Life beyond red tape Richard Capie Deputy Chief Executive Chartered Institute of Housing

Regulation = red-tape  You’ve seen a lot of housing ministers coming and going, after each reshuffle they tell you about their new targets that have to be reached, the way they want money to be spent and the latest pet project that’s going to come out of Whitehall,’  ‘I’ve shadowed these ministers and I’ve seen while they have been pulling levers and pushing buttons and blowing whistles not much has necessarily happened at the other end.  ‘So what do I want to do now that I have these levers? I want to hand the levers over to you.’

But changes in social housing regulation pre-dated coalition  Audit Commission KLOEs  Elton review  Housing Corporation - Regulatory Code  Cave - social housing regulation  Cole - domain regulation  But we were largely happy with the TSA settlement

A(nother) whole new world  HCA - independent regulatory committee  Social housing regulation continues within HCA but consumer focus limited  “serious detriment” test  Single Ombudsman  Local Tenant Panels  Regulation but not as we know it or has been envisaged

Mixed reaction from providers and tenants  About time we were left to get on with it…  Who is going to set the standards?  What happens to “average” landlords?  So they’ll care about the money but what about my home?  What’s happened to direct access to the Ombudsman?  Will a regulation committee and new arrangements satisfy lenders?

Some things haven’t changed  Tenants still have limited market powers and constrained choice  (Most) tenants can’t hand back the keys and go elsewhere  Limited competition (if any) amongst providers  Lenders still want to know their lending has a regulatory backstop (£40bn and rising)  Government wants providers to deliver more value for money from tax payer funding  Ministers still like to be able to direct - tenant cashback anyone?

Primary challenge is to boards and tenants  To define local standards and agree expectations  To create mechanisms which monitor and hold landlords to account  To push organizations to benchmark excellence from within housing and without…  To demand the best services and the best value for money  To be accountable and transparent

But its about more than individual organizations  How to translate excellence and improvement in one organisation into improvement across a sector  Who is going to take an interest in the shape of the whole of social housing sector? In shaping the market? In identifying the best, in challenging the worst?  In demanding better from the average?  No KLOEs, No CRMI/IGP, CAA anyone? LGPF? Different approach to central government guidance…  In programme for government says “we will end the culture of tick- box regulation and instead target through co-regulation and improving professional standards”.

CIH is your home of professional standards  Learn with us, Improve with us, Influence with us.  Advocates of co-regulation and sector- led improvement for many years  CIH currently developing its role in supporting organisations as well as individuals to be professional and deliver excellence.  Responding to demand from the sector and members - returning to a role that we historically played.

CIH is your home of professional standards  Its why we exist - to champion and support professionalism and excellence  We are cross domain - we aren’t wedded to any organisational type  We are interested in excellence regardless of tenure - as the lines blur this is increasingly important  We are the trusted and respected home of good practice - Practice Online, UKHA, our conferences and training  Government recognizes our role as the professional body - MBUST, ASB, FI teams  We are an educational charity and accredit others  All our profits are re-invested back in to the sector

Watch this space  Respect charter launched this week  Demanded tenants and providers  But driven and shaped by sector not government or regulators - but fits with framework  Work with SLCNG and Housemark  Looked at professional practice across other sectors - opted for Charter approach  CIH provides resources to support individuals and businesses, working with key partners and experts  Critically our role is to gather information to shape and improve policy as well as improve service delivery  Equality and diversity is next  CIH’s role around professional standards continues to change to meet your demands for the future  We want to hear from you - your chance to help shape our role…