Regulator advises social landlords on the final COVID-19 quarterly return

The Scottish Housing Regulator has today written to all social landlords to confirm the Social Housing Resilience Group’s decision to end the COVID-19 quarterly information returns. The upcoming return, covering the period 1 January to 31 March 2022, will be the final return. Landlords are asked to submit this by 29 April 2022.

The COVID-19 return was introduced by the Social Housing Resilience Group in March 2020 to help understand the impact of the pandemic and where support is needed. Landlords provided the Regulator with a short monthly return covering core areas including rent arrears, empty homes, lettings, staff absences (for RSLs) and homeless applications and offers (for local authorities). In April 2021, the frequency of the return changed from monthly to quarterly.

Helen Shaw, Director of Regulation, said “The COVID-19 dashboard reports have played a pivotal role in helping us to identify emerging issues and serious risks to tenants, people who are threatened with, or experiencing, homelessness and other service users over the last two years.

On behalf of the Social Housing Resilience Group, I’d like to thank social landlords for their co-operation in submitting the returns during what has been, and continues to be, an incredibly challenging period.”