Regulatory experiments yield valuable insights for consumers
The Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) is set to expand its regulatory approach, focusing on consumer standards from April 2024, as per the Social Housing Regulation Bill. This shift aims to ensure a higher quality of service for tenants, with a greater emphasis on tenant satisfaction and engagement.
The Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) are seen as valuable tools for initiating conversations and identifying patterns of dissatisfaction. Involved tenants provide valuable insights, although it's crucial to consider the perspectives of those who may not actively participate in these discussions.
Safety and data integrity are strong themes in the RSH's current consumer inspection pilots. The focus is on health and safety compliance, stock condition information, damp and mould, and safeguarding. The regulator is testing various methods to hear from tenants, with some pilot organisations advocating for increased tenant involvement as part of the settled methodology.
The RSH is also emphasising the importance of customer insight and equality data in understanding tenant experiences. A robust, evidenced self-assessment against new consumer standards should be part of 'business as usual' and involve heads of service.
The experiences of the pilot organisations have been generally positive, with a shared view that the pilots are being used to develop an approach that covers the breadth of the consumer standards. The importance of strong tenant engagement is underscored, as tenants are seen as the biggest advocates for organisations.
External assurance, through independent checks and advice, is key in demonstrating openness to challenge and a continually developing understanding of what 'good' looks like. Co-production of engagement strategies is encouraged, as scrutiny does not need to look the same in every organisation.
In June 2023, a roundtable was held by Campbell Tickell, involving senior leaders from housing associations and councils who participated in the consumer inspection pilots run by the RSH. The specific organisations participating in these pilots are not explicitly listed, but they are part of the regulator's new consumer standards inspection program introduced following the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.
The regulator focuses on the responsibility of senior leaders to obtain assurance that key things are happening as they should be, including Board/Council papers and information. The focus is on the services and homes themselves, aligning with the co-regulatory approach taken by the Regulator.
Assembling a simple, coherent, comprehensive assurance framework may provide the shortest route to a good inspection outcome. The lessons learned from these pilots are expected to remain relevant as the consumer standards and inspection methodology change and evolve. The RSH's focus on compliance with 'economic' regulatory standards will continue, but the expansion towards 'consumer' standards marks a significant step towards improving the quality of life for social housing tenants.
