Compliance Management for Housing Associations
Handle building safety, tenant services, and regulatory compliance with digital tools built for registered providers.
The Challenge
Housing associations face the most demanding regulatory environment in social housing history - Building Safety Act requirements for high-rise buildings, Regulator of Social Housing consumer standards inspection, Awaab's Law timescales for damp and mould, and intense scrutiny from tenants, media, and politicians. Managing compliance across thousands of properties with varying ages and conditions, coordinating contractors with varying standards, and demonstrating continuous improvement to RSH inspectors is impossible with spreadsheets and paper. Problems surface during inspections, tenant complaints, or worst - after serious incidents that damage lives and reputation.
How Assistant Manager Solves Housing Associations Compliance
Each module is designed to address the specific challenges housing associations businesses face every day.
Checklist Management
Housing associations must manage compliance across diverse property types - high-rise buildings with Building Safety Act requirements, general needs housing with decent homes standards, and void properties requiring thorough inspection before re-letting - compliance tracking must work at both individual property and portfolio level
The Problems
Why This Matters for Housing Associations
- Building safety checks for high-rise buildings - fire door inspections, emergency lighting, smoke vents, communal area safety - are recorded on paper logs with no verification that checks are thorough or completed to Building Safety Act requirements
During a Building Safety Regulator inspection, you can't demonstrate systematic, documented fire safety compliance across your high-rise stock, risking enforcement action
- Void property inspections before re-letting are rushed during high-demand periods, with checklist items marked as complete without thorough inspection of damp, mould, and property condition
New tenants move into properties with existing damp and mould that wasn't identified during void inspection, leading to immediate complaints and breach of Awaab's Law response timescales
The Solution
How Checklist Management Helps
Building-specific digital checklists with mandatory photo evidence for safety-critical items, GPS verification of inspection location, and hierarchical visibility from individual property to stock-wide compliance oversight
Every building safety check is documented with photo evidence, void inspections are thorough with evidence captured before re-letting, and portfolio managers can see compliance status across entire stock instantly
Use Cases:
- • High-rise building fire safety inspection schedules (fire doors, emergency lighting, dry risers)
- • Communal area safety checks and cleaning verification
- • Gas safety annual inspection tracking across all properties
- • Electrical inspection 5-year cycle management
- • Void property inspection with damp and mould assessment
- • Decent Homes Standard compliance verification
- • Estate walkabout recording with defect identification
Feature Screenshot
Checklist Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Building safety checks for high-rise buildings - fire door inspections, emergency lighting, smoke vents, communal area safety - are recorded on paper logs with no verification that checks are thorough or completed to Building Safety Act requirements
Real Scenario
"Building Safety Regulator inspectors visit three of your high-rise blocks. Fire door inspection logs are incomplete for one block, emergency lighting test records are on paper in a site office for another, and smoke vent inspection dates don't match the required frequency. You face improvement notices across your high-rise portfolio."
Example 2: Void property inspections before re-letting are rushed during high-demand periods, with checklist items marked as complete without thorough inspection of damp, mould, and property condition
Real Scenario
"A family moves into a void property. Within two weeks they report significant mould in the bedroom. Investigation reveals the void inspection checklist was completed but the inspector didn't check behind furniture or in wardrobes - the mould was present before they moved in, and now you're in breach of Awaab's Law response requirements."
Asset Management
Housing associations must track multiple compliance requirements for each property - gas safety annually, electrical every 5 years, fire risk assessments, legionella, asbestos - with different renewal cycles and contractor coordination - fragmented tracking creates certification lapses and RSH inspection exposure
The Problems
Why This Matters for Housing Associations
- Gas safety certificates, electrical inspection reports, lift servicing records, and fire risk assessments are stored in different systems or paper files across asset management teams with no unified view of property compliance status
You can't quickly demonstrate to RSH inspectors that all properties have current gas safety certificates and electrical inspections, and certification lapses occur because renewals aren't tracked centrally
- Major works and component replacement schedules - boilers, kitchens, bathrooms, roofs - are planned based on age and condition but there's no single system linking planned works with compliance requirements like asbestos surveys or fire risk assessment updates
Major works are delayed because required pre-work surveys weren't scheduled, asbestos surveys are out of date when contractors arrive, and fire risk assessments aren't updated after building modifications
The Solution
How Asset Management Helps
Comprehensive property asset register with integrated compliance tracking (gas, electric, fire, asbestos), automatic certificate renewal scheduling, planned maintenance coordination, and stock-wide compliance reporting
Every property has a complete compliance profile with automatic renewal alerts for gas, electric, and other certifications, planned works are coordinated with required pre-work surveys, and portfolio-wide compliance status is visible on a single dashboard
Use Cases:
- • Gas safety certificate tracking with automatic annual renewal scheduling
- • Electrical inspection 5-year cycle management across stock
- • Fire risk assessment tracking with review dates for high-rise and general needs
- • Asbestos survey management and condition monitoring
- • Legionella risk assessment and water testing schedules
- • Lift and door entry system servicing and inspection tracking
- • Planned maintenance scheduling coordinated with compliance requirements
Feature Screenshot
Asset Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Gas safety certificates, electrical inspection reports, lift servicing records, and fire risk assessments are stored in different systems or paper files across asset management teams with no unified view of property compliance status
Real Scenario
"During an RSH inspection, they request gas safety compliance data across your stock. It takes you three days to compile the report from multiple databases and paper files, and the analysis reveals 8 properties where gas safety certificates lapsed and were renewed late - demonstrating inadequate oversight of critical tenant safety."
Example 2: Major works and component replacement schedules - boilers, kitchens, bathrooms, roofs - are planned based on age and condition but there's no single system linking planned works with compliance requirements like asbestos surveys or fire risk assessment updates
Real Scenario
"A planned kitchen replacement programme is delayed by 6 weeks because asbestos surveys for 40% of the properties are more than 3 years old and need updating before intrusive work. The contractor mobilization is wasted, costs overrun, and tenants who'd arranged time off work are frustrated by the delays."
Contractor Management
Housing associations rely on contractors for most repairs, maintenance, and major works - you remain liable for ensuring contractors work safely and to quality standards, requiring systematic pre-work verification and ongoing performance monitoring including tenant satisfaction
The Problems
Why This Matters for Housing Associations
- Contractors delivering repairs, maintenance, and major works have insurance certificates, gas safe registrations, and NICEIC approvals stored in procurement files with no alerts when certifications expire or systematic verification before work starts
Contractors work without current gas safe registration or insurance, and when incidents occur you're liable because you can't prove you verified their compliance before allowing access to tenant properties
- Repair contractors aren't systematically monitored for quality, tenant satisfaction, or compliance with repair timescales after contract award, with problems only discovered through tenant complaints or annual reviews
Service quality deteriorates, Tenant Satisfaction Measures decline, and RSH inspection finds inadequate oversight of contracted repair services
The Solution
How Contractor Management Helps
Contractor compliance management with automatic certification expiry tracking (Gas Safe, NICEIC, insurance), pre-work compliance verification, ongoing performance monitoring including tenant feedback, and contractor action management
Every contractor is verified compliant before accessing properties, certification expiries trigger automatic suspension of bookings, and ongoing performance is monitored with tenant feedback integrated into contractor management
Use Cases:
- • Gas Safe registration tracking with automatic booking suspension on expiry
- • NICEIC approval and electrician certification monitoring
- • Contractor insurance certificate tracking (public liability, employer liability)
- • Pre-work compliance verification before property access
- • Tenant satisfaction monitoring for repair contractor performance
- • Contractor quality inspection and follow-up action management
- • Major works contractor performance tracking against milestones
Feature Screenshot
Contractor Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Contractors delivering repairs, maintenance, and major works have insurance certificates, gas safe registrations, and NICEIC approvals stored in procurement files with no alerts when certifications expire or systematic verification before work starts
Real Scenario
"A contractor causes a gas leak during a boiler service. Investigation reveals their Gas Safe registration expired 4 months ago - they continued booking appointments and your system didn't flag the expiry. Tenant is evacuated, emergency services are called, and HSE investigate your contractor management processes."
Example 2: Repair contractors aren't systematically monitored for quality, tenant satisfaction, or compliance with repair timescales after contract award, with problems only discovered through tenant complaints or annual reviews
Real Scenario
"Your annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures show a 20% decline in repairs satisfaction. Investigation reveals your main repairs contractor has been completing jobs quickly to meet KPIs but quality is poor - call-backs are high, and tenants report 'bodge jobs'. You had no system to identify declining quality between annual contract reviews."
Corrective Action (CAPA)
Housing associations generate corrective actions from multiple sources - tenant complaints, fire risk assessments, stock condition surveys, RSH inspections, Building Safety Regulator enforcement - without unified tracking across sources, actions are lost and repeat inspections find sustained non-compliance
The Problems
Why This Matters for Housing Associations
- Actions from tenant complaints about damp and mould, repairs delays, and building safety concerns are logged in different systems depending on the team handling them, with no unified tracking of resolution or demonstration that underlying issues are addressed
Similar complaints repeat because root causes aren't addressed, Awaab's Law timescales are breached because follow-up actions aren't tracked, and Housing Ombudsman investigations find systemic service failure
- Actions from internal audits, stock condition surveys, and fire risk assessments are recorded in reports but there's no systematic tracking of remedial works completion or verification that identified defects have been properly addressed
Follow-up inspections and audits find the same defects unresolved, Building Safety Regulator enforcement follows when fire safety actions aren't completed, and you can't demonstrate systematic improvement to RSH inspectors
The Solution
How Corrective Action (CAPA) Helps
Unified corrective action tracking covering tenant complaints, fire safety actions, audit findings, and inspection recommendations, with automatic escalation for overdue items, evidence requirements for closure, and verification workflows
Every action from complaints, fire risk assessments, and audits is tracked with clear ownership and deadlines, Awaab's Law timescales are monitored automatically, and leadership has dashboard visibility of action status across the entire stock
Use Cases:
- • Damp and mould complaint action tracking with Awaab's Law timescale monitoring
- • Fire risk assessment action management with Building Safety Act compliance
- • Stock condition survey defect remediation tracking
- • RSH inspection action plan monitoring
- • Housing Ombudsman investigation action implementation
- • Internal audit finding action tracking
- • Tenant complaint resolution action management with completion verification
Feature Screenshot
Corrective Action (CAPA)
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Actions from tenant complaints about damp and mould, repairs delays, and building safety concerns are logged in different systems depending on the team handling them, with no unified tracking of resolution or demonstration that underlying issues are addressed
Real Scenario
"A tenant complains about damp and mould. You inspect and promise to improve ventilation and address external penetrating damp. Six months later they escalate to Housing Ombudsman who finds the promised works weren't completed - the action was logged in the repairs system but nobody tracked it and the tenant has been living with worsening mould throughout."
Example 2: Actions from internal audits, stock condition surveys, and fire risk assessments are recorded in reports but there's no systematic tracking of remedial works completion or verification that identified defects have been properly addressed
Real Scenario
"A fire risk assessment identifies 15 actions across a high-rise block including fire door repairs and compartmentation improvements. Building Safety Regulator follow-up inspection 12 months later finds only 6 have been completed - the others were 'noted' but never assigned, tracked, or verified, demonstrating inadequate fire safety management."
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