Ideas
Firstly, the word "social" should be dropped from all terminologies or terms used in these discussions or for the new Housing Charter, so as to remove that social stigma.
After reading the various ideas submitted (though mainly from tenants and tenant-related associations but none yet from landlords), the following should be some of the critical success factors in the Scottish Housing Charter:-
-Customer focussed
-Customer satisfaction
-Accountability & Transparency
-Sustainability
-Respect for all parties
At the macro level the following steps should be taken to improve the housing needs in Scotland:-
-Restructure and review the roles & responsibilities of landlords and housing associations
-Increase the land bank for new housing development be it for let and/or for sale
-Review existing housing stock and improve on rent collection and greater transparency in allocation of rental housing
-Set & establish a standard modular design for all Scottish housing but with different elevation treatment to suit the built environment.
At the momemt there are too many housing associations and landlords going in different directions, ending in inefficient use of resources or the lack of resources entirely, preventing them from providing a satisfactory level of service to tenants.
The roles and responsibilities of the Scottish Housing Regulator must be clearly defined and reviewed in the new Charter to enable him to enforce measures against recalcitrant landlords.
There should not be any self assessment for landlords or housing associations as it would only give a wrong perspective.
Lastly one can have the best Charter in the world but if it is not enforceable it would be another paper exercise, this time worse than a blank one.
From KL Tang - , 17/10/2010 Tagged as: allocations, respect, self assessment, rent collection
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accessibility accreditation advice service affordability affordable allocations anti-social behaviour best practice carbon emissions committee communication community customer service efficient staff energy facilities governance home owners housing quality knowledgeable maintenance older people outcomes performance management rent collection Repairs respect self assessment service improvement service standards SHQS space standards standards tenancy agreement tenant participation tenant responsibilities tenant rights value for money young people
I am mostly in agreement with these comments by KT Tang especially "There should not be any self assessment for landlords or housing associations as it would only give a wrong perspective." as this has been my thoughts since I first heard self assesment mentioned. I think it is a dangerous route to follow.
The sensitivity to the word 'social' though seems a small matter appearing to offend mostly home owners rather than tenants. Would you have it as 'coonsil or corpy? Most tenants think fairer rents, and better quality repairs are of more concern than a wee word.