Scottish Social Housing Charter - Annual Return 2022-23 - Complete
Renfrewshire Council · 22 August 2023
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 22 August 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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0 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities and Housing Policy Board On: 16 August 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Scottish Social Housing Charter - Annual Return 2022/23 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords are required to submit an Annual Return on the Charter relating to service performance to the Scottish Housing Regulator by the end of May each year. 1.2 This report provides details of the Council’s Annual Return on the Charter for 2022/23. The general picture is a positive one, with improving or stable performance across the majority of the indicators. Where performance has dipped, this reflects the challenges faced during the Covid recovery period, some of which remain particularly in relation to areas where ongoing issues within the construction industry affect service delivery and performance. 1.3 The report also highlights the key priorities for the housing service for the year ahead in terms of continuing to drive improved performance and sets out the actions that will be taken to support this. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Communities and Housing Policy Board: 2.1 Note the submission made by the Head of Housing Services on the Scottish Social Housing Charter for 2022/23 as summarised in Appendix 1. 2.2 Note the specific indicators reported to Board as part of the Service Improvement Planning process.
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1 2.3 Note that this report also advises of the Service’s response to the Scottish Housing Regulator’s consultation on the Single Regulatory Framework. 3. Charter Report for 2022/23 and service priorities 3.1. The report attached as Appendix 1 gives a summary of outturn performance information for Renfrewshire Council for 2022/23. • Section 1 provides a summary of Renfrewshire Council’s performance against the Charter indicators along with comparative information for the last four years. • Section 2 gives details of some core contextual data submitted as part of the Charter return. • Section 3 provides additional service and performance management information for 2022/23. 3.2. The Charter data for 2022/23 displays improved or stable performance in the majority of indicators. Some of the key areas of improved performance are: • Non-emergency repairs average time (Indicator 9) has improved from 14.6 days to 6.1 days. A new system for raising and managing repairs was introduced in March 2022. User errors and system issues have resulted in some jobs showing as outstanding at the year end which will have an impact on the volume of reported non-emergency repairs and consequently the accuracy of the reported figures. We will continue to closely monitor this indicator over the coming months to ensure that user errors are minimised, jobs are updated promptly and corrections are made to the data if found to be inaccurate as a result of system issues • The percentage of repairs completed right first time improved by five percentage points to 90% (Indicator 10) • The percentage of stage 1 complaints responded to in full (up to 97.9%) and the response times for both stage 1 (5.76 days) and Stage 2 (14.5 days) complaints improved this year, (indicators 3&4) • The percentage of stock meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) (Indicator 8) increased to 67.9% from 57.0% last year. This increase was achieved despite difficulties in completing our comprehensive EICR programme and associated problems with the construction industry, including resources and materials. We expect our performance in SHQS to continue to improve • Percentage of new tenancies sustained for more than a year remained stable, though the sustainment rate for homeless applicants has improved
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2 for each of the last 3 years, in line with our Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan. The overall level of tenancy sustainment remains stable at around 95.3% (Indicator 16.) • Likewise, the percentage of lettable houses that became vacant over the year reduced to 7.2% from 8.3% last year (indicator 17) • The percentage of rent lost due to voids reduced to 1.86% from 2.00% (Indicator 18) • The average length of time taken to re-let properties in the last year (Indicator 30) continues to improve at 60.6 days from 66.0 days. Whilst this improvement in performance in welcome, this remains an area of special focus for the service so that a further reduction in re-let times is achieved. Work is currently underway to review the ‘end to end’ process of void property management to identify specific areas for improvement, with officers from all areas of the process contributing to this exercise. 3.3. Within the 2022/23 data there are also areas where performance has declined, reflecting the challenges faced by the Council in continuing to provide core housing services throughout the period of Covid recovery. Some of the key areas of performance are: • The time taken to complete emergency repairs, increased to 9.8 hours from 7.1 hours (Indicator 8). As previously reported to this Policy Board, a new system for raising and managing repairs was introduced in March 2022 which has resulted in the majority of emergency repairs being raised and updated in real time. Prior to this, these were updated manually from paper records. Whilst it is expected that the real time updates are generally accurate, there have been some user errors and system issues with the new technology that may have had an impact on the accuracy of some of the data. We will continue to closely monitor this indicator over the coming months to ensure that user errors are minimised, jobs are updated promptly and that any corrections are made to the data if found to be inaccurate as a result of system issues. • The number of times in the reporting year that a gas safety check was not completed within 12 months of a gas appliance being fitted or its last check (Indicator 11). In 2022/23, there were 58 occasions where this was not completed before the anniversary date. These have now all been completed. • Percentage of tenants satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service dropped from 95% to 73%. The methodology of collecting satisfaction feedback changed last year from outbound telephone calls to automated text messaging of a digital survey on completion of the repair. This new method of collating feedback only started in January 2023, therefore this figure reflects only three months of surveys and a relatively small sample size. (Indicator 12.) We will continue to closely monitor this indicator over
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3 the coming months and analyse feedback from tenants to identify where improvements to service may be needed. • Expenditure on adaptations increased to almost £770,000 over the past year. During 2022/23 the Service completed 184 adaptations. At the end of March 2023 there were 177 households waiting for an adaptation (Indicator 19) compared to 107 in the previous year. Despite the number of referrals increasing this year to 363 from 291 last year – which appears to be as a result of the Health and Social Care Partnership’s catching up on its Covid-19 backlog of assessments – the average time to complete adaptations (Indicator 21) also improved to 96 days from 142 days in 2021/22. Adaptations work has been impacted by issues within the construction sector, including material supply chain delays and increased demand on labour resources, however management actions to increase resource for this workstream through the use of additional external contractual arrangements have helped mitigate this issue somewhat. • Gross rent arrears increased slightly to 8.6% from 8.0% of rent due at the end of March 2023. (Indicator 27.) This is an area of key priority for improvement and will continue to be closely monitored throughout the coming year. 3.4 Lets to people who are homeless dropped slightly to 41.0% from 42.9% last year. This remains below our 49.0% target. Similarly the percentage of homeless households referred to RSLs also dropped to 28.2% from 32.0%, although the actual number of RSL lets to homeless applicants saw a small increase. (Indicator 24). However, in response to the increase in homelessness in Renfrewshire, which is in line with the national trend, there has been an increase in the proportion of lets to homeless applicants during the first 4 months of 2023/24, and we are now on schedule to meet the 49% target this year. 3.5 The Service continues to experience problems related to the construction sector, such as supplies, materials and resources. These issues are widespread throughout the sector nationally. This has an impact on repair and maintenance, SHQS compliance and void property turnaround timescales and the last-mentioned has a further challenge with the utilities sector thereby causing further delays to returning empty houses to the letting pool. This issue is not unique to Renfrewshire and many landlords are experiencing similar issues. __________________________________________________________________ 4. Service Improvement Plan, reporting performance to tenants and benchmarking performance 4.1 In May this year, the Communities and Housing Policy Board was presented with the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Services 2023-2026 Service Improvement Plan. Three indicators on service performance are included in the plan and the performance of each is reported accordingly. The indicators are:
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4 a. percentage of reactive repairs carried out in the last year completed first time, included in ARC report, Indicator 12 b. percentage of overall repairs completed within target; included in the management information appendix, table 7 and c. average length of time taken to complete non-emergency repairs (days), included in the ARC report, Indicator 9 4.2 The Scottish Housing Regulator publishes all social landlords’ performance on its website in August each year. In common with other Councils and RSLs, the Council will be required to report its performance against the Charter to all tenants in October. 4.3 In accordance with guidance from the Scottish Housing Regulator and practice over previous years, tenants will be consulted with on the preferred format for the Tenants’ Report. A report will be presented to a future meeting of this Policy Board which benchmarks Renfrewshire Council’s performance in 2022/23 against other Social Landlords. __________________________________________________________________ 5. Single Regulatory Framework, Scottish Housing Regulator Review 5.1. In June this year the Scottish Housing Regulator opened a consultation on the Single Regulatory Framework. The Service submitted a response to this. The consultation closed on 11 August 2023 and a copy of the consultation and response is attached as Appendix 2 to this report. __________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None 2. HR & Organisational Development – None 3. Community/Council Planning - • Building strong, safe, and resilient communities – Improving and maintaining neighbourhoods and homes. • Working together to improve outcomes – Increasing resident satisfaction with neighbourhoods and communities. 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets – None 6. Information Technology – None
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5 7. Equality & Human Rights – None 8. Health & Safety – None 9. Procurement – None 10. Risks – None 11. Privacy Impact – None 12. Cosla Policy Position – N/A 13. Climate Change – None ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Ray Walkinshaw, Housing Regeneration and Development Manager Email: ray.walkinshaw@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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1 Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 2022/2023
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 2 Table of Contents 1. Outturn Report ................................................................................... 3 1.1 Overall Satisfaction ............................................................................... 3 1.2 The Customer Landlord Relationship ................................................... 3 1.3 Housing Quality and Maintenance ........................................................ 4 1.4 Neighbourhood and Community ................................................................. 6 1.5 Access to Housing and Support .................................................................... 6 1.6 Getting Good Value from Rents and Service Charges ............................... 8 1.7 Other Customers; Gypsies/ Travellers ................................................... 9 2. Core Contextual Indicators .............................................................. 10 3. Management Information ................................................................ 11 4. Rent Arrears ...................................................................................... 16
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 3 1. Outturn Report 1.1 Overall Satisfaction No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 1 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the overall service provided by their landlord. (a)88.0% (b)88.8% (b)88.8% (c)82.4% (c)82.4% The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Sources: (a) 2018 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (b) 2020 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (c) 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey 1.2 The Customer Landlord Relationship Communication No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 2 Percentage of tenants who feel their landlord is good at keeping them informed about their services and decisions. (a)82.2 (b)88.4% (b)88.4% (c)91.1% (c)91.1% The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Sources: (a) 2018 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (b) 2020 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (c) 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Complaints No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 3/4 The percentage of all complaints responded to in full at Stage 1 N/A 99.7% 100% 95.1% 97.9% There were 1,050 Stage 1 complaints received. 1,028 were responded to in full, in an average of 5.76 days. The average time in working days for a full response at Stage 1 N/A 3.6 days 4.97 days 6.56 days 5.76 days The percentage of all complaints responded to in full at Stage 2. N/A 94.1% 100% 96.2% 84.6% There were 26 stage 2 complaints received. 22 were responded to in full, in an average of 14.5 days. The average time in working days for a full response at Stage 2. N/A 14.6 days 13.9 days 16.6 days 14.5 days Note: The complaints indicators have been revised by the Scottish Housing Regulator
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 4 Participation No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 5 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord’s decision- making processes. (a)87.8% (b)93.7% (b)93.7% (c)99.0% (c)99.0% The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Sources: (a) 2018 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (b) 2020 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (c) 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey 1.3 Housing Quality and Maintenance Housing Quality No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/223 Notes 6 Percentage of stock meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS). 94.5% 94.6% 80.1% 57.1% 67.9% See note below SHQS compliance was lower than projected for 2022/23. This was mainly due to difficulties gaining access to complete smoke detector upgrades and carry out EICR checks. There has been an increase in abeyances from last year to this year due to collecting improved data on the ECIR and smoke detector programme. Whilst we have a comprehensive programme in place to complete these works, we continue to face issues where tenants do not give access for these works. Our process for encouraging tenants to participate in these essential works involves issuing 3 letters to attempt to agree access and where this fails, we have latterly taken the decision to force entry to complete the works, which we anticipate will improve our compliance further in 2023/24. We do continue to face issues of fluctuating contractor capacity with these work programmes, due to skilled labour shortages, but we continue to monitor this and work closely with contractors to minimise the impact of this where possible. Smoke/heat detectors are compliant in 84.17% of stock and 81.93% of our stock have valid EICR certificates. At the end of 2022/23, 8,229 of the stock of 12,216 met the standard SHQS standard. 7 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the quality of their home. (a)83.9% (b)86.1% (b)86.1% (c)79.9% (c)79.9% The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey C10 Percentage of homes meeting the EESSH 73.6% 78.0% 86.6% 78.4% n/a The SHR did not collect these data in 22/23 Sources: (a) 2018 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (b) 2020 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (c) 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 5 Repairs, Maintenance and Improvements No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 8 Average length of time taken to complete emergency repairs. (hours) 5.1 5.5 6.2 7.1 9.8 Just over 16,500 emergency repairs were completed in 2022/23. The average time to complete increased from 7.1 to 9.8 hours. 9 Average length of time taken to complete non- emergency repairs. (days) 6.9 7.8 10.7 14.6 6.1 Just over 24,400 non- emergency repairs were completed in an average of 6.1 days. This is an improvement in the length of time taken to complete non- emergency repairs. 10 Percentage of reactive repairs carried out in the last year completed right first time. 88.1% 82.6% 85.1% 84.9% 90.0% Of the 22,357 reactive repairs carried out in 22/23, 20,118 were completed right first time. 11 How many times in the reporting year did you not meet your statutory obligations to complete a gas safety check within 12 months of a gas appliance being fitted or its last check? 3 17 1471 142 58 Renfrewshire Council have at all times followed the Scottish Government guidance and the more detailed guidance from Gas Safe and HSE. All of these services have been completed and there are no outstanding gas services. 12 (was 16) Percentage of tenants who have had repairs or maintenance carried out in last 12 months satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service. 92.5% 90.8% 92.0% 95.0% 73.3% Our methodology for gathering repairs satisfaction has changed in that a text message is now sent after each completed reactive repair with a link to an online survey. This enables a much faster response and a higher volume of returns to be gathered. The reporting system for tenant satisfaction went live in January 2023 and therefore only one quarter of data has been gathered. The level of satisfaction has reduced compared to previous years and it is
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 6 thought that the new methodology may have contributed to this (because any dissatisfaction may be fresher in the customers’ minds). However, it is our intention to analyse the data over a longer time period to highlight any patterns in the returns which we hope will identify potential areas of improvement in service delivery (12) Source: Point of service survey 1.4 Neighbourhood and Community Estate Management, Anti-Social Behaviour, Neighbour Nuisance and Tenancy Disputes No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 13 Percentage of tenants satisfied with the landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood they live in. (a)83.2% (b)84.5% (b)84.5 % (c)87.0% (c)87.0 % The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey 14 Percentage of tenancy offers refused during the year. 46.5% 40.2% 24.1% 39.6% 39.3% From 1490 formal offers there were 585 refusals. 15 Percentage of anti-social behaviour cases reported in the last year which were resolved. 96.0% 99.4% 99.8% 99.7% 98.0% 390 of 398 cases were resolved. 13) Sources: (a) 2015 Tenant Satisfaction Survey, (b) 2018 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (c) 2020 Tenant Satisfaction Survey 1.5 Access to Housing and Support Tenancy Sustainment and Tenancy Turnover No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes Percentage of new tenancies sustained for more than a year, by source of let. These figures relate to tenancies which
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 7 16 Existing tenants 94.2% 95.4% 95.5% 93.5% 95.2% commenced between April 2021 and March 2022. Overall sustainment has improved over this period. Tenancy sustainment by homeless applicants has improved in each of the last 3 years, in line with our Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan. Homeless applicants 82.1% 80.4% 88.4% 89.4% 91.6% Housing List applicants 90.0% 91.7% 92.8% 94.5% 94.5% Other 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Overall 88.5% 88.5% 92.0% 92.2% 95.3% 17 Percentage of lettable houses that became vacant in the last year. 9.7% 9.5% 6.6% 8.3% 7.2% There was a decrease in the number of lettable houses that became vacant in the year, with 828 this year compared to 964 last year. 18 Percentage of rent due lost through properties being empty during the last year. 1.4% 1.5% 1.58% 2.0% 1.9% There was a decrease in the rent lost through void properties this year. Housing Options and Access to Housing No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Note s 19 Number of households currently waiting for adaptations to their home N/A 46 129 107 177 During 22/23 the Service completed 184 adaptations, at the end of March 22/23 there were 177 households waiting for an adaptation (Indicator 19) compared to 107 in the previous year. The average time to complete adaptations (Indicator 21) also improved to 96 days 20 Total cost of adaptations completed in the year by source of funding (£) N/A £402,000 £86,152 £608,555 £769,216 21 Average time to complete adaptations 56.8 36.2 79.4 141.9 96 from 142 days. Performance of this indicator is severely impacted by issues with the construction industry, notably in relation to supplies and resources.
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 8 22 Percentage of the court actions initiated which resulted in eviction and the reasons for eviction. 27.4 % 20.0% 0.0% 0.8% 5.0% In line with legislation the Service resumed a full arrears recovery service. Non-payment of rent 26.7% 20.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4.4% Anti-social behaviour 0.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.8% 0.6% Other 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Homelessness No Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 24 Homelessness (LAs only) – the percentage of homeless households referred to RSLs under section 5 and through other referral routes. N/A 26.3% 32.1% 32.0% 28.2% The Council continues to work with RSL partners to refer households through the section 5 and Nomination Agreement routes. The actual number of houses let to homeless applicants by RSLs increased in 2022/23 and has improved in each of the last 4 years, in line with our Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan. Note: Indicator 23 is for RSLs only 1.6 Getting Good Value from Rents and Service Charges Value for Money No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 25 Percentage of tenants who feel that the rent for their property represents good value for money. (a)75.8% (b)78.2% (b)78.2% (c)83.4% (c)83.4% The most recent data relate to the 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey where satisfaction has increased. Sources: (a) 2018 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (b) 2020 Tenant Satisfaction Survey (c) 2022 Tenant Satisfaction Survey Rents and Service Charges No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes 26 Rent collected as percentage of total 100.0% 99.5% 99.0% 98.2% 100.0% Last year £48,250,667 of rent was collected from a
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 9 No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Notes rent due in the reporting year. total of £48,238,167 rent due. 27 Gross rent arrears (all tenants) as at 31 March each year as a percentage of rent due for the reporting year. 5.8% 5.7% 6.4% 8.0% 8.6% There has been an increase in the level of gross rent arrears over the past year. 28 Average annual management fee per factored property. £90 £108 £0 £58 £108 The level of charge has returned to pre pandemic level. 29 Percentage of factored owners satisfied with the factoring service they receive. 61.0% 60.8% 62.4% 60.4% 71.2% This indicator has improved. 30 Average length of time taken to re-let properties in the last year. (days) 38.0 45.0 85.7 66.0 60.6 There were 868 re-lets in 22/23. Despite issues with utilities suppliers and ongoing labour supply shortages within the construction industry there has been improvement in the average re-let times. Our void turnaround times and processes remain an area of primary focus for the service and we will continue to look for improved ways of working. (33) Source: Annual owners services survey 1.7 Other Customers; Gypsies/ Travellers No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 31 Gypsies/travellers – Average weekly rent per pitch. Currently there are no gypsy/traveller sites in Renfrewshire. 32 For those who provide sites - percentage of gypsies/travellers satisfied with the landlord’s management of the site.
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 10 2. Core Contextual Indicators 2.1 Last year the Scottish Housing Regulator reduced the number of contextual indicators from 32 to 6, these relate to the stock and profile of our service users. Not all of these are reported by local authorities. The core contextual indicators are included in the table below: No. Indicator 18/19 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 C2 Number of lets during the reporting year, by source of let Existing tenants 194 265 154 228 270 Housing List applicants 509 523 200 343 291 Mutual Exchanges 0 17 2 15 10 Other sources 0 0 0 0 66 Homeless applicants 357 352 245 369 318 Total number excluding exchanges 1,060 1,140 599 940 945 C3 Number of lets during the reporting year General Needs 1,030 1,101 571 902 898 Supported Housing * 30 39 28 38 47 C14 Types of tenancies granted for the reporting year Occupancy agreements 0 0 0 0 0 Short SST 2 4 3 6 4 SST 1,058 1,136 596 934 941 C15 Housing Lists New applicants 4,450 3,015 2,464 2,976 2,694 Applicants on list at end of year 5,553 5,253 5,901 5,347 4,951 Suspensions 94 98 99 61 46 Cancelled 3,232 3,464 1,646 3,271 3,163 C4 Abandoned properties 155 125 49 122 101 C30 Number of notices of proceedings issued 1,802 1,494 4 112 622 The number of orders for recovery of possession granted during the reporting year 127 87 0 6 38 C29 Average number of reactive repairs completed per occupied property 4.5 5.1 3.2 3.7 3.6 C16 The Landlords wholly owned stock 12,002 12,066 12,212 12,216 12,216 Stock by house type House 2,561 2,612 2,695 2,696 2,755
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 11 C17 High Rise 1,001 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,002 Tenement 4,609 4,602 4,635 4,637 4,601 4 in block 2,781 2,802 2,831 2,832 2,795 Other flat/maisonette 1,050 1,050 1,051 1,051 1,063 C20 Number of self-contained properties void at the year end 358 391 641 619 546 Void for more than 6 months 9 2 209 196 207 C5 Rent increase 2.0% 2.0% 1.5% 2.0% 5.5% * Sheltered housing only 3. Management Information 3.1 Allocations and Managing Tenancy Change There were just under 5,000 applicants applying for housing in 2022/23 (Graph 1). This is down slightly from 21/22 but the origins of their applications remained proportionally similar to the previous year (Graph 2). Graph 1 (Applicants on housing list) Graph 2 (Source of application) In 2022/23, 945 properties were let by the Council. Most of these lets (81%) were made through the group system (Graph 3). There has been a significant increase in lets associated with the Regeneration programme (Graph 4)
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 12 Graph 3 (Number of lets) Graph 4 (Lets out with the Group system) Within the group system, 41% of lets went to Group 1 (Homeless) applicants (Graph 5). Graph 5 (Lets and targets) Last year saw a percentage increase in lets in tenement flats and houses. The increase in house lets relates to new build properties (Graph 6). Graph 6 (percentage of lets by property type)
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 13 Council nominations for RSLs reduced from 74 in 2021/22 to 48. The number and percentage of Section 5 Lets was broadly the same as 2021/22 (Table 1, Graph 7). Nomination & S5 Lets Council nomination lets % of overall lets to Council nominations Section 5 lets % lets to Section 5 % overall lets to Council General stock Specialist/sheltered/supported Total stock 18/19 75 17 12.20% 130 20.9% 29.40% 19/20 47 9 6.90% 134 19.7% 23.40% 20/21 19 1 3.25% 165 31.8% 30.00% 21/22 74 3 8.58% 174 24.2% 27.98% 22/23 48 11 7.59% 171 26.5% 29.60% Table 1: Nominations and Section 5 = general stock only (excludes specialist) Graph 7 Nominations and Section 5 = general stock only (excludes specialist) 3.2 Repairs In 2022/2023 over 43,700 repairs were carried out and 93.1% were completed within the target timescale. This is a very slight decrease on 2021/22 where over 45,000 repairs were complete with 93.6% completed within the target timescale. Table 2 outlines repairs performance completed by category of repair and graph 8 illustrates the performance trend of all repairs completed over the past few years. • an emergency repair is classed as one where there is a threat to health and safety or where we need to take quick action to prevent damage • ‘right to repair’ qualifying repairs are urgent repairs which must be carried out within a specified timescale in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 14 • routine repairs are everyday repairs which are required as a result of normal wear and tear of the property • programmed repairs are generally non-urgent general maintenance repairs which are carried out on a programmed basis rather than carrying out individual responsive repairs (usually larger scale repairs within common ownership) Repairs % completed in target time Category of Repair 19/20 20/21 21/22 22/23 Emergency Completed 98.0% 98.7% 97.0% 95.0% Right to Repair Completed 100.0% 99.5% 100.0% 95.0% Urgent Completed 94.0% 87.0% 86.0% 61.0% Routine Completed 90.0% 90.0% 87.0% 92.0% Programmed Completed 97.0% 98.8% 100.0% 99.0% Total Repairs Completed 95.0% 96.2% 93.6% 93.1% Table 2 – Repairs % completed in target time Graph 8 Total repairs completed in target time Graph 9 provides information on Customer Contact Centre performance in relation to housing repairs calls. This shows the volume of calls in 2022/23 and the outcomes for calls received. Over 75,000 calls were made to report repairs and 89% of these were answered. This is the same as 2021/22 performance when 89% of calls were answered, although there were around 9,000 fewer calls, at 66,000. We received 8,959 Repairs via email. Ren Repairs app is no longer in use. 60% of answered calls were answered within the 40 second target and of all attempted calls 55% of these were answered within the 40 second target time. The data for graph 10 relates to data from April to October 2022. The new system that was introduced in November 2022 did not have call waiting statistics. This information will be available for future reports.
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 15 Graph 9 (CCC Calls answered/abandoned) Graph 10 (CCC Calls answered in 40 seconds) 3.3 Homelessness and Housing Advice During 2022/23 the number of people presenting as homeless that require assessment, those who were looking for housing advice and the number of applications where the Council has a statutory duty to re-house all increased slightly. The proportion of assessments completed within 28 days remains very high at 99.7% from 100% last year (Graph 11). Graph 11 (Homelessness, applications and decision making)
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 16 Satisfaction with the quality of advice, the quality of temporary accommodation and the overall quality of service received remains high, with the last-mentioned at almost 95% in 2022/23 (Graph 12). Graph 12 (Homeless Services satisfaction) 4. Rent Arrears Graph 13 that the annual rental income due to be collected is over £48.2m. At the end of March 2022, £2.32 million was owed in arrears which is slightly lower than last year’s figure of £2.33million.
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 17 Graph 13 Rent arrears value Graph 14 shows the recovery action taken, with the return to normal arrears recovery activity there is an increase to cases being called to court. Graph 15 also shows average calling times increasing. Graph 14 Recovery action Graph 15 Court calling time Graph 16 highlights the status of debt from post and pre court. The amount of debt pre court has increased due to no court activity during the pandemic. Graph 16 Status of rent debt Graph 17 provides a profile of arrears by value. There has been some reduction in total arrears with specific reductions in the bands £250 to £500 and £500 to £1000, the other arrears values have remained relatively stable. Graph 18 shows the amount owed by tenants by age profile which shows that the main group with the majority of arrears are those in the 25 to 49 age band.
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Scottish Social Housing Charter Outturn Report 22/23 18 Graph 16 Arrears by value Graph 17 Arrears age bands Graph 19 provides summary information on benefit levels comparing with previous years. Benefit uptake remains high with 76% of our tenants in receipt of some form of benefit. Graph 19 Housing Benefit
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19 Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Renfrewshire Council Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley PA1 1BR
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1 Appendix 2 Our regulation of social housing in Scotland Discussion questions We welcome your general feedback on our proposals as well as answers to the specific questions we have raised. You can read our discussion paper on our website at www.housingregulator.gov.scot Please do not feel you have to answer every question unless you wish to do so. Send your completed questionnaire to us by 11 August 2023. By email @: regulatoryframeworkreview@shr.gov.scot Or post to: Scottish Housing Regulator 2nd floor , George House 36 North Hanover Street, G1 2AD Name/organisation name Louise Feely, Renfrewshire Council Address Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley Postcode PA1 1JD Phone 03003000280 Email louise.feely@renfrewshire.gov.uk How you would like your response to be handled To help make this a transparent process we intend to publish on our website the responses we receive, as we receive them. Please let us know how you would like us to handle your response. If you are responding as an individual, we will not publish your contact details. Are you happy for your response to be published on our website? Yes x No If you are responding as an individual … Please tell us how you would like your response to be published. Pick 1 Publish my full response, including my name Please publish my response, but not my name
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2 1. We believe that our regulatory priorities should be: • listening and responding effectively to tenants and service users • providing good quality and safe homes • keeping homes as affordable as possible • doing all they can to reduce the number of people who are experiencing homelessness We are keen to hear your feedback on these priorities. Are they the right ones? The regulatory priorities outlined appear reasonable. 2. What are your views on amending the Statutory Guidance on Annual Assurance Statements to include provisions on specific assurance? We agree that a provision for a requirement for explicit assurance may be required in certain circumstances. We welcome such an approach but would suggest that the assurance sought should not be prescriptive and that each landlord should provide appropriate assurance. 3. Do you think that we need to change any of the indicators in the ARC or add to these? The ARC indicators generally remain useful and would suggest that it is possibly more appropriate to review indicators as part of a review of the Charter. That said we consider that Indicator 10, (Percentage of reactive repairs carried out in the last year completed right first time) serves a limited purpose. It may be more meaningful to split this indicator with two indicators: Percentage of reactive repairs completed within target and Percentage of reactive repairs that required more than one visit to complete. If there are proposals to alter any indicators, we would welcome the opportunity to participate in such discussions. 4. Are the proposed areas of focus for tenant and resident safety indicators the right ones, and what should those indicators be? We agree that the priorities appear proportionate and reasonable, but would suggest that monitoring tenant and resident safety by indicators alone is not the most appropriate vehicle. Some of the areas regarding tenant and resident safety are considerably easier than others to meaningfully measure by way of indicators. We would welcome discussions on what any future indicators are likely to be. It may be more appropriate that some of the areas are reliant on the landlord providing assurance through other means, such as evidence of appropriate process and policies. 5. What do you think would be the most effective and appropriate way to monitor the effectiveness of landlords’ approach to managing reports and instances of mould and dampness? The Council has a policy on damp and mould with appropriate procedures. Our stock condition survey (100% over five years) will gather data on mould issues by property. Combined with appropriate policies and procedures on mould and dampness, we would suggest that these methods are an effective way to monitor damp and mould. 6. What are your views on strengthening the Framework further on landlords listening to tenants and service users? We have methods for tenants and service users to provide feedback and consequently have no issue with these proposals. Our new Tenant Participation Strategy will increase the ways in which tenants and stakeholders can provide feedback 7. How do you think we could streamline the requirements for landlords in the Notifiable Events statutory guidance? Notifiable events apply only to RSLs and consequently we will not comment here.
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3 8. Do you think there is value in using more direct language in the working towards compliance status, or in introducing an intermediary regulatory status between compliant and working towards compliance? This appears to apply to RSLs only 9. Are there any changes we should make to the Significant Performance Failures approach, including how we define these? We publicise the SHR Significant Performance Failure leaflet, it is a useful route for tenants who do may want to raise issues directly with the landlord for particular reasons (for example whistleblowing). The Significant Performance Leaflet therefore compliments our established complaints process. 10. Are there any other changes to the Regulatory Framework and associated guidance that you would suggest? We look forward to the Scottish Government’s EESSH Review Groups findings being published and would welcome an early indication of any changes to the standard to help inform investment decisions at as early a stage as possible. We are satisfied with the current Regulatory Framework and the approach to reporting and would welcome any future consultation on it. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback!