North Yorkshire Council refers itself to housing regulator

North Yorkshire Council has referred itself to the housing regulator

North Yorkshire Council has referred itself to a housing watchdog so that it can improve as a landlord.

An act that came into force on 1 April introduced new regulatory standards around social housing.

It also placed a duty on landlords to inform the Regulator of Social Housing if they did comply with the standards.

The council said it met several areas but recognised "work needed to be done" to meet all the elements of the Social Housing (Regulations) Act 2023.

The act placed an emphasis on decent homes, tenant safety, tenant engagement and transparency.

It required more frequent surveys both inside and outside of properties, annual tenant satisfaction surveys and consideration of tenants' diverse needs and vulnerabilities.

The council said it was talking to the regulator to improve services for its tenants.

'Safety and quality'

Its corporate director for community development, Nic Harne, said: "This new act provides the chance to provide the best services and quality of housing for our residents.

"As the landlord for almost 8,500 homes, we welcome the changes it brings.  

"It provides us with a framework for improvement as we create a unified housing management service."

Mr Harne said a "great deal of work" had already been done to comply with the new legislation, which included the introduction of a new housing revenue account business plan that would help fund improvements to homes.

He added that the "safety and quality" of council homes was a priority.

According to the council, the regulator would be briefed on areas where improvement was needed.