Regulator of Social Housing uses power to remove provider officers for first time

The Regulator of Social Housing has issued orders to remove two officers from the committee of a small housing co-operative in Kent.

The order, directed at Allnutt Mill Housing Co-operative, is the first time the regulator (RSH) has used its powers to remove officers from an organisation.

The RSH concluded that the officers in question had impeded the proper management of the provider “by failing to carry out duties required of them as officers of the committee in a timely manner”.

It also accused them of having “obstructed and failed to cooperate with RSH by displaying a lack of transparency with RSH and by failing to respond to requests made by RSH in the performance of its functions”. 

This is the first time RSH has used its powers to remove officers from an organisation. 

Allnutt Mill, which manages 46 homes in Maidstone Kent via a third party, is a fully mutual housing cooperative, meaning it’s owned by its members and directed by a management committee drawn from its membership. 

According to the RSH, it generated a turnover of £326k in the year ended 31 March 2024 and had no employees.

The RSH published a regulator judgement for the landlord a year ago, concluding that it was not delivering the outcomes of the governance and financial viability standard.

It said that, since the judgement, Allnutt Mill had been “unable or unwilling to resolve the issues and meet the regulatory standards” and was “not able to provide RSH assurance that it has the funds or capacity to carry out necessary repairs and investment in its homes”.

“We have removed two officers from the committee of Allnutt Mill Housing Co-operative Limited after identifying a number of issues with their actions,” said Jonathan Walters, deputy chief executive of RSH.

 “We will continue to engage closely with the co-operative’s members as they pursue the plan to resolve the issues it faces.” 

Allnutt Mill Housing Co-operative could not be reached for comment.