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England’s social housing regulator has promised small providers that it will support them if they get into difficulties as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter to social housing providers with fewer than 1,000 homes today, Fiona MacGregor, chief executive of the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), repeated urges for those facing severe financial or operational issues to get in touch “as soon as possible”.
There are concerns that smaller housing associations – especially those with significant care activities – could struggle to absorb shocks caused by COVID-19.
Jonathan Walters, deputy chief executive of the RSH, told Inside Housing this week that the regulator is worried about these organisations’ ability to cope.
The National Housing Federation has said that some small supported and sheltered housing providers “urgently need” short-term government funding.
The pandemic is expected to lead to increased voids and rent arrears for social landlords, while social distancing rules may make some safety checks harder to carry out.
Landlords with a large proportion of tenants who are vulnerable to the virus or need close support are likely to face particular challenges ensuring staff and residents are protected.
“While our standards remain in force, we see our role currently as identifying and supporting those organisations that are struggling to meet the challenges they are facing,” Ms MacGregor’s letter said.
“If you do experience difficulty then we would want to work with you and your stakeholders to try and find the right package of support for your organisation and tenants.
“The sooner we are aware of issues, the easier it is for us to find an appropriate support and so we would encourage you to talk to us as soon as is necessary.”
The letter went out to around 1,100 social housing providers, which owned around 100,000 homes combined in 2019.
Regular surveys for housing associations with more than 1,000 homes have been launched by the RSH in a bid to identify key issues facing the sector.
Organisations that have more than 500 homes and large care operations are also involved.
In her letter, Ms MacGregor said: “We do not think that it is appropriate to ask all smaller organisations to complete this survey, but if there are any providers who are getting into difficulties they cannot resolve and tenant safety is threatened or viability is under strain, you must contact us.”
The RSH’s dedicated email address for landlords owning fewer than 1,000 homes is SmallProviders@rsh.gov.uk.
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