As Housing Today revealed last month, four associations were singled out as interaction or enforcement cases for breaching rent rules (Housing Today, 22 June).
Banks of the Wear housing association and Bourne housing society breached rent level standards, while both Ealing Family and Medina housing associations broke the rent rise envelope.
The associations admitted their faults, but some privately condemned the procedure as unnecessarily embarrassing.
The corporation had been at pains to keep the names of those due to be "shamed" secret until they had been informed, following last year's debacle which former chief executive Anthony Mayer later admitted was "discourteous" (Housing Today, 17 February).
But one board member said: "The problem we all have is if we start making a fuss about this we make matters worse for ourselves."
A report by the corporation stressed that, despite the harsh financial climate of high interest rates and earnings against low inflation, the vast majority of associations met the rents standard, while 200 of the larger.
The average rise in rents in the year to 31 March 1999 was 3.8 per cent, compared with the guideline limit of 4.7 per cent.
The total number investigated was 56 - significantly fewer than last year's 84.
Corporation assistant director of regulation Tim Jackson said: "The good news is the vast majority of associations complied this year or had identified the problem and were doing something about it".
Jackson said the corporation was confident that the sector would be able to meet the even harsher financial climate once the government begins restructuring rents.
"In many respects associations are moving in the right direction," he said. "Associations are far more aware of the implications of rents on tenants. We will have to be intelligent when we look at this in future."
Source
Housing Today
No comments yet