To help social housing providers prepare for the new regulatory regime, HQN has provided a quick guide on how to comply with the consumer standards. The following tips are designed to be used alongside our comprehensive new social housing regulation toolkit, which is now available to all HQN members.
Safety
Actions
- Ensure you are on top of fire safety in your high rise blocks
- Ensure compliance with the ‘big five’ – gas, electricity, fire, asbestos and water. Plus lift safety where appropriate
- Ensure comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date data on safety. Carry out regular audits
- Find out residents’ views about their safety. Act on what they tell you
- Learn from complaints. They could mean problems might not be ‘one off’ incidents
- Ensure your board/governing body understands their responsibilities in delivering safe services
- Learn good practice from public, professional and trade bodies
TSMs
- BS01 Gas safety checks
- BS02 Fire safety checks
- BS03 Asbestos safety checks
- BS04 Water safety checks
- BS05 Lift safety checks
- TP05 Satisfaction that the home is safe
Quality
Actions
- Meet the current Decent Homes Standard – and gear up for new DHS
- Seek assurance that your data is comprehensive, accurate and up to date
- Measure satisfaction with repairs and act where residents identify failings
- Learn from residents’ complaints. Remember that complaints can identify generic problems
- Ensure you’re on top of damp and mould problems. Keep policies and practices under regular review. Monitor implementation
- Ensure your board/governing body understands their responsibilities in asset management strategy. Inform them about repairs performance
- Learn from others about the best ways of investing in, repairing and maintaining stock
- Ensure you have effective, customer focused aids and adaptations policies and procedures
TSMs
- TP02 Satisfaction with repairs
- TP03 Satisfaction with time taken to complete most recent repair
- TP04 Satisfaction that the home is well maintained
- RP01 Homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard
- RP02 Repairs completed within target timescale
Neighbourhood
Actions
- Adopt policies and practices on neighbourhood management for individual estates/localities
- Listen to residents about their experiences, especially on ASB and neighbourhood management
- Ensure you are working effectively with other organisations to tackle domestic violence
- Ensure your data is location specific and supports you to address resident concerns
- Hold regular estate inspections involving residents, boards/governing bodies and senior staff and address any problems
- Learn from and respond positively to complaints on ASB and neighbourhood management issues
- Make sure other agency partners are fully on board with your aims and objectives
- Ensure your board/governing body understands their responsibilities in managing neighbourhoods and tackling ASB
- Adopt good practice that others have developed
TSMs
- TP10 Satisfaction that the landlord keeps communal areas clean and well-maintained
- TP11 Satisfaction that the landlord makes a positive contribution to neighbourhoods
- TP12 How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your landlord’s approach to handling anti-social behaviour?
- NM01 Anti-social behaviour cases relative to the size of the landlord
Transparency
Actions
- Make sure your data is correct. Check and double check figures
- Learn from data and improve services showing below par performance
- Revisit how you present performance data to residents via the new TSM framework
- Show residents you can disaggregate data down to estate level so it’s more meaningful
- Share performance data beyond TSMs with residents – eg, rent arrears, voids, service levels
- Involve your board/governing body in strategic decisions about the new TSMs. Keep residents on board
- Benchmark with peers and learn how best to collect, analyse and report on performance data
- HAs only: give your residents the right to access information about your activities
TSMs
- All 22 TSMs apply to this section
Engagement and accountability
Actions
- Review your engagement methods, taking account of communities’ needs and aspirations
- Ensure residents are an integral part of your governance structure
- Set targets for achieving high levels of satisfaction
- On complaints, get the basics right. Act swiftly on failings, offer redress and learn
- Use complaints data to identify broader service failure and take action
- Keep abreast of ombudsman reports and judgements
- Ensure your board/governing body leads on the strategic approach. Ensure residents play a critical role in oversight
- Provide examples of how scrutiny exercises and tenants’ views have influenced decisions and made a difference
- Demonstrate that your services are accessible to tenants and how you are delivering against equality and diversity targets/policies
TSMs
- TP06 Satisfaction that the landlord listens to tenant views and acts upon them
- TP07 Satisfaction that the landlord keeps tenants informed about things that matter to them
- TP08 Agreement that the landlord treats tenants fairly and with respect
- TP09 Satisfaction with the landlord’s approach to handling of complaints
- CH01 Complaints relative to the size of the landlord
- CH02 Complaints responded to within Complaint Handling Code timescales
Tenancy
Actions
- Review your allocation policies and practices
- Check allocations are fair and allow all communities reasonable access
- Ensure you can support local councils to meet need, particularly on homelessness
- Use your data to monitor performance on allocations and lettings
- Review tenancy management policies and practices ready for the new standard
- Take steps to maintain residents’ tenancies. Only seek possession as a last resort
- Ensure the board/governing body leads on allocations and oversees tenancy management. Residents also have a critical monitoring role
TSMs
No TSMs apply so gain assurance with:
- Scrutiny exercises
- Audits
- Reality checking the quality of the service – case files, response, call handling, mystery shopping
- Gathering wider tenant feedback – surveys, focus groups
Competency and conduct
Actions
- Ensure training needs assessment for all staff is up to date
- Draw up a comprehensive training plan for staff
- Review policies and practices to help ensure staff have the right qualifications and attributes
- Ensure your board/governing body also has people qualified to lead and comply with the RSH standard
- Review your training and development budget so staff can meet the regulator’s standard
- Ensure your board/governing body leads the drive on compliance. Ensure all staff focus on treating residents with respect and understanding. Involve residents too
TSMs
No TSMS apply so gain assurance with:
- Regularly canvassing staff – focus groups, surveys
- Assess the impact of training
- Reality checking the quality of the service – case files, responses, call handling, mystery shopping
If you would like a copy of the HQN social housing regulation toolkit or to discuss how we can assist with your preparations for the new era of regulation and inspection, please contact [email protected]
