A FITness test for your organisation

For over 30 years we have worked with a wide range of housing providers to improve homes and services. Building on that experience, we can support housing providers to respond to increasing regulatory expectations with ARK FITness Tests.

 

Regulation

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 is leading to the welcomed development of the consumer regulation regime. Alongside this, the Housing Ombudsman is much more proactive, highlighting examples of poor outcomes for tenants. The Building Safety Act 2022 puts residents at the heart of a new system of building safety. We aim to make a positive difference to residents and communities. Great landlords will respond to changing regulation expectations but will aim higher. We will support you to excel.

ARK’s FITness tests assess your regulatory compliance as part of organisational excellence.

Our FITness tests give you choices over assessment and support across the elements that build an excellent organisation and give assurance of regulatory compliance. Most organisations will want to focus on one or two elements. A robust self-assessment against regulatory expectations will give a strong baseline.

The core elements of our FITness tests are detailed below. Contact us to discuss your requirements.

 

Tenant focus – FITness tests can cover

• Reviewing transparency – the quality of information and reporting provided to tenants
• Analysing the quality of customer insight and how it is used to design services
• A review of tenant involvement, the range of methods used and how it shapes services to respond to tenants’ priorities
• Testing the services that are the key drivers to tenant satisfaction
• Understanding Tenant Satisfaction Measures results, supporting the development of improvement plans
• Focusing on keeping tenants safe – reviewing the quality of data and processes

Quality of governance and leadership – FITness tests can cover

• Understanding whether governance bodies understand and drive regulatory compliance
• Governance bodies’ skills, composition and effectiveness reviews
• Preparing board members, elected members and senior leaders for inspection
• Reviewing structures, membership, roles and accountabilities
• Annual leadership effectiveness review

Realistic and robust strategies and plans – FITness tests can cover

• Assessing the quality of strategies – reflecting the operating environment and good quality data, research and consultation
• Testing that ambitions and priorities are clear and focussed on the things that matter
• Examining whether strategy development has involved tenants and priorities are tenant focused
• Checking strategies are integrated and everyone knows how they contribute

Delivering strategies and plans – FITness tests can cover

• Testing whether staff are high-calibre, well-trained, resourced and motivated
• Assessing whether systems, processes and procedures are comprehensive, efficient, understood and followed
• Reviewing key services covered by the consumer standards including anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse, communal areas, tenancy sustainment, under-occupation and overcrowding
• Evaluating effectiveness of partnership working to support thriving communities

Managing performance and risk – FITness tests can cover

• Reviewing performance management, including the metrics, measures and reporting
• Benchmarking performance across all service areas
• Reviewing the arrangements for defining and controlling business risks
• Assessing the leadership’s ‘risk appetite’, the management of risk and the adequacy of controls

Regulatory assurance – FITness tests can cover

• Supporting self-assessment against regulatory expectations
• Testing evidence to support the self-assessment
• Reviewing complaints processes and the learning from complaints
• Checking compliance arrangements to ensure the health and safety of tenants and staff
• Supporting regulatory engagement and the development and delivery of Performance Improvement Plans

Managing and improving value for money – FITness tests can cover

• Reviewing your Value for Money Strategy and links to strategic objectives
• Checking the focus on value for money for tenants
• Assessing the strategic approach to asset management – understanding your stock performance
• Reviewing development programme delivery