It may be argued that housing associations are more professional social landlords than some councils and that the Housing Corporation has not needed to act tough because it has not encountered problems like those in Hull and Walsall. Ultimately though, Prescott's department, and many MPs, believe tenants will get a better deal with Roy Irwin's team bringing the strays of either sector to heel.
However, registered social landlords shouldn't really be concerned by the prospect of new inspectors knocking at their doors. If you're pleasing your tenants it doesn't matter who hands out the gold stars.
What is of concern to RSLs, though, is what this all means for their future and that of the Housing Corporation. Will they be brought more into line with other public services? No one wants to see an erosion of their financial freedoms and a stifling of their ability to innovate. Prescott has acted quickly to allay these fears by talking up the role of the Housing Corporation in the delivery of new homes in the South-east. His department is also acting to calm the nerves of lenders by reassuring them that the corporation will retain its regulatory role.
What seems to be apparent is that the formation of a single inspectorate for housing has not been as straightforward as chancellor Gordon Brown might have imagined when he announced the idea back in July. The result is a fudge, but not necessarily a bad one. Like any compromise, it can only work if the detail and lines of reporting are crystal clear. Every social landlord needs to know exactly what the relationship between the Housing Corporation and the Audit Commission will be and what new measures, if any, will be brought to bear on underperforming RSLs. The Audit Commission can currently threaten to send in hit squads of experts. The corporation doesn't even seem to be able to threaten underperformers with a reduction of their grant. There is certainly not much point bringing in a tougher new watchdog if it has to permanently wear a muzzle.
Source
Housing Today
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