What we will do 2026/27

Introduction
We will deliver our statutory functions effectively by:
We will listen to tenants and service users, use their feedback to inform effective regulation, and empower them by publishing performance information about their landlord by:
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:
We will be an effective, efficient and open public body and contribute constructively to the Scottish Government’s public service reform agenda.

Introduction

This is a summary of the main areas of work we plan to do during 2026/27.

We will continue to focus on protecting the interests of tenants and other people who use the services of social landlords. This includes people experiencing homelessness, Gypsy/Travellers, and factored owners. We will take a proportionate and risk‑based approach, remaining agile and responsive to events and emerging issues over the year.

We will engage with and take account of our stakeholders’ views in carrying out our statutory functions.

Through our work, we will support the delivery of good-quality social housing outcomes and shared objectives across the sector. 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 all social landlords and the governance and financial health of RSLs;
engaging with local authorities and RSLs as set out in our published engagement plans;
making regulatory interventions where appropriate; and
maintaining a register of social landlords.

We will publish:

an annual report on Notifiable Events from 2025/26;
a thematic review report on our Annual Assurance Statement visits;
our National Charter Report, landlord reports and updated comparison tool and report on the new damp and mould indicators;
our analysis of RSLs’ Loan Portfolios, Five Year Financial Projections and Audited Financial Statements;
Annual Assurance Statements from all social landlords and communicate specific areas for inclusion ahead of their next submission to us;
information on the risks we will focus on in our Annual Risk Assessment;
a summary of the outcome of our Annual Risk Assessment and updated engagement plans for each local authority and RSL, with a regulatory status for RSLs;
updates to engagement plans throughout the year to reflect any changes in our regulatory engagement with individual landlords; and
a refreshed Statutory Manager list.

We will continue to take account of the big challenges facing tenants and social landlords, including cost inflation, rent affordability, and the acute problems around homelessness. In the coming year we will have a strong regulatory focus on the quality and safety of homes that social landlords provide to tenants and their families.

We will respond to Serious Concerns raised by tenants, notifiable events, whistleblowing, and reports to us on events of material significance.

We will listen to tenants and service users, use their feedback to inform effective regulation, and empower them by publishing performance information about their landlord by:

publishing our refreshed strategy on how we include tenants and others in our work;
working with our new Tenant Advisors;
carrying out research and publishing the outcome of our work with our National Panel of tenants and service users; and
engaging with the Tenants Together (Scotland) SHR Liaison Group.

We will also:

attend conferences for tenants and service users;
provide guidance to tenants and service users who approach us, including signposting them to where they can get help;
respond to serious concerns submitted to us and engage on the outcomes;
publish accessible performance information aimed at tenants including landlord reports, our landlord comparison tool, and factsheets about our work; and
ask landlords to ensure tenants and service users know how to complain about their landlord and can easily access relevant and up-to-date regulatory information about their landlord and about us.

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, investors and lenders in social housing and other regulators;
holding structured conversations with eleven local authorities about the provision of their homelessness services;
participating in Scottish Government’s working groups alongside our stakeholders; and
participating in Audit Scotland’s Advisory Group for Housing Audit.

We will meet with:

advice agencies;
groups of urban, rural and cooperative landlords; and
Systemically Important RSLs.

We will also attend conferences and events to promote our work and listen to stakeholders.

We will be an effective, efficient and open public body and contribute constructively to the Scottish Government’s public service reform agenda.

We will aim to work within the £5.382m revenue funding provided to us by the Scottish Government.

We will review how we work to ensure we have an effective and efficient model for delivering regulation as a public body, which reflects the level of resources available to us. We will involve our stakeholders in this review that will set up how we operate in future years. We will also review our Strategy to agree our priorities for 2027/28 onwards.

We will work with Scottish Ministers to carry out a periodic review of our Framework Agreement with them. This sets out how we work with Scottish Government and the key roles and responsibilities. We will also support Ministers as they prepare to appoint new members to our Board in April 2027.

We will provide business support for all our activities to help ensure we can deliver on our objective and priorities, including:

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;
maintaining and exploring ways to make our website even more accessible for all users; and
maintaining cyber vigilance through preventative measures, staff awareness and incident response planning, assessment and secure platforms.

We will prepare our records management plan for submission to National Records of Scotland.

We will work with our staff and Board to ensure their wellbeing, health and safety and support learning and development. We will participate in the Civil Service People Survey.

We will be responsive and aim to meet our published targets for responding to Freedom of Information requests, Subject Access requests, complaints, reviews, appeals and enquiries, and invoice payments. We will also respond to media enquiries.

We will be open and transparent, regularly publishing our E-zine SHR Update and other information about our work on our website and promoting this via press releases and social media posts.

We will publish:

a summary of our work plans for 2026/27;
our annual report and accounts, laying this before the Scottish Parliament for scrutiny and engaging with Scottish Parliament’s Committees;
a statement on how we comply with Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Act;
our Corporate Parenting Plan
our Children’s Rights reports including a child friendly version and we will also submit these to Scottish Ministers;
our Equalities Statement;
key information on our governance arrangements including our Board’s gender balance; and
our annual climate change return and how we have supported our biodiversity commitments in line with new guidance.