You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Regulator hits Birmingham supported housing provider with enforcement notice
A Birmingham supported housing provider has been handed an enforcement notice by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after it “persistently failed to address serious failings”.
A Birmingham supported housing provider has been handed an enforcement notice by the Regulator of Social Housing after it “persistently failed to address serious failings” #UKhousingEasy Housing Association (EHA), a small provider which uses around 200 properties in the city for supported exempt accommodation, has been ordered to put a manager in place to oversee a “credible and comprehensive” action plan.
The RSH has also ordered the landlord to commission an independent review, after it failed to demonstrate that it was “managing its affairs appropriately”.
It is the second lease-based supported housing provider to receive enforcement action from the regulator in four months and follows a warning from the RSH in April about problems with lease-based housing models.
The action comes nearly two-and-a-half years after the RSH judged EHA to be non-compliant with the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.
The RSH has chosen a trio of senior leaders at social landlords to join EHA’s board: Nicole Seymour, executive director of corporate services at Sanctuary Group; Sayeed Haris, executive director of property services at Midland Heart; and Waseem Butt, director of building safety at Midland Heart.
The regulator said it had “engaged intensively” with EHA since the ruling, but the landlord has been “unable or unwilling to make the needed improvements”.
Jonathan Walters, deputy chief executive of the RSH, said: “When landlords cannot or will not resolve issues on their own, we will use our enforcement powers when necessary to make sure things are put right to protect tenants and their homes.
“In this case, EHA has persistently failed to address serious failings and we are taking enforcement action as a result.”
The enforcement notice states the regulator has concluded EHA has failed to deliver the outcomes of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.
The RSH found the landlord was unable to ensure governance that delivers outcomes for tenants in an effective, transparent and accountable way.
It highlighted EHA’s issues with managing resources so that it maintained viability while making sure social housing assets are not at undue risk.
The provider was also struggling to manage its affairs effectively and ensure it has an appropriate business control framework, the RSH said.
The regulator found that EHA has not given enough assurance that it is delivering the outcomes of the rent standard.
EHA’s independent review must cover 10 different areas and the provider must submit an action plan and timetable to be agreed with the RSH. The plan will have to state how it will either deliver the regulatory standards, or plan for a managed wind-down and voluntary de-registration.
Easy Housing Association has been contacted for comment.
Sign up for our regulation and legal newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
Latest stories
