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TENANTS FIRST HOUSING CO-OPERATIVE INSPECTION REPORT

The Scottish Housing Regulator today published its inspection report on Tenants First Housing Co-operative. The purpose of the inspection was to provide an independent external assessment on the effectiveness of its housing services.

The Regulator has awarded the Cooperative a ‘good’ rating for its overall performance.

Michael Cameron, head of inspection at The Scottish Housing Regulator, said:

“ Our inspectors found that Tenants First Housing Co-operative understands many of its strengths and weaknesses, and is committed to improving services for tenants.

“It has demonstrated strengths in a number of areas, particularly allocating its properties to people in housing need, letting empty homes quickly, dealing effectively with rent arrears and maintaining its properties.

“The Co-operative is aware that it needs to continue to improve its management of gas safety, fully implement its recent development of a robust risk management structure and address its falling committee of management membership.

The co-operative’s chairperson, Martin van der Lee, said:

“The inspection has been a useful and positive exercise for Tenants First, confirming our strengths and shortcomings. The report acknowledges that the co-operative has a high level of self awareness including areas of weakness.

We are always striving to improve our performance and it is gratifying that Tenants First is viewed as an innovative organisation with several areas described as excellent and with exemplars of positive practice.”


NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

1. Inspectors gave the following grade after the inspection:

2. The purpose of inspection is to provide an independent external assessment of the effectiveness of housing service delivery and make recommendations to help improvement.

3. Tenants First Housing Co-operative manages around 1,200 properties mainly in the greater Aberdeen area, Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Arbroath. Its head office is based in the city of Aberdeen with a service delivery office located in Peterhead.

4. Full details of the Tenants First Housing Co-operative inspection report can be found on The Scottish Housing Regulator website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk

5. The Scottish Housing Regulator came into operation on 1 April 2008. It is the successor to Communities Scotland’s Regulation & Inspection Division. As a government agency The Scottish Housing Regulator will have complete operational independence, but will remain accountable to Scottish Ministers, and through them to the Scottish Parliament for the standard of its work. The agency sits within the Justice and Communities Directorate of the Scottish Government and will work within the government’s overall purpose and contribute to its strategic objectives.