Councils call for urgent clarity on approach to inspection under Social Housing (Regulation) Bill

Funding questions must be resolved ahead of implementation of the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

It said in a briefing issued before the committee stage in the House of Lords that it wanted to work with the Government and the Regulator of Social Housing “to ensure that there is a proportionate, risk-based approach to inspection, as well as urgent clarity on how this will be delivered and funded”.

The LGA said it welcomed proposals to strengthen the role of the Regulator to increase the rights of tenants, but said any new requirements or responsibilities for councils must “align with proposals being brought forward in both the Fire Safety Act and the Building Safety Act and [be] fully funded”.

Funding clarity was also urgently needed on delivery of the risk-based approach to inspection.

It suggested a sector-led improvement approach through use of peer reviews and performance benchmarking, “could provide a complementary, or even an alternative approach to inspection”.

Further clarity was required too on how a proposal would work to enable the Regulator to act more quickly where it has concerns about the decency of a home.

Regulatory activity should give priority in interventions to “landlords that are experiencing the most severe challenges”, the LGA said.

There was a £5,000 cap on fines the Regulator can impose on social landlords and the LGA urged ministers to “consider carefully the implications of removing the cap” as fines on council landlords would in effect be paid for from tenants’ rents, “to the detriment of local service provision”.

The LGA said it supported an amendment moved by Labour’s Baroness Hayman to ensure a diverse regional representation on the Advisory Panel to the Regulator

Turning to the Government’s consultation on introducing the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector, the LGA applauded the idea but said it would be vital that councils “are sufficiently resourced, through new burdens funding, to support the implementation of the standard”.

Mark Smulian