisfaction with the landlord’s approach to handling of anti-social behaviour
The RSH has also published draft detailed requirements in Tenant Satisfaction Measures: Technical Requirements and Tenant Satisfaction Measures: Tenant Survey Requirements. In order to comply with the TSM Standard, providers would need to comply with those detailed requirements.
The deadline for submissions in response to the consultation is 3 March 2022.