The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) was the operating name of the ''Office for Tenants and Social Landlords'', the former regulatory agency of registered providers of

social housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, d ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. On 1 December 2008 the TSA first took over the regulatory work of the

Housing Corporation The Housing Corporation was the non-departmental public body that funded new affordable housing and regulated housing associations in England. It was established by the Housing Act 1964. On 1 December 2008, its functions were transferred to two n ...

, inspecting

housing association In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, Non-profit organization, non-profit making organisations that provide low-cost "Public housing in the United Kingdom, social housing" for people in need of a home. Any budge ...

s and responding to concerns. Its remit was then expanded to regulate local authority housing, ALMOs and housing cooperatives from April 2010, almost 1,800 providers. The TSA closed after the

Homes and Communities Agency Homes England is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was founded on 1 January 2018 to replace the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). HCA in turn was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2 ...

(HCA) took over responsibility for the regulation of social housing from 1 April 2012.

Background

In 2007, Professor Martin Cave, Director of the Centre for Management under Regulation at

University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

, led the most comprehensive review of English housing regulation for 30 years. Reporting in June, the Cave Review recommended that a new regulator be set up, separating the regulation and investment responsibilities of the

. After consultation with the sector, Housing Minister

Yvette Cooper Yvette Cooper (born 20 March 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Home Secretary since 2021, and previously from 2011 to 2015. She served in Gordon Brown's Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2008 to 2009 and Work and Pen ...

announced the Government's decision and the name of the new regulator as "Office for Tenants and Social Landlords" on 15 October 2007. Its operating name was subsequently announced as the Tenant Services Authority. The TSA was established by section 81 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. The same Act created the

to take over the investment powers of the Housing Corporation. Both became operational on 1 December 2008. The equivalent powers in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

are held by the Scottish Housing Regulator and the

Welsh Assembly The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh ...

Government.

CIPFA The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) is a professional institute for accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional ...

, ''Housing Finance Manual'', chapter 1. September 2009.

Management

The TSA's chief executive, Peter Marsh, is the former deputy chief executive of the Housing Corporation. Most of the other directors are from outside the Corporation.

Approach to regulation

The TSA has more extensive powers than its predecessor, and emphasises its role as "a champion for tenants". Throughout 2009 it undertook a "National Conversation" with residents and other interested parties on how it should exercise these powers. In March 2010 the TSA published a new framework of six national standards which will apply to all social landlords in England. The standards are based on outcomes for tenants rather than processes. A new approach of "co-regulation" means that landlords will work with tenants to regulate themselves. The TSA will end routine inspections of all providers. Where landlords are not meeting the standards, the TSA will hold discussions with them before using its powers of formal intervention.TSA makes final preparations for new era of social housing regulation
, 24dash.com, 16 March 2010

Closure

After the 2010 general election, the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

housing minister Grant Shapps indicated his intention to close the TSA. Its responsibilities for governance and financial regulation of housing associations passed to the HCA, but the Housing Ombudsman became the final point of appeal for tenants' complaints. In September 2010, the HCA was also included on a list of organisations being considered for closure. However, Shapps announced in October that the TSA would be merged into the HCA.

References

External links

Tenant Services Authority website
{{Authority control 2010 establishments in England 2012 disestablishments in England Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Government agencies established in 2010 Government agencies disestablished in 2012 Housing organisations based in London Public housing in England Regulators of England