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Scottish regulator publishes new asset management guidance amid ‘challenging period’
The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) has issued updated guidance to landlords to help ensure tenants’ homes remain “fit for purpose” amid a “challenging period” for asset management.
The Scottish Housing Regulator has issued updated guidance to landlords to help ensure tenants’ homes remain “fit for purpose” #UKhousing The guidance, which was first published in 2012, is aimed at helping landlords deal with the current economic challenges, reaching net zero targets and managing their assets to help protect tenants.
Landlords are operating in a “rapidly changing socio-economic, fiscal, legislative and policy environment, which shapes both asset management challenges and opportunities”, the guidance said.
It includes advice on setting asset management strategy targets and financial planning.
Among the advice related to tenants, the guidance said: “Landlords should be alert to whether customer feedback is representative of their entire tenant base, asking, for example, whether the views of younger tenants or under-represented groups are being captured.”
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Helen Shaw, director of regulation at the SHR, said: “Ensuring their assets – tenants’ homes – are in good condition, sustainable and meet the needs of tenants is a key priority for social landlords.
“Doing so can also help landlords to protect the interests of current and future tenants.
“We know that landlords are carefully considering the impact of various challenges including the cost crisis and the requirements arising from energy-efficiency and net zero targets on their investment plans and their asset management strategy.”
The SHR commissioned consultancy Arneil Johnston to show how the principles in the guidance can be put into practice.
Ms Shaw added that she hopes the principles can “help support social landlords to balance investment in their homes while keeping tenants’ rents affordable”.
The guidance is advisory and does not introduce any new duties for social landlords, she said.
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