The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has ruled that Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) is not compliant with the rent standard after it wrongly classified some of its homes as supported housing.
The regulator found that JRHT ‘incorrectly assumed’ 89 of its housing units were supporting housing, which has resulted in the wrong amount of rent being charged to tenants.
In some cases, units have been charged incorrect rent since 2007.
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RSH identified two separate issues in relation to JRHT’s units designated as specialised supported housing (SSH).
In at least 61 cases, the SSH exception to the rent standard has been applied despite these units receiving public funding. This has resulted in these units being charged incorrect rent since 2017/18.
Secondly, the RSH found that 28 units were categorised as supported housing but have not provided a relevant support service since receiving SSH status, which resulted in the wrong rent being charged.
The 2,600-home provider also self-referred to RSH, after identifying that it had previously set rents incorrectly for 400 fair rent tenancies, which determines the maximum rent a landlord can…
