The regulator has published the findings of its 33-month statutory intervention into Thistle Housing Association (THA), which it described as one of its “longest and most complex”.
The report sets out why the regulator intervened at THA, which was forced to transfer its homes to Sanctuary last year as a result of various failings, and what action it took to safeguard the interests of tenants.
THA, which owned 950 homes in the Toryglen area of Glasgow, was first hit with regulatory action in August 2018 after the the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) identified serious failures in governance and financial management.
As a result of its intervention, the regulator appointed a statutory manager and eight members to THA’s governing body.
Following the appointment, the manager and appointees identified further serious failures in October 2019, including failures to comply with health and safety obligations such as the quality of its asbestos management and missing fire risk assessments.
In the same year, the Health and Safety Executive served a statutory improvement notice to THA in relation to its management of asbestos.
In its latest report the regulator said it “found a level of resistance within the organisation to working effectively with the statutory appointees to address Thistle’s weaknesses”.
The regulator subsequently used its statutory powers to direct a transfer of the landlord’s homes and assets to Sanctuary Scotland in January last year.
This came after a consultation with THA’s tenants and factored owners, 92% of whom voted in an independent ballot saying ‘yes’ to the transfer.
The regulator removed THA from the register of social landlords after its homes and assets were transferred to Sanctuary Scotland in March last year.
According to the regulator, the cost of the intervention – which was met by THA – was more than £354,000.
Helen Shaw, director of regulation at the SHR, said: “We intervened at Thistle because the issues at the association presented a serious risk to the interests of its tenants and service users. We will only do this when we need to protect the interests of tenants and service users.
“We are sharing this report so that governing bodies can consider the points in it when carrying out their regular assurance and assessment of their own compliance with the regulatory standards.”
Source: Inside Housing
