PlaceShapers has used insight from tenants and members to help shape the impact of new consumer regulation arising from the Social Housing Bill.
The DLUHC Secretary of State sought direction on two elements of new regulation: mutual exchange and tenant involvement, ahead of full consultation on regulation later this year.
Allister Young, PlaceShapers Board member and CEO of Coastline Housing, said: “Our members place tenant direction and scrutiny at the heart of services so strengthening this principle of tenant involvement within the regulation will ensure better outcomes for residents and providers.
“On mutual exchange our focus is to give tenants greater control over housing and ensure the greatest support for those in most housing need.”
The key points of the PlaceShapers response are:
Tenant involvement
- PlaceShapers agree with the strengthened outcomes on tenant involvement.
- The regulation is right to require ‘a wide range of meaningful opportunities’ to influence services. Effective consultation and input can be gathered in a wide range of ways and is dependent on the circumstances of both tenant and landlord.
- There should be the widest range of opportunities to influence, and have meaningful impact, services and consultation should have a strong local, place based focus, which is often best achieved with a physical local presence.
- Good tenant involvement should not be overly prescriptive or allow for tick-box approaches. Good tenant involvement can be conducted in multiple different ways, and one type of involvement should not be required above others.
Mutual exchange
- PlaceShapers agrees with this proposal to support tenants who would otherwise be unable to use the mutual exchange system, giving them more power over their housing situation and helping alleviate problems that providers experience regarding allocations and housing suitability.
- PlaceShapers welcome efforts to not be overly prescriptive, recognising that a place-based approach is the most effective way of ensuring the right result.
- PlaceShapers has restated its support for the direction which states that tenants should not have to pay a fee to use such services - given the relatively low frequency of internal moves within social housing stock, all efforts should be made to make the process as attractive and easy to use as possible.
PlaceShapers has ensured tenant voice is at the front of our response to all stages of the Social Housing Bill. This has included:
- Ensuring the Housing Minister heard direct from tenants at the Bill’s Green Paper stage in 2017.
- Organising tenant round tables and events so tenants can input direct into new regulation, including sessions with the Regulator of Social Housing.
- Helping members ensure best practice without needing to wait for new regulation using a publication resulting from tenant feedback on consumer regulation.
The full scope of the consultation and full copy of the revised directions can be found here.
PlaceShapers submitted its response on 27 March 2023.
