Council tenants are set to benefit from increased protection under proposals announced today to extend the powers of the Tenant Services Authority (TSA).

Housing Minister John Healey today announced that for the first time all social housing would be covered by a single regulator, putting housing association tenants and council tenants on an equal footing when it comes to housing standards and services.

The proposals would extend the remit of the new TSA to regulate both housing associations and council landlords from April 2010 and give the TSA the powers it needs to set common standards across all social housing providers.

-- Advertisement --

Mr Healey said: "This consultation is an important step to securing a better deal for all social housing tenants. Having a decent home and good housing services should not be a lottery depending on who the landlord happens to be. I want every tenant to have a landlord who offers good quality homes and who listens and acts in line with people's needs. This is exactly what the TSA aims to achieve.

"I have been struck by the breadth and depth of support behind moving to a single regulator. Few have contested the idea that landlords who deliver similar services should be expected to adhere to the same standards."

TSA Chief Executive Peter Marsh said: "We welcome the government's proposals which bring us a step closer to ensuring that over 8.4 million tenants of social housing benefit from similar levels of protection and choice. Tenants will also enjoy the same rights and opportunities to be involved in the decisions that affect them and their neighbourhoods. We recognise there are some excellent local authority landlords up and down the country, but where this is not the case and tenants are not getting the deal they deserve, we will regulate in a proportionate way to raise the standard of service for tenants."

(CD/JM)