Auditors call for wider star ratings for housing

18 Dec 03
Star ratings introduced three years ago for council housing departments could be extended to housing associations.

19 December 2003

Star ratings introduced three years ago for council housing departments could be extended to housing associations.

According to the Audit Commission, which has been inspecting both types of social landlord since April, there is no justification for having different systems of assessment in each sector.

Whereas local authority housing departments are awarded between zero and three stars (ranging from poor to excellent), registered social landlords are assessed using words such as good or satisfactory.

Some terminology in RSL reports is so complex it cannot be understood outside the sector, says the commission in its consultation paper on a new framework for housing inspection, published on December 11.

From April 2004, if the new framework goes ahead, councils and RSLs will be awarded up to three stars followed by a statement on their prospects for improvement.

But the National Housing Federation claims star ratings, combined with other plans to widen the scope of inspections, means the commission is in danger of infringing upon the independence of RSLs.

Jim Coulter, the federation's chief executive, said that any rating system had to be sophisticated enough to reflect the diversity and complexity of the RSL sector, which covers a range of neighbourhood services.

The commission must also avoid duplicating regulatory work carried out by the Housing Corporation, which inspected RSLs up until April. 'We don't want a case where the tail wags the dog,' he said. 'Inspection should inform our work, but not dictate it.'

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