Review of Social Rent Setting in Northern Ireland

Tender description

The NIHE in partnership with the Department for Social Development (DSD) wishes to appoint a research team to update a 2007 study on the setting of rents for social dwellings in N. I. As part of the 2007 CSR DSD asked the NIHE to commission research which would inform policy on the setting of rents for social housing in N. I. The commissioned report on the research was submitted in Oct 2007. The overall aim of the project was to review current rent setting practices for social housing in N.I. with a view to considering the scope for the development and implementation of a harmonised rent-setting regime. This remains the same for the proposed update project. The project completed in 2007 had the following objectives: 2.1.1 To develop a definition of an affordable rent and, in this context, review the efficiency and effectiveness of the current arrangements to determine rent levels (to include a review of the formulae applied across the social sector). 2.1.2 To ensure that rents appropriately reflect the cost of production/delivery and the asset/resources of the housing association. 2.1.3 To establish the relationship between grant rates and rents and consider the scope for reducing grant available to developing registered housing associations. 2.1.4 To consider the effect of rent controls on registered housing association reserves and their ability to lever in private finance. 2.1.5 Consider the impact of choice-based lettings on rent levels and arrears levels across the social sector. It is not proposed to to change the objectives and it is expected that the original analysis and recommendations will in essence not change significantly. However, the data on which the analysis is based is now 3 years out of date and it was only based on data from 5 Housing Associations. This time it is proposed to include the majority of HAs in the analysis. DSD has asked that the updated research includes GB & RoI rental data. This is the only new element in the project