Why Social Housing Compliance, Asset Condition and Cost Control Are Related

The Sector Risk Profile 2019 published by the Social Housing Regulator placed safety compliance at the top of the list of risks for social housing providers. In the current climate, this shouldn’t have been a surprise to anybody.

The report also listed stock condition and asset management as major risk factors. There’s a clear link back to the health and safety issue, as there is no way to ensure compliance unless you have a full picture of asset condition and the works and safety checks that have been carried out or are needed.

Underlying both of these issues there is the importance of accurate cost control. How do you accurately budget without a definitive task list? And how do you achieve value for money and financial transparency without accurate reporting?

Streamlined Compliance and Reporting

Acting as a single provider for repair and maintenance allows Osborne Property Services to bring all of these elements together and streamline the process of ensuring compliance. For example, as part of our contract with Slough Borough Council, we achieved 18 consecutive months of 100% gas safety compliance for 6000 homes fitted with gas boilers.

This level of safety performance resulted from an investment in documenting the condition and status of gas appliances across the housing stock. A programme of replacing ageing boilers was planned alongside the routing safety checks. This has helped to reduce the authority’s carbon footprint and lifted some residents out of fuel poverty.

Active Project Management

Part of the success is down to active project management. Certification alerts are triggered two months before expiry to allow ample time to arrange convenient appointments with residents. These can easily be changed by residents to reduce the number of occasions when our operatives are unable to gain access.

We work closely with council staff to keep on top of ‘hot properties’ and to negotiate access if two appointments are missed within a 20-day period. Compliance work stays on track without having to rely on court orders to gain access.

Safety compliance and budget control go hand in hand as a result of a methodical approach to planning, data management and reporting. For our customers, this eliminates significant safety, financial and reputational risks.