Helen Shaw

Each year by 31 October, every social landlord must prepare and publish an Annual Assurance Statement which confirms whether it meets Regulatory Standards and Requirements.

The regulator will visit 13 landlords to understand their approach to preparing their Statements and how they have assured themselves about compliance with Regulatory Requirements and Standards. The visits will have a particular focus on how the landlords have assured themselves about compliance with their tenant and resident safety duties and will also focus on their approach to financial planning and the assumptions which underpin their financial plans.

The 13 social landlords the regulator will visit this year are:

• Ark Housing Association
• Berwickshire Housing Association
• Cloch Housing Association
• East Ayrshire Council
• Govanhill Housing Association
• Home in Scotland
• North Lanarkshire Council
• Renfrewshire Council
• Rosehill Housing Co-operative
• Rutherglen and Cambuslang Housing Association
• West Dunbartonshire Council
• West Granton Housing Co-operative
• Whiteinch and Scotstoun Housing Association

Helen Shaw, director of regulation, said: ‘“The Statements are a way for governing bodies and committees to assure themselves and their tenants and service users that they comply with Regulatory Requirements and Standards, or to disclose where they need to improve.

“This is our third programme of visits to landlords about the Statements. This year we asked the sector to provide specific assurance in the Annual Assurance Statements about their compliance with their obligations in relation to tenant and resident safety. So during the visits, we’ll gather further information about how landlords have assured themselves about this important area. We will publish a report later this year on the findings to share lessons learned with all social landlords.”