As a commercial business with a social heart, our dynamic approach has made us one of the region’s leading providers of affordable homes for rent and shared ownership sale. By the end of 2020-21, we increased the number of rented homes we provide to 12,115. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, we maintained the highest ratings in governance and viability from our regulator (The Regulator of Social Housing) and our financial rating stayed the same (we are rated as A+ stable – one of the highest of all the UK housing associations).
With concern for how quickly residents may start to feel the financial impact of the first national lockdown, we decided to take a new approach to rent and arrears collection that centred on offering support. We recorded every household who told us they were directly impacted by Covid-19, for example due to furlough or self-isolation. We also asked you to talk to us as soon as possible about financial worries, so we had more time to work out how we can support you. Most residents were quick to get in touch and continued to prioritise paying rent on time and in full. We also spent time working with people who had fallen into debt, to get their accounts back on track. Over the course of the year the total amount of debt owed by all residents reduced.
Whenever we talk about rent, we aim to be firm but fair. We know that the last year has been tough, but keeping your rent account in credit is the best way to protect your home and help take away some of the other worries life can bring. We’re keen to do all we can to help you take control of your finances and manage your money in a way that works for you. So, as well as continuing to offer our specialist one to one Money Advice Service, we also launched two new online tools last year. You can check your potential benefit entitlement using the benefit calculator which is regularly updated with the latest government guidance on claims and Covid support. Or you can work out your monthly spending with our budget tool, just enter all the details of how much income you receive each month and how much you spend to see where you could make some changes.
Performance statistics
Current tenant arrears (excluding Housing Benefit)
| 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Top housing associations (2019/20) | This year | Compared to top housing associations |
| 3.17% | 2.98% | 2.09% | 2.37% | Need to improve |
Net current arrears
| 2018/19 | 2019/20 | Top housing associations (2019/20) | This year | Compared to top housing associations |
| 1.88% | 1.69% | 1.07% | 1.29% | Need to improve |
