2 minute read
Welcome
No guru, no method, no teacher
We keep getting asked: what do we need to do about the Charter? The answer is pretty simple. It’s time to peer into the mirror; ignore that lockdown haircut; the person looking back at you knows what to do.
Only a fool would think that the regulator can magic up a one-size-fits-all set of standards and inspection tests. Their first port of call will be to ask you what you’re doing. When they like what they see, they’ll turn that into the standard. As life moves on, the standard will shift. All down the line the pace will be set by the best landlords, not the regulator. That’s how it’s always been and always will be. It’s simple maths – landlords know their turf and, despite everything, enjoy resources that dwarf those of even the most generously funded regulator. Our friends at the regulator are smart and know this. Load the willing horses will be their cry!
So, it’s over to you. What’s to be done?
We’ve got to get a lot closer to residents. That’s what the Charter wants to see, and for better or worse we’re in this marriage from here till eternity. How are you shaping up?
Do your staff have empathy with residents? What’s that first phone call like? Do you roll your sleeves up to sort out complaints, or lose them in a vortex of corporate processes?
Do residents have any sway? Were they OK with the rent increase? Did you ask them? What do they think of the boss’s wage packet? I’ve heard parents at muchimproved schools defend the head’s pay. So, it’s not a crazy question. Will our pay seem fair to residents? Or will they point to this, that and the next thing you’re not concentrating on?
Lockdown has given me plenty of time to patrol my home turf. Old habits die hard. Some of the estates are tired, while a couple of landlords seem to have given up the ghost. Yes, I still read the noticeboards to check on estate inspections. They’re not happening.
We’ve spent the last ten years obsessing about boardrooms and you can see the signs of neglect on too many estates. All too often, governance stops at the edge of the boardroom (or Zoom screen). It’s quite easy to talk the talk in the boardroom; changing things on the ground is so much harder. It’s time to get back to basics. Fix the estates to get rid of the signs of stigma. Plenty of our members have made a good start.
But here’s the dilemma. There’s never enough money. So, how do you strike the right balance between building new homes and looking after those that you already own? Theoretically, it’s possible to do both. But not everyone manages this feat. Soon inspectors will be standing in my shoes and wandering around your estates. What mark will you get? Act now. Why would anyone in their right mind give you money to build new homes when you don’t love the ones you have?
