Industry news
Statistical return masks a year of challenges for housing associations
their regulator, which looks more like a modest and unexciting school report. The Homes & Communities Agency has
A
published a composite report based on the data returns from all private registered providers of social housing in England. This shows only slight changes in total stock
numbers, despite the pressures on associations to deliver the annual rent cut while supporting their tenants coping with welfare benefit reductions and the roll-out of Universal Credit. However, an increasing proportion of the sector’s housing is now owned by a small group of large landlords. The highest numbers of housing association
homes are to be found in the north west of England (514,044 homes) and London (453,472 homes), which combined represents just over 36 per cent of the national HA stock.
KEY POINTS Private registered providers of social housing (PRPs) owned 2,781,305 homes / bedspaces at 31 March 2017, an increase of 0.7 per cent on the total for 2016 and the smallest rise in stock numbers since 2014. The slow rate of growth is partly explained by
the absence of any transfer activity - this being the first year since 2014 without a new stock transfer from local authorities taking place.
year of momentous challenges for social housing landlords is barely reflected in the annual statistical returns made to
Large PRPs built 36,438 new homes in 2016/17. This included 23,907 social rental
properties, down 14.2 per cent from 27,855 in 2015/16, but the figures do not include any non-social housing properties (such as outright sales) built by unregistered entities within HA groups. The percentage of vacant homes is falling with
the largest associations reporting that 1.1 per cent of their homes were vacant as of 31 March 2017, down from 1.2 per cent in 2016 and 1.4 per cent in 2015. Meanwhile, the proportion of homes vacant and available for letting dropped from 0.8 per cent in 2015 to 0.6 per cent in 2016/17. The average rent for general needs housing
owned by PRPs with more than 1,000 homes / bedspaces was £96.61 per week, representing a decrease of 1.3 per cent since 2016, reflecting policy changes introduced by the Welfare Reform and Work Act (2016). The number of PRPs completing the Statistical
Data Return dropped slightly from 1,490 providers in 2016 to 1,432 providers in 2017, mostly as a result of deregistrations and mergers. Five providers owned more than 50,000
properties each in 2017. Combined, these five providers alone account for over 10 per cent of all social housing stock within the sector (owning 288,048 units between them). The number of for-profit providers increased
during the year from 26 to 31, and they now own 873 homes. While this is a 56 per cent increase on
the homes owned the previous year, it remains a very small fraction of the 2.8 million homes owned by providers overall.
RISK BASED The regulator collects data on stock type, size, rent and location of social housing stock at 31 March each year, and data on sales and acquisitions made between 1 April and 31 March. The information is used to inform its risk-based and proportionate approach to regulation and to help a range of stakeholders better understand the housing association market. The combined statistical data return report is available to view and download from the
Gov.uk website. Fiona MacGregor, Executive Director of
Regulation at the HCA, said: “The publication of the data return shows that the housing association sector has continued to increase the number of homes that it owns and manages for the benefit of social housing tenants throughout England, at the same time as implementing the requirements of the Welfare Reform and Work Act.” The figures reported in the 2017 Return
show that, across the sector, rents have fallen in line with the terms of the Act. If statistical data raises concerns that individual providers may not be setting rents in line with the relevant standards and legislation, the HCA will seek assurance from the landlords concerned and if necessary will reflect this in published governance judgements.
CityWest Homes appoints new maintenance contractors
CityWest Homes have appointed four new organisations to provide repairs and maintenance services to their 21,000 properties in Westminster for the next 10 years. The five new long-term contracts have a total
value of £219 million and they replace the previous 11 repair contracts which expired over
the course of the summer. Residents are being offered a quicker and more efficient service through improved communications about repairs by text alerts and more specific appointment slots. Morgan Sindall Property Services have taken
over the management of the general repairs and voids contract, as well as responsibility for
domestic heating. Oakray will deal with electrical services, Precision Lifts have the lifts contract and GEM will be responsible for mechanical services. Jim Paterson Property Services Director at
CityWest Homes said: “Each of the new contractors were selected because they provided impressive proposals and in some cases not only met but exceeded the criteria set out in the tender. We are enjoying working with our new partners and are looking forward to developing long term relationships with them in order to offer an improved service for our residents.”
Lincs council approves HA merger plan
North East Lincolnshire Council has given the go- ahead for a merger between two housing associations to create a 12,700-home landlord. The merger of Shoreline Housing Partnership and Boston
Mayflower.could complete by the end of
the year. Shoreline took on the council’s housing
stock in 2005, and currently owns and manages almost 8,000 such homes across north-east Lincolnshire. Boston Mayflower, was formed in
18 | HMM November 2017 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
1999 and owns almost 5,000 homes in the south of the county. Papers for the council’s cabinet showed just 2.2
per cent of tenants responded to a consultation exercise on the merger plans. This resulted in a miserly 1.4 per cent of tenants in favour of the merger, with 0.5 per cent against and 0.2 per cent neutral.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
