The Scottish Housing Regulator today wrote to all social landlords to highlight the importance of meeting their duties to keep tenants and residents safe.
The Regulator’s letter comes after it identified that some of the registered social landlords it had been engaging with had been unable to show they met the required duties. This includes those around the management of asbestos and electrical safety.
It also found that the governing bodies of these landlords did not seek or get the necessary assurance that their organisation was meeting its legal duties on tenant and resident safety.
The Regulator requires landlords to assure themselves that they are complying with all relevant duties around the safety of tenants’ homes.
Ian Brennan, Director of Regulation, said:
“Social landlords must ensure they meet all duties on tenant and resident safety and that they obtain the necessary assurances about their compliance. They must ensure that they are taking prompt action to address any non-compliance.
“We will be talking to landlords on how they are obtaining assurance in this area as part of our follow up work on the Annual Assurance Statements.”
Social landlords must submit an Annual Assurance Statement to the Regulator by 31st October 2019 confirming whether they meet all relevant legal duties and responsibilities, including health and safety.
Read our letter to Registered Social Landlords on tenant and resident safety>
Read our letter to local authorities on tenant and resident safety>
Notes to editors
1. The Scottish Housing Regulator was established on 1 April 2011 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. Its objective is to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants and others who use local authority and RSL housing services. The Regulator operates independently of Scottish Ministers and is accountable directly to the Scottish Parliament. It assumed its full regulatory responsibilities on 1 April 2012. The Regulator consists of the Chair and eight Board members. More information about the Regulator can be found on its website at www.housingregulator.gov.scot
2. SHR sets out how it regulates social landlords in its published framework – Regulation of Social Housing in Scotland.