Commentary on provisions of Act The Regulator of Social Housing Section 1: Fundamental objectives
Section 1 amends section 92K of the HRA 2008 which sets out the fundamental objectives that guide the regulator’s approach to regulation. These comprise an economic regulation objective and a consumer regulation objective. The economic objective is about good governance, financial viability and value for money of registered providers of social housing (registered providers) that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. The consumer objective is about supporting the provision of quality social housing that is well managed and ensuring tenants have choice and protection and can hold their landlord to account. The regulator is accountable to Parliament for the discharge of these fundamental objectives.
	This amendment specifies that the regulator must support the provision of housing that is ‘safe’ and ‘energy efficient’ in addition to the existing expectations of being ‘well managed’ and of ‘appropriate quality’. It also adds to the consumer objective a new objective for the regulator to require registered providers to be transparent with their tenants. The addition of safety and transparency to the Regulator’s objectives was a Social Housing White Paper commitment.