Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities consultation seeks views on revised Directions from the Secretary of State to the Regulator of Social Housing in relation to Tenant Involvement and Mutual Exchange.
The Regulator will review its consumer standards later this year, which is a key step to implementing the new regime. Ahead of this, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will issue revised directions to the Regulator which will instruct on the contents of the standards in two areas:
- tenant involvement and
- mutual exchange.
The tenant involvement direction includes requiring engagement opportunities to be meaningful, giving “tenants” greater opportunity to scrutinise their “landlords’” activities and offering support so all tenants can engage with involvement activities.
The mutual exchange direction covers tenants’ right to access a service that helps them exchange their property with other social housing tenants. This has been revised to give providers more freedom in how they allow tenants to access mutual exchange services and require providers to support tenants who might otherwise be unable to use the service.
Our contacts at DLUC have urged us to comment on this consultation paper, the full details of which can be found here.
It is not easy to respond to a consultation which does not seem to fit well with the almshouse model itself, however, the overriding factor that must be conveyed is our support for the highest standards in providing warm, safe and secure homes. The Association will continue to work with the Charity Commission and the Regulator to explore how their objectives can be met in ways that are consistent with small charities delivering a very unique form of housing.
Our draft response can be downloaded here. If you have any comments on the consultation and/or our response, please email nickphillips@almshouses.org before 25th March 2023.
14 March 2023