Thinking about becoming a Registered Provider? By registering with the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) you’re signing up to meet specific obligations, such as delivering the regulatory standards, notifying the regulator about certain activities, submitting data returns, and providing requested information. You will also need to register with the Housing Ombudsman. So, what does this mean in practice? Let’s take a look.
Who is the Regulator of Social Housing?
The RSH is the body that regulates registered providers of social housing. It aims to ensure that tenants in social housing live in safe, quality homes and receive good services both now and in the future. That means being able to demonstrate that you comply with the regulatory standards and have plans in place to ensure that you can continue to do so. Key to this is ensuring that the social housing sector is viable, efficient, and well governed.
The RSH has two objectives set by Parliament:
- Economic Regulation – Making sure landlords are financially viable and well-run.
- Consumer Regulation – Ensuring tenants get safe homes, good services, and a voice in decisions that affect them.
Regulation is carried out at the landlord level - not individual homes. That means the regulator assesses how an organisation as a whole is meeting the regulatory standards. The standards outline the outcomes landlords must deliver but it is for your organisation to decide how to deliver these outcomes to best meet the needs of your residents. The standards include expectations around:
- Quality of homes
- Safety
- Financial health
- Governance
- Value for money
- Tenant satisfaction
What Does This Mean for Registered Providers?
The RSH follows five principles in the way they regulate:
1. Landlord-Level Regulation
Do the systems and controls you use deliver the right outcomes? How do you monitor performance? Are issues fixed promptly and effectively?
2. Co-Regulation
The board or councillors that run your organisation are responsible for compliance with the standards. They should be open, transparent, and responsive.
3. Risk-Based Approach
Attention is focused where the risk is higher - whether it’s to tenants’ safety, financial viability, or how well a landlord is run. The higher the risk, the more you will be scrutinised.
4. Assurance-Based Regulation
You need to evidence that you are delivering the outcomes of the standards. Lack of assurance or weak evidence can lead to stronger regulatory action.
5. Outcome-Focused
You decide how to deliver the standards, but you must deliver the right results for your tenants.
You can expect a different approach to be taken depending on the size of your organisation, but all landlords are expected to meet the standards. Large landlords (1000+ homes) can also expect the RSH to issue gradings and carry out inspections.
To help inform their assessment the RSH will review a wide range of data and information, including:
- Financial returns
- Tenant satisfaction measures
- Referrals and whistle-blower reports
- Sector-wide risk analysis
They also respond to concerns and complaints when they raise material issues about a landlord’s delivery. This might mean investigating further, requesting evidence, or scheduling inspections.
If you fail to meet the standards, especially in serious ways, you can expect the RSH to take action. This might be through self-improvement, for example, submitting action plans but the RSH also has legal enforcement powers which could include appointing board members or taking over management in extreme cases.
Need Expert Support?
Thornton & Lowe offers comprehensive support to organisations seeking to register as social housing providers in England, including for-profit providers. Our team combines extensive bid writing expertise with in-depth knowledge of the social housing sector to guide clients through the registration process.
We offer a range of flexible options and can tailor our support to meet the needs of your organisation. Our structured guidance packages include access to training sessions delivered by an active CEO from a Registered Provider. These interactive sessions guide you through the registration process, answer common questions, and offer a chance for open discussion.
For those looking for hands-on help, we also provide a fully managed service where our team leads and manages the entire application process, including documentation, preparation, and liaison with the Regulator.
To explore the best route for your organisation, take a look at our detailed guidance on becoming a registered social housing provider or get in touch with our housing consultancy team.
