The Chair of the HCA has recently shed light on key priorities for Housing Associations post July budget. 

To;

• recalibrate and stress test business plans and
• establish interim measures to ensure continuing liquidity and covenant compliance

And George Osborne has today outlined in The Times his view that housing associations are inefficient and their performance is 'not particularly impressive'.

In his discussions with the House of Lords on which the article is based, the chancellor states unequivocally:

“There hasn't been much pressure on the sector to be particularly efficient in recent years even though that pressure has been brought to bear on many public bodies, government departments and indeed private companies. Frankly, I think the housing association sector has a simple choice. It was in the manifesto, the government got elected with a clear majority and they can either work with us to make this happen and recognise that the government has a democratic mandate to deliver or they can be a more confrontational relationship but that's not one we seek.”

Meanwhile the Housing Minster Brandon Lewis this morning told delegates at the annual RESI conference that Housing Associations need to deliver more and use surpluses for building more new homes.

So it's clear that the delivery of value for money remains THE key issue for government and the regulator.

The Chair of the HCA also clarifies that in this month's 24 Housing Magazine, stating;
'We retain an interest that goes beyond governance process, viability outcomes and protecting social housing assets. We have a statutory objective to ensure that value for money is obtained from public investment in social housing and that associations perform their functions efficiently and economically.

So we expect a particularly rigorous approach to value for money as a component of every association’s fundamental review. For those with a diverse range of activities, this may include reconsidering what is core and non-core. For those who are particularly challenged on viability grounds it may include the consideration of merger options'

While the July budget has set the tone, the Housing Bill will lay the foundations for what  
is unlikely to be the last word on the extent of the shades of change the government would like to implement.

50 Shades
To survive and thrive in this dynamic environment requires insight, foresight and hindsight.

We offer comprehensive, tried and tested advice, consultancy and training on Value for Money, and have finessed all of our insight, foresight and hindsight from across the sector in the past eight years into a new comprehensive offer - 50 Shades of Value for Money. Covering the 50 minimum aspects all organisations will need to focus on to demonstrate and deliver Vfm. 

Contact us for a discussion of how we can provide 

• Clarity
  
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Based on relevant data on which the government and regulator are forming their assumptions from.

Our reputation is for being ahead of the game. Make sure yours is.

Continuing our analysis of data from the HCA 2014 Global accounts, this data shows the details of just who the recipients of the £46n of government grant invested into the sector are, and how well they are utilising it to deliver operating surpluses to generate more #affordablehomes.
Some doing very well, some middling, and some not very well at all considering how much is invested in and expected from them...?

With the #ukHousing Minister recently stating just a 1% efficiency in operating costs across the housing sector could generate 110,000 new homes over the next 5 years, just what is the capacity for some landlords to become more efficient?
The operating cost data attached taken from the HCA 2014 Global Accounts shows up to £4,000 per property per year differences in operating costs, with no discernible difference in customer satisfaction with overall landlord services between low and high cost landlords.
Could some manage more wisely to deliver more #affordablehomes?

Repairs and maintenance. The biggest area of expenditure for landlords (£1.9bn by #housingassociations in 2013-14), and an emotive subject close to many #socialhousing customer's ( and regulator's) hearts and minds. 
All #socialhousing landlords have the same obligations, but HCA Global accounts data reveals that not all have the same efficient approach or deliver the same customer satisfaction outcomes. 
Whether via in house or external contractor, the summary attached reveals just how effective some are, the significant room for improvement in others, and no correlation between cost per property and outcomes.  Could some spend less and more wisely on routine maintenance to help build more #affordablehomes?

Global accounts data from the HCA are a rich vein waiting to be mined. We've reviewed the 2014 data set, and this is the first of many snapshots we'll be producing for information. Could some spend less and more wisely on management to help build more #affordablehomes?

Calls for reductions in housing costs to boost the economy and reduce poverty have been on the increase. So how will the UK’s social housing sector approach rent increases due in April 2014? Peter Hall reviews the facts and alternatives available.

"Reducing Housing Costs

Faisal Islam led the way on calls for this last year, outlining how reducing housing costs would boost the economy via increased disposable incomes. Shelter joined in with a blog on boosting wages or cutting rents and even Helen Barnard from the JRF recently highlighted in a New Statesman article that increasing the minimum wage won’t be enough to tackle ‘poverty –  reductions in housing costs will also be required.

Or Increasing Housing Costs

It’s time of the year when the good and great in social housing up & down the country will be facing the elephant in the room – proposed rent increases from April 2014...."

Are the financially deluded having conversations with the financially excluded? What will they talk about then...?
Barry Marlow outlines the case for overcoming the financial delusion which has persisted in UK social housing.

Financial Inclusion or Financial Delusion in Social Housing?

Would you pay an invisible bill? You know, a request for your funds and you don’t really know how much for? Of course not.

Payday lenders have attracted much bile in the housing press and the attention of the UK Government recently for their Continuous Payment Requests that limpet themselves to bank accounts and draw down funds even when the loanee isn’t looking, or expecting it.

Yet social housing also participates in requesting and chasing funds from customers which they know little about. The rent. If you, dear social landlord, went outside right now and asked 20 of your tenants how much their rent is, how many could tell you? Less than 50% is the answer, and here’s why…

‘Legalised Laundering’..?

About a generation ago social housing in the UK decided to exclude many of its tenants from the responsibility of paying rent. The social landlord decided instead that the balance sheet was far better if around 60% of revenue income was pretty much guaranteed. To achieve this, local authority housing benefit departments were sub-contracted to collect the rent from the taxpayer and pay it direct to the landlord without the tenants knowing. Under the guise of financial inclusion, to maximise how this worked, social housing staff were also encouraged to ‘verify’ housing benefit claims on behalf of their tenants.

This ‘legalised laundering’ produced about 60% risk free income that finance directors could happily sit back and forget about while it paid to fund improvements, repairs, new homes, mergers, and ancillary ‘housing plus’ activities such as community cohesion, employment and training, and ( most ironically of all) financial inclusion work.

The problem with this fantastic business model was the way it excluded the tenant from the basic responsibility of tenure – paying for the product and knowing what it cost.

Financial Inclusion

Financial inclusion is about knowing about finances. How can you include in that the majority who believe (and it is a belief) they ‘don’t pay rent’ – even if the tenancy agreement is quite explicit and doesn’t mention housing benefit as a joint tenant?

How on earth have inclusive and responsible landlords allowed this to happen?

Benefit calculators which many arrears and financial inclusion staff across social housing use to advise tenants on their potential benefit income to help pay their rent, are a brilliant innovation – trouble is, the first question is how much the rent is. Rent statements are tardy and mostly ill-timed. Rent increase letters to many tenants are meaningless. Rent arrears chase letters only confuse and often border the ridiculous. They are addressed to the excluded.
I often talk with people in arrears as part of my work. Recently I was carrying out some research into the creation of an incentive and reward programme for a housing association and spoke with some tenants. No, they don’t know how much the rent is. All of them were in rent arrears and a third could only guess at the level of their indebtedness. Yes, I know, these people are ‘feckless and financially irresponsible’. I read rent arrears letters and it’s pretty clear where the blame lies, (takes tongue from cheek…)

Connecting Rent to Reward

My friend Peter Hall wrote a brilliant article almost a year ago that introduced the concept of social landlords taking another look at incentive and reward programmes.

Peter’s theme was the different marketplace to that which confronted Dr Tom Manion in 1998 with Gold Service.

For example, recent work Peter and I did reveals a housing association with 6,000 homes exposed to the challenge under universal credit of needing to collect, or be paid, £15 million per year that at present is guaranteed. That’s a helluva business shift. Around £15 million that the payee is currently blissfully unaware of. It’s invisible. Too many social landlords are equally blissfully complacent.

Maybe connecting rent to reward is the business way forward. Most other commercial companies see the benefits and the inclusiveness in this approach. People see that they get something for something. Both the ‘somethings’ have a value and an incentive. The invisible has a worth.

I am pleased to be associated with Peter on the CIH Consultancy Working Together™ project Influencing Customer Behaviour this year. This project will explore the context and business planning of incentive and reward programmes.

A Wake Up call for Financial Delusion

The new – romantic era ended when Duran Duran split up. The remaining romantics in social housing who dream of golden days of guaranteed income need to realise the pragmatics and realities of the new marketplace. And I’m afraid that includes tenants and payday lenders. The customers’ world has moved on.

In my training seminars, we often talk about goals and ambitions – a visible place where we would like to be. In social housing, when I talk with tenants their main ambition is to have the peace of mind to allow them to make more informed, better and rational decisions. Or, as we may wish to call it, financial responsibility.

Like you, I wouldn’t pay an invisible bill. I’m not that deluded. Financial inclusion starts with visibility and responsibility.

Many social landlords need to look in the mirror before leaving home.

Recent reports show the number of pre-eviction notices soaring by 26% across UK social housing.
We estimate that  the total cost of each eviction and subsequent homelessness provision now stands at £23k in the UK.
Here we outline why it’s time  to deliver better financial and social returns than the traditional eviction process, which results in the equivalent population of Stamford being removed from their homes each year, and nobody knowing where they've gone.

Data from the DWP reveals the detailed impact of the bedroom tax across England.

• 412,000 affected households
• Average cost per year for tenants £824
  
• A total of £328m being taken out of tenant's pockets and local economies
• The North West worst hit financially at £63m, Followed by London at £56m
  

Click below for full details

Trouble letting homes? Arrears Rising? Tenancy Turnover up?

12% of #ukhousing landlords are reporting higher arrears and voids levels in the latest @HCA_UK  quarterly survey.

Don't let £'s go to waste. Prevention is better than cure. Get straight talking operational & proven strategic solutions from as little as £200 per day with payment by results.

Call: Peter on 07764 945725 or Barry on 07702 043650