Landlords too focused on development, says consumer champion
Tenant services being taken for granted
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Housing associations have become too ‘starry-eyed’ about development while taking services to tenants for granted, the chief executive of the new Consumer Focus watchdog has claimed.
Ed Mayo set out his initial thoughts about the direction the new organisation will take in an exclusive interview with Inside Housing.
The organisation was created from a merger of the National Consumer Council, Energywatch and Postwatch and will launch publicly in the new year.
Mr Mayo said that Consumer Focus would in the spring begin examining how it could work alongside new social housing regulator the Tenant Services Authority and the new National Tenant Voice.
‘There is still a dramatic culture change required across the social housing sector for better consumer services,’ Mr Mayo said.‘
People are not getting a fair deal across the sector. The landlord-tenant relationship has always been one of power, right back to feudal times.
’Mr Mayo said that leaseholders could be left behind by the TSA and NTV, and said Consumer Focus might be able to ‘plug the gap’ by supporting them.
‘Leaseholders have far less of a voice,’ he said.
The former chief executive of the National Consumer Council and long-time social justice campaigner also said he wanted to fight prejudice and explore the issue of the stigma around social housing. ‘I find it hard to describe my sense of unease, and outrage, at the word “chav”,’ Mr Mayo said. ‘It articulates and entrenches a fundamental discrimination.
‘Most social tenants are proud to live where they live. Most people in social housing are people with extraordinary resources and talents; they are not “the left behind”.
’Mr Mayo said landlords needed to get back to the core activity of providing tenant services in the economic downturn.
‘Housing associations have been starry-eyed about development. Too many landlords have taken services to tenants for granted,’ he said.
Consumer Focus has identified fuel poverty as its first campaign priority and is pushing for lower utility rates for poorer households.
Mr Mayo said that the TSA should champion private tenants as well as social tenants.
He also pledged support to an independent NTV, despite once suggesting the NCC might run it.‘It is far more powerful for the voice of tenants to be for tenants by tenants.
‘We can play a supportive role, we have powers as a consumer organisation, but there is no way we would interfere,’ he said.
Speaking out for consumers: Ed Mayo’s views
- ‘Too many landlords have taken services to tenants for granted. ‘If we look at other sectors they have fallen behind in consumer service. ‘The sector has only taken its first baby steps.
- ‘Value for money is something that matters much more to consumers now.‘People are feeling the pinch, particularly those on a fixed income having to swallow larger energy prices.’
- ‘We don’t want to duplicate what other people are doing in the social housing sector. No one who knows me would think I would in any way compete or be anything but supportive to the Tenant Voice.’
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Readers' comments (3)
Jim Parsons | 14/11/2008 10:36 am
Mr Mayo's comments are absolutely right. For far too long housing associations have ignored the very basic fact that they are there as a service provider but are intent at developing 'their business' instead of putting tenants first. In our case Orbit Housing Association has managed former council stock as though they were running a corporate business, telling tenants and leaseholders what they will do and how much we will pay for their 'service'. Now, after a damning report following an audit commission inspection, our landlord has been forced into change; and guess what? they are launching a new strategy called 'Putting residents first'! This after 11 years of gross mismanagement, what do they think they should have been doing? It's good to see at last someone doing something about these failing housing associations.
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Stephen West | 14/11/2008 11:25 am
I fully endorse both Mr Mayo's comments, the recent Audit Commission report in to its inspection of my landlord Orbit South which was awarded just one star out of a possible three stated quote" Orbit South is an expensive organisation. The Association has carried out a benchmarking exercise that involved comparing its 2008/09 budget costs compared to the actual costs of 32 other chosen organisations in 2006/07. This was a high level indicative exercise. The results show that while performance as measured in tenant surveys and key indicators is better than average, costs are relatively ever higher.
• Total core housing management pay and overhead costs per property are
both in line with the 25 per cent most expensive associations.
• The total housing management cost per property is the second highest out of
the 33 organisations when excluding overheads and third highest when
including overheads" end quote. It is simply not enough for our landlords to provide expensive services which we as leaseholders paying variable fixed service charges are expected to pay for if, our landlords then fail to put in to place effective means of monitoring those services. It has taken leaseholders four years to resolve issues relating to previously poor grounds maintenance standards with our landlords who simply would not listen to us. Now our landlords as a result of the Audit Commission report are having to strip out layers of management to reduce their core costs are actively seeking management redundancies and early retirements of its staff.
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Eva Silver | 16/11/2008 4:52 pm
We having a lot of problems with our Housing Association not adhere to the Policy and Procedures under Repairs, Complaints , Correspondence and believe the payment annual salary is well over the norm. Events holding and Survey all mess up and cannot get Minutes of Meetings from them. What I been hearing about the new TSA Paul Marsh is some else please another out they know whom we turn to also understand that the Housing Association alleged allegations pick whom going to be at the Audit Inspection and alleged allegation pick whom going to be on the Complaints Panel we need help the Customer/Tenants/Resident on top on that turn to our MP to find out alleged allegations that both he and the Chief Executive friends. Please we ask for a TSA person to come in and will not give us a answer and the fact all these staff,Officers, Directors paid what about us and the grants so small whom in right mind can afford to set up a Tenant and Resident Forum Panel and the training all it appears to me is that want hodding dogs and boxes ticked these Housing Association we need someone who can guide us help us see if this Housing is pulling the wool over our eyes and the fact that the Housing Ombudsman on the face of it under Complaint Procedures seem to go with the Housing Association first I know a Customer/Tenant twice under Stage 1 and didnt adhere to the Procedures went out Stage 2 with Chief Executive didnt adhere to the condition and let the Customer/Tenant down on the repair conditions she ask to go to Stage 3 Complaint Panel and put in back to Stage 1 and does seem on the face of it that the Housing Ombudsman is listening to her - Please someone out they help us deal with this Housing Association PLEASE PLEASE
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