Correspondence

CEO letter Annex – information on survey changes (large providers)

Published 12 March 2024

Applies to England

Introduction

This note provides an overview of the changes to data returns for 2024. These changes have been made to ensure that they continue to most effectively support our operational approach and reflect provider structures and risks. We will let you know in good time if there are any changes or additions during the year to either the information you need to submit or our deadlines.

Key messages

The following points are applicable to all returns:

• Timely and accurate data submission is a cornerstone of the co-regulatory settlement and we rely on the information you supply us to ensure proportionate and risk-based regulation. Failure to supply quality data in line with the timescales we outline may be reflected in our published regulatory judgements.
• Data provided through these returns may be published at a provider level and following the 2024 Statistical Data Return collection we will publish a list of all late or missing SDRs as we have done in earlier years.
• It is essential that providers read the guidance available on the NROSH+ website prior to starting any of the returns. We specifically ask providers to pay attention to the TSM Return guidance as this return is new in 2024.
• Providers have a responsibility to correctly categorise and record their stock according to the latest applicable legislation and we ask that particular focus is given to your reporting of decent homes non-compliance to ensure that the submitted figures are an accurate reflection of stock performance against the requirements of the Decent Homes Standard.
• During the checking of submissions, we may contact some providers to discuss their data returns before signing them off for further analysis or review. Subsequently, we may contact providers where there are any regulatory issues arising from this.
• Please access NROSH+. For help and advice please refer to the guidance available and contact the Referrals and Regulatory Enquiries Team NROSHenquiries@rsh.gov.uk and 0300 1245 225.

Financial data

The regulator will keep the same suite of standard financial data returns that we collected in 2023 (Financial Forecast Return; Electronic Annual Accounts and Quarterly Survey).

FFR

A small number of changes have been made to the FFR in 2024. Guidance notes will be updated, and providers should refer to these to ensure continued quality in data submission.

FVA

Minimal changes have been made to the FVA in 2024. Guidance notes will be updated, and providers should refer to these to ensure continued quality in data submission.

QS

The Quarterly Survey will continue to collect data on key financial indicators and emergent sector risks. Guidance notes will be updated on a quarterly basis and providers should always refer to these to see if there are any changes to our requirements.

Statistical data

The following changes have been made to update terminology and to ensure the SDR continues to provide us with data required to support our operational activity.

Entity level information

• In both the long form and short form SDR we are adding the option for providers to select a local authority registered parent.
• In the short form SDR we are also introducing questions which allow small providers to confirm whether they are the responsible entity for any buildings of a height relevant for reporting in the fire safety remediation survey.

Low cost rental and rents (long form)

• Existing building height questions have been updated to reflect the high rise definitions in the Building Safety Act (2022), with the previous category of “Flat (in a building that is less than 18 metres in height and has fewer than 7 storeys)” being split into two categories:
• Flat (in a building that is less than 11 metres high AND has fewer than 5 storeys)
• Flat (in a building that is at least 11 metres high OR has at least 5 storeys and is less than 18 metres in height AND has fewer than 7 storeys)
• New questions have been added regarding the most recent round of stock condition surveys, including the year in which this was completed, the number of units physically inspected and the number of units which were found to fail DHS at the time of the inspection.
• New questions on DHS to provide a balance sheet approach, providing information on the number of units failing DHS reported in the previous return, the number identified since, the number of newly identified units which can be excluded from reporting, the number of units which have been remediated and the number of units which are no longer being reported as DHS fails due to any other loss of these units from reporting (not remediation).

Low cost home ownership (long form)

• A slight wording change to one question to improve clarity, the underlying expectation of this question has not been changed.

Affordable Rent (both long and short form)

Existing building height questions have been updated to reflect the high rise definitions in the Building Safety Act (2022), with the previous category of “Flat (in a building that is less than 18 metres in height and has fewer than 7 storeys)” being split into two categories: * Flat (in a building that is less than 11 metres high AND has fewer than 5 storeys) * Flat (in a building that is at least 11 metres high OR has at least 5 storeys and is less than 18 metres in height AND has fewer than 7 storeys)

For more details on the SDR questions and changes please refer to the SDR Guidance materials available on the NROSH+ website including the SDR changes for 2024 document^{[footnote 1]}.

Fire Safety Remediation Survey

The Fire Safety Remediation Survey is a quarterly survey which the RSH asks all providers to complete. Guidance notes for the fire safety remediation survey will be updated for each release of this survey and providers should always refer to these to see if there are any changes to our requirements.

We expect all providers to ensure they complete both the FRS and the correct version of the building level spreadsheet in line with the guidance provided. It is essential that providers check the data provided to the FRS and building level spreadsheet match, please see our FAQ on FRS and building level spreadsheet alignment on NROSH+ site for more information.

We share the data from the FRS with DLUHC, including information on submission statuses and data quality. The building level spreadsheets are supplied to DLUHC as submitted to us.

The next FRS will launch in late March 2024, for completion in the first weeks of April, with an as at 31 March 2024 position being reported. The survey will align with standard reporting quarters for 2024/25. The deadline for each quarter will be notified to all providers on, or before, the launch of the survey.

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

The Tenant Satisfaction Measures Return has been introduced for the first time this year and captures the TSMs already calculated and published (or due to be published) by you in accordance with the requirements set out in the TSM technical requirements and the TSM tenant survey requirements and some contextual information which will aid the interpretation of these.

We expect all providers (or groups of providers) who own 1,000 or more units of social housing to submit this return to us in 2024. ^{[footnote 2]}

As the TSM return is new in 2024 we ask that all providers pay particular attention to the return guidance to ensure they complete the return correctly and submit all relevant supporting documentation.

The TSM return will be open for submission between 2 April 2024 and 30 June 2024.

Please note that we will be updating one part of the TSM Technical Requirements in the next few weeks, ensuring the detail of the requirements on complaints TSMs (CH01 and CH02) is consistent with the Housing Ombudsman’s new 2024 Complaint Handling Code which applies from 1 April 2024. These changes will apply to TSMs calculated for the reporting year 2024/25. Your 2023-24 TSM submissions must be calculated in line with the current TSM technical requirements which reflect the 2022 Complaint Handling Code - available from the Housing Ombudsman website.

Disposal notifications

Providers are required to notify us about disposals made in line with our Direction on disposal notification. The Direction and supporting guidance, available on our website, sets out the detail of what must be notified and the type of information that must be provided. Providers should read the Direction and associated guidance on NROSH+ prior to completion of the Disposal Notification Form.

In April 2024 we intend to run a pilot of the quarterly disposal notification return via the NROSH+ system. Additional information on this will be provided to NROSH+ users in the coming weeks.

Organisational data

The NROSH+ website requires your organisation to enter and maintain a suite of organisational and contact details. It is the responsibility of each individual provider to ensure that this contact information is kept updated and accurate throughout the year. This is important because we use this information to contact your organisation on regulatory matters. We take our duties in relation to data protection seriously, but to do this we rely on providers updating their contact information in a timely fashion. Guidance on how to access and amend this data is available on the NROSH+ website.

Health and safety lead contact information

By 31st May 2024, registered providers must notify the regulator of the name and contact details of its designated health and safety lead through the contact details section in NROSH+. You will be able to update this information in NROSH+ from April and you will be asked to provide (or confirm) this information as part of the submission process for your 2024 SDR.

Registered providers must keep this information up to date. Any changes to this information should be made as soon as is reasonably possible or at a minimum within 2 weeks of the change happening. When publishing this information registered providers should ensure that in doing so they meet all the requirements of our standards. Further details about the requirement can be found on our Information required from registered providers page.

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1. Available from the documents section of NROSH+ ↩

2. Under our current requirements providers who own fewer than 1,000 units of social housing do not need to submit a TSM Return to us in 2024. However we are undertaking a voluntary pilot with small providers to gather data and will consider requirements for 2025 and beyond in light of these pilots. Those involved with the pilot schemes may be provided access to a specific, clearly labelled, version of the TSM Return via the NROSH+ system as part of the pilot later in 2024. ↩