Britain's largest registered social landlord is to have its progress monitored by Glasgow City Council to ensure it keeps promises made to tenants before transfer.
The council's housing development committee will receive several reports throughout the year detailing Glasgow Housing Association's work in a number of areas corresponding to commitments given to tenants as far back as 2001.

Key commitments include GHA's promise not to raise rents by more than the rate of inflation for its first five years, and to spend almost £1.4bn on the homes within the next 10-and-a-half years.

The council committee will check that interim spending targets are being met.

The first report will cover GHA's progress in the first year after transfer and will be submitted to the committee in May.

A council spokesman said the council did not have any specific concerns about GHA, which took over the city's 80,000 homes last March. He added: "The council has given up its landlord function but it still has a commitment to tenants.

"We will not be standing over GHA telling them how we think things could be done better; this is about letting tenants know that their interests are being looked out for."

However, even if the council's monitors find GHA wanting, they will have no means of recourse.

A local government source suggested that the council could only seek to embarrass GHA by publicly stating that its work had failed to satisfy the commitments made prior to transfer.

A spokesman for Glasgow Housing Association said: "GHA welcomes the chance to work with the city council to monitor progress."