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The Memorandum of Understanding reflects their new powers under the Social Housing Regulation Act.
Both bodies are committed to strengthening the accountability of social landlords for providing safe homes, quality services and treating tenants with respect.
The updated Memorandum sets out a new framework of communication, cooperation and exchange of information between the regulator and the Ombudsman, and explains how each will work together to deliver their respective roles.
Under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, the Memorandum is now a statutory document.
The Memorandum includes commitments for:
Complementary approaches: both bodies will strive to achieve a compatible approach while respecting their independent roles.
Early communication: they will engage in early-stage communication on issues with potentially significant implications for each other.
Signposting: enquirers will be directed to the appropriate organisation, with clear explanations provided.
Regular meetings: regular communication, including meetings at various levels of seniority, will be maintained to discuss mutual interests and stakeholder engagement.
Promoting understanding: efforts will be made to promote understanding of their respective roles among residents and landlords.
Consistent communication: consistency will be ensured in how they communicate about each other’s roles.
Specific areas of information exchange have been set out, including the sharing of data on landlords, coordination on specific cases, intelligence on sector risks, and advance notifications of publications and enforcement actions. The Ombudsman and Regulator have also written to all social landlords setting out how they will work together under the Memorandum.
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