Fast Track Social Housing Registration: The Gateway to the Renters’ Rights Act Success

The recently introduced Renters’ Rights Act marks a long overdue and positive step forward to protecting tenants and improving overall housing standards across the country.

However, while the legislation correctly focuses on tenant security and fair treatment, there is a pressing issue that could undermine its success: the speed and efficiency with which organisations can register as providers of social housing.

Why these registrations are so important

Social Housing plays a vital role in ensuring affordable, well built and maintained homes for those who need them are available. Despite this clear need the demand for housing continues to outstrip supply. If the process for registering new providers remains slow or overly complex, the consequences are likely to be severe and long lasting:

·       Missed opportunities: there are innovative organisations who may bring a fresh dynamic or business model to the sector could be locked out of the market due to a lack of development grant or assured payments for non-registered providers from local authorities.

·       Rental market bottlenecks: without sufficient social housing options, pressure on the private rental sector will multiply many time, driving up costs and reducing availability for those on low or middle incomes.

·       Development delays: Housing developers will also delay or remodel sites as developers struggle to partner with approved providers. Even now we are seeing take up of section 106 properties reducing as existing Registered Providers turn budgets to internal refurbishments and development programmes for financial and efficiency reasons.

Why fast track registration is especially urgent for temporary and supported housing

Upcoming changes such as increased demand for emergency accommodation, reforms to homelessness support, and evolving standards for supported living – all make it clear that the need for flexible, responsive and well run social housing is greater than it has ever been before.

Temporary and supported housing providers must be enabled to enter the market quickly to:

·       Respond to crises: Rapid registration enables providers to meet urgent needs. Such as sudden increases in homelessness or the need for safe accommodation for vulnerable groups.

·       Adaptation to Policy changes: As Government policies adapt, new providers can offer innovative solutions delivered in a an agile and tailored way to support issues such as mental health support, disability access and transitional housing.

·       Continuity of care and support: is absolutely vital for the tenants and should underpin all of this strategy, delays in registration can lead to service gaps or even closure that lead to disruption for residents who rely upon specialist accommodation and the support it provides.

While existing providers are likely able to be part of the solution other challenges mean that financially or by scale it is tricky for them to adapt to the needs as quickly as new, small and/or local providers.

Without a streamlined process existing or new entrant unregistered providers are likely to be unable to deliver core services when they are most needed  which could ultimately undermine the goals of the Renters’ Rights Act if not carefully managed.

The case against streamlined registration

Lets be clear the Regulator of Social Housing has a very clear and understandable reason for wishing to ensure anyone entering into the market will be compliant with the regulations. Access to state funds, via Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, Care and support fees and grants from Homes England or Greater London Authority for example mean that this is a resource that is open to abuse if not well managed and safeguarded.

However I strongly feel that while there must be checks and balances to registration the risk of development delays, homelessness and costs to the state of poorly managed temporary accommodation, amongst many other issues, makes a clear case for streamlining the process.

So what is the case for streamlined registration?

To prevent the consequences of delays in registration and mitigate the risks of streamlining registration it seems clear to me that the government must prioritise fast track registration for qualified organisations:

What could this look like?

·       Providing clear criteria: show transparent standards that would have to be reached that balance regulatory requirements with existing knowledge that these entrants may already be in the housing sector and are showing a commitment to the long term of regulation as a provider of social housing.

·       Single stage application: Allow some organisations to head directly to the detailed and final application stage. Criteria for this could be based on ownership or access to existing properties, viability without registration etc. If the organisation does not meet this set of criterion then the standard 2 stage process should be followed.

·       Dedicated support: new entrants that are fast tracked to automatically fall under supervision for a fixed period of time e.g. 2 years. A new department or resource would need to be funded to allow for this enhanced supervision.

·       Provisional registration: it may be that in some circumstances this fast track could lead to a provisional registration rather than a full one. This is not likely to be of any real benefit to tenants, the regulator or the organisation but could be considered. Personally I think ‘an in or out’ process would be better for the consumers all round.

·       Sector recognition: I think it is important to recognise that many in the private rented, supported housing, temporary housing, care, extra care, sheltered accommodation sectors amongst others are already providing services at or near what would be expected from regulated providers and they should be welcomed into the fold. We should remember that many of the best providers started small and locally and this model should be actively encouraged and returned to.

The Wider Picture

The Renters’ Rights Act has been debated and enacted to create a fairer, more secure housing landscape. Legislation alone however cannot deliver these results without an ecosystem that encourages growth, innovation and access to funds for smaller projects.

Empowering new providers including those in the specialist fields to enter the regulated market quickly and effectively means that the industry will deliver upon the goals of the act across the sector while also ensuring access to affordable, well maintained homes in communities that are equally well maintained.

It is my opinion that the government must act now to ensure the wider success of the Renters’ Rights Act and to deliver on its wider goals of improving housing supply, where it is needed and when it is needed.