Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Developments in inspection and assessment

Roy Irwin

Chief Inspector of Housing

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Landlord inspection scores by year and by organisation type

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04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08

Year and score

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ALMO

Who are the best landlords?

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Inspection scores over time

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04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08

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Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

What does this tell us?

• ALMOs are the highest performing provider with 80% achieving a good or excellent inspection score

• There is no clear trend of performance improving over time

• 68% of inspections found that landlord services were fair (55%) or poor (13%)

• A significant proportion of social housing tenants are not receiving a good service from their landlord

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Cave review

• Commissioned in December 2006 and reported in June 2007

• Review of the regulation of social housing, making proposals for a system of regulation and an institutional framework.

• Set the objectives of regulation as:– the continued provision of high quality social housing– to empower and protect tenants– to expand the choice of provider at all levels in the provision

of social housing

• Recommended the establishment of an independent regulator

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Context for the new regulatory agenda

• Oftenant responsible for regulating HAs from 2009

• ALMOs / LA landlord services to be included within 2 years

• Currently no common set of standards or PIs exist across the housing domain

• Prof Ian Cole appointed to explore consistency

• Housing Bill requires the regulator to set service standards

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Possible rewards?

• Less regulation, inspection or prescription for providers• Reduced fees• Fewer and less regular returns• More freedoms• Rent flexibility• Benefits – awards, opportunities to influence, etc• Positive reports to H&CA

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Possible sanctions?

• More regulation, greater likelihood of inspections• More prescriptive requirements• Higher fees• Fuller information returns / improvement plans• Fewer freedoms• Compensation payments to tenants• Fines• Transfers of stock management / ownership• No investment funding following negative reports to

H&CA

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Audit Commission’s role• Working closely with emerging Oftenant agenda but no immediate change

in 2008/09

• Future links between Oftenant’s standards and AC KLOEs

• Continuing role in landlord inspections

• Other types of assessments and research

• Continuing use of Tenant Inspection Advisors

• Links to new local performance framework

• Strategic housing function inspections

– Supporting People

– Private sector housing

– Homelessness and housing advice

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Meanwhile … Short Notice Inspections

Background

• Government agenda – ‘The future of local services inspection’ November 2005

• Elton Review - reducing the burdens of regulation • Use of short notice in other sectors – e.g. Ofsted• Changing focus of regulation and inspection –

outcomes and performance management• Risk assessment

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Piloting Short Notice Inspections• Smaller scope with a greater focus on outcomes

• Reducing the burden of inspection and cost of preparation

• Impact of recommendations from previous inspection on improving services

• Use of existing evidence - previous inspection reports, Housing Corporation Assessment (HCA), PIs, HA’s own assessment of performance (where they have one)

• Use of Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) – selected services with related cross cutting themes and Judgement 2

• Consideration of the consequences of poor results - full service re-inspection, second SNI, exclusion from future programme

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Pilot programme

• Pilot programme from October 2007 to now • Focus on 12 volunteers - some 1 HAs and HAs which

have not been inspected• Pilot reports are not being published but the HA’s are

being encouraged to publish them independently• Full evaluation in process and review of policy and

procedures will follow• Second half of 2008/2009 HA inspection programme

earmarked for possible SNI programme

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Meanwhile, meanwhile … Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA)

• The new joint assessment framework led by the Audit Commission for local services from 2009

• A catalyst for further improvement in the quality of life for citizens, the experience of people who use services and VFM for tax payers

• A source of independent information and assurance about local services for citizens and central government

• A mechanism for coordinating, rationalising and targeting inspection, improvement support and interventions where they are most needed

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

CAA – key components

• For areas: annual area risk assessment (“prospects for the area and the quality of life for local people”) by inspectorates jointly; and performance on the new national indicator set

• For councils, NHS trusts, police authorities and fire and rescue authorities:

annual use of resources judgement (by appointed external auditor)

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Scope of CAA• Focus on outcomes which are the responsibility of the

local authority either alone or working in partnership with other public, voluntary or private sector bodies

This includes:

health and well-being community safety

sustainable communities economic development

delivery of better and more housing children’s services

• Other service-specific performance frameworks will continue, but will need to fit with CAA

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Housing Markets Assessment – key component of CAA

• Housing market performance critical to success of an area

• Need to be at the heart of the risk assessment• Housing and delivery framework• Need a picture of the market and critically…• Plans to make the housing market meet the needs

of the community

Audit Commission

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Housing Inspectorate

Questions

For you – How do you see service delivery going forward being improved?

For me – …?