CIH calls for clarity on regulatory standards

The CIH is responding to a discussion document published by the Tenant Services Authority in June which set out its vision for a system of ‘co-regulation’ that would apply to social landlords across England from April next year. The TSA’s paper suggested landlords would regulate themselves with the help of scrutiny by tenants and external monitoring.

But the CIH’s response states that that there is ‘uncertainty’ about the principle of co-regulation and ‘in particular what it may mean in reality’.

It states that the CIH thinks ‘there is a strong need for the TSA to reiterate and better articulate what co-regulation will mean in practice for tenants as well as providers’.

‘CIH would welcome further guidance and clarity around this,’ it states.

The TSA’s discussion document also said regulation will be based on a set of national standards. These are split into six main themes, such as the service offer to tenants, governance, viability and value for money.

The CIH says that it has since been involved in a number of advisory groups helping to draw up the standards.

‘We have observed that the individual standards are being developed in quite different ways, with some advisory panels being asked to consider broad principles and others looking in some detail at procedural requirements,’ it states.

‘While we recognise that some standards will require more detail than others (for example through amplification via codes of practice) we also hope that differences in consultation are not manifest in the final standards.’

Overall, the CIH states that the discussion paper ‘provides a solid platform on which to move forward’.

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