Ministers consult on social housing charter revision

Standards that tenants of social housing in Scotland should expect from their landlords are the subject of a newly opened Government consultation.

Ministers are reviewing the Scottish Social Housing Charter, introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. The charter requires ministers to set standards and outcomes that social landlords should be achieving for tenants and other housing-related customers, and to review these from time to time. The current charter runs until 31 March 2017, and views on its operation are being invited ahead of the revised version.

The charter aims to:

• give tenants, homeless people and other customers a clear understanding of what they should expect from a social landlord;
• give landlords a clear understanding of what they should be delivering through their housing activities; and
• provide the basis for the Scottish Housing Regulator to monitor, assess and report on the performance of social landlords, and if necessary to require compliance with the charter.

Through the Regulator’s reports it also gives landlords the information they need to achieve continuous improvements in their performance; and gives tenants and other customers information on how their landlord is performing in relation to other landlords.

The consultation paper sets out the 16 current charter outcomes and standards, and for each one asks whether it should be kept as it is or changed in some way. A further section asks for suggested additions to the charter.

Click here to view the consultation. Responses are due by 24 August 2016.