Landlords should develop value for money strategies that put tenants first
Social landlords in Scotland should consider future tenants when analysing the value for money of what they do according to a new report.
How Do You Know If You Are Providing Value For Money? aims to get the housing sector thinking about what value for money should look like in Scotland and provide social landlords with practical guidance on how to define, manage and demonstrate it.
The report, produced by CIH Scotland, Wheatley and HouseMark Scotland, recommends that the social housing sector develops its own value for money strategy to include tenants, future tenants and local communities.
The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) should broaden its focus in a similar manner, it states.
It has never been more important for social landlords to deliver value for money - Hazel Young
And it encourages tenants to be "demanding and determined"in securing transparency on value for money and landlords to focus on communicating as well as achieving it.
Annie Mauger, director of CIH’s national business units, said: “Value for money is about doing the right things and doing those things right in the pursuit of social objectives.
“This is reflected in the expectations set out by the Scottish Housing Regulator, which focus quite rightly on rent affordability and what tenants get for their money.
“But there is a significant opportunity for social landlords to work with their tenants and other partners to define what value for money means locally in practice – we hope this report will help organisations realise this opportunity.
"Our research indicates that the sector has not only got the value for money message but is capable of developing its own bottom up approach which means there is no need for a significant increase in the regulatory burden.”
Wheatley Group’s Hazel Young said: “Given the current economic climate, and the hardships faced by so many of our tenants, it has never been more important for social landlords to deliver value for money.”
