Scottish Social Housing Charter: consultation analysis

Adding anything to the Charter

184. The final question in this consultation paper asked respondents to provide details of anything else the Charter should cover. To a large extent, responses reiterated points made at earlier questions. Additional points raised included:

• A need for a clear set of minimum standards to help with benchmarking; a clear set of meaningful indicators for the reviewed Scottish Social Housing Charter.
• Clarity regarding the roles of different organisations, such as TPAS, TIS, the Housing Regulator and how they represent tenants; further explanation as to how the Regulator would engage with, and provide a route of appeal for landlords who are subject to engagement as a result of their performance against the Charter.
• The Charter should reflect the need for wider public service bodies to work in partnership in the prevention of homelessness.
• Consider using the Charter in the future for the mid-market rental sector.
• The costs of new legislation such as changes to carbon emissions should not be passed onto tenants.
• The full dataset in the ARC should be available by local authority area, for example, average rent costs per property size in the local authority areas or turnover in the local authority area.
• Suggestions for guidance documents to sit alongside the Charter.
• Recognition of the role of social landlords and other organisations in reducing barriers to all individuals in need of assistance.
• Recognition of the role of social landlords, other organisations and tenants in contributing to future placemaking and community wealth building initiatives.
• A greater focus on health and wellbeing; and a consideration of the social impact, social value and added value.

185. A number of respondents suggested the inclusion of new outcomes within the revised Charter. These included

• An outcome combining sustainability and affordability in the context of new sustainable technologies.
• An outcome for tenant scrutiny.
• An outcome for landlord actions, in terms of service delivery and investment in existing and new housing, to meet climate change and the wider environmental requirements as per the Housing to 2040 road map; or for landlords activities to meet zero carbon targets.
• An outcome in relation to social housing development.
• An outcome on public benefit to illustrate what else a landlord is contributing.
• A standard for housing in supporting independence and enabling people to live their lives to the full.
• A standard for RSLs and local authorities around how development programmes which are grant funded meet identified needs.
• An outcome focused directly on the needs of older people.