The updates include providing clarification on the recording of housing for Ukrainian refugees and to remind landlords that, although the Regulator will not be collecting indicators C10 (properties meeting EESSH) and C11 (anticipated exemptions from EESSH) whilst the Scottish Government carries out its review of EESSH2, the 2020 EESSH milestone still applies and should continue to be included in landlords’ SHQS compliance.

The letter also reminds landlords that the comments box at the end of the ‘Housing quality and maintenance’ section in the ARC form will be mandatory, to ensure that SHR is able to get the appropriate assurances that it needs from landlords on stock quality and tenant and resident safety.

The letter reads: 

We wrote to all social landlords on 14 November 2022 to advise that, following the Scottish Government’s review of the Scottish Social Housing Charter, we do not propose adding or amending any Annual Return on the Charter (ARC) indicators.

We have, however, today updated our Technical Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The updates include providing clarification on the recording of housing for Ukrainian refugees and to remind landlords that, although we will not be collecting indicators C10 (properties meeting EESSH) and C11 (anticipated exemptions from EESSH) whilst the Scottish Government carries out its review of EESSH2, the 2020 EESSH milestone does still apply and should continue to be included in landlords’ SHQS compliance.

There are also links to our updated guidance on tenant satisfaction surveys and asset management, as well as guidance and information produced by the Scottish Government.

In a letter sent to all social landlords on 30 January, we said that we will make the comments box at the end of the ‘Housing quality and maintenance’ section mandatory to allow us to better understand landlords’ performance. We are particularly interested in any non-compliance with electrical, gas and fire safety requirements and the plans to address these issues.

If you have any questions on any of these matters, please contact the lead regulator for your organisation.

Yours sincerely

Nicola Harcus
Assistant Director of Regulation