Introduction
This is a summary of the main work we aim to do during 2025/26. We will remain agile and respond to events and developments during the year, reshaping our plans accordingly, while remaining mindful of our own resource capacity and priorities. We will work with all our stakeholders to protect the interests of tenants and people who use services provided by social landlords, including people and families who experience homelessness, Gypsy/Travellers and factored owners. We will support social housing and delivery of shared goals. Our work plans reflect the priorities set out in our 2024 – 2027 Strategy.
We will deliver our statutory functions effectively by:
- monitoring, assessing and reporting regularly on the performance of social landlords and the governance and financial health of RSLs;
- making regulatory interventions where appropriate; and
- maintaining a register of social landlords.
We will publish:
- our analysis of empty homes;
- a summary of the outcome of our regulatory risk assessment and engagement plans for each local authority and RSL, with a regulatory status for RSLs, engage with local authorities and RSLs as set out in our published engagement plans and ensure that engagement plans are updated throughout the year to reflect any changes in our regulatory engagement with individual landlords;
- a final update on RAAC data provided to us by social landlords;
- our National Report on the Charter, Landlord Reports and updated Comparison Tool;
- annual report on Notifiable Events from 2024/25;
- risks we will focus on in our Annual Risk Assessment;
- our Determination of accounting requirements, following consultation;
- an updated guide to how we regulate, for tenants and service users;
- our analysis for RSLs’ Loan Portfolios, Five Year Financial Projections and Audited Financial Statements;
- Annual Assurance Statements for all social landlords and communicate specific areas for inclusion; and
- a thematic report on our programme of Annual Assurance Statement Visits.
We will engage with Scottish Government and stakeholders on:
- Scottish Government’s review of EESSH and Net-Zero;
- potential changes to the ARC indicators in relation to Awaab’s Law;
- risks associated with cladding and any related data collection;
- response to the housing emergency; and
- response to Phase 2 Grenfell Inquiry.
We will listen to tenants and service users, use their feedback to inform effective regulation, and empower them by publishing useful performance information about their landlord by:
- engaging with the Tenants Together (Scotland) Scottish Housing Regulator Laison Group, which is hosted by two of our Board members;
- carrying out research with and publish the outcome of work with our National Panel of tenants and service users;
- working with our Tenant Advisors, extending current appointments for a year including for those recently drawn from the reserve list; and
- refreshing our strategy on how we involve tenants and others in our work.
We will also
- seek to participate in conferences for tenants and service users;
- provide guidance to tenants and service users who approach us;
- respond to serious concerns submitted to us and engage on the outcome; and
- publish a range of performance information aimed at tenants including landlord reports, our landlord comparison tool, and factsheets about our work on our website.
We will work closely with all our stakeholders, to help us understand the challenges they face, and to promote a wider understanding of the current and emerging risks that may impact on social housing by:
- regularly engaging with all our stakeholders including the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government, representative bodies and investors and lenders in social housing;
- reviewing our factsheets on serious concerns; and
- holding structured conversation with all 32 local authorities in follow up to the outcome of our regulatory risk assessment including provision of homelessness services and where applicable, Gypsy/Travellers site provision.
Our Board members will also host meetings with
- advice agencies;
- groups of urban and rural landlords;
- Systemically Important RSLs; and
- guest stakeholders at Board meetings
We will also
- attend events for Gypsy/Travellers and advice agencies to discuss minimum standards and Charter outcomes;
- support our new Chair and Board member as they introduce themselves to all our key stakeholders; and
- seek to attend conferences and events to promote our work and listen to stakeholders.
We will be an effective, efficient and open public body and contributing constructively to the Scottish Government’s public service reform agenda by:
- carry out an interim of our 2024 - 2027 strategy to ensure our priorities are still relevant and publishing a summary of our annual operating plan;
- publishing our 2024/25 annual report and accounts and laying this before the Scottish Parliament for scrutiny, engaging with Scottish Parliament’s Committees;
- supporting Scottish Ministers as they appoint a new Chair and members to our Board, reporting on our Board’s gender balance and publishing key information on our governance arrangements;
- providing business support for our activities to help ensure we can deliver on our objective and priorities.
- publishing a statement on how we comply with the Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Act;
- participating in the Cabinet Office review of its approach to the People Survey, participating in the Civil Service People Survey and publishing the outcome;
- submitting our annual climate change return and supporting our biodiversity commitments;
- implementing our action plan around our corporate parenting duties, developing our next report, including a child-friendly version for publication in 2026/27 and exploring collaboration opportunities, including awareness raising;
- maintaining cyber vigilance through preventative measures, staff awareness and incident response planning, and seeking to renew our Cyber assurance accreditation;
- managing and maintaining compliant and secure ICT systems, including through shared services with Scottish Government;
- providing a secure portal for landlords to submit information to us and meeting with our landlord user group to drive improvements to the portal;
- developing a new five-year Business Intelligence System strategy;
- exploring potential opportunities for adopting AI in our operations;
- continuing to implement Scottish Government’s shared services systems transformation programme for finance and HR;
- meeting our published targets for responding to Freedom of Information requests, Subject Access requests, complaints, review, appeals and enquiries and also by paying invoices within 10 days;
- publishing our E-zine SHR Update and other information about our work on our website, ensuring that this is accessible; and
- ensuring the wellbeing and health and safety of our staff and Board members;
- supporting our staff and Board’s learning and development;
- developing a new Communications Strategy 2026-2029;
- exploring ways to make our website more accessible to BSL users and produce an action plan for improvements; and
- working within our budget settlement of £5.343m revenue and £0.1m capital.