Rent arrears management practices in the housing association sector

Table 5.5 – Debt counselling provision
Transfer Non-transfer All HAs
Debt counselling by rent arrears
No 69 57 126
staff
% 57 .0% 55 .9% 56 .5%
Debt counselling by in-house
No 39 26 65
specialist debt counselling staff
% 32 .2% 25 .5% 29 .1%
Debt counselling via informal
No 90 81 171
referral to external agency
% 74 .4% 79 .4% 76 .7%
Debt counselling via formal referral No 65 61 126
to external agency
% 53 .7% 59 .8% 56 .5%
Responding associations No 121 102 223
% 100 .0% 100 .0% 100 .0%
Source: Online survey
Note: Because respondents could opt for two of more approaches, figures do not sum to column totals .
Distinct from welfare benefits advice is the role
of debt counselling for tenants in serious arrears .
Typically, associations made available such help
both via in-house staff and through referrals to
external agencies (see Table 5 .5) .
In the 2004 ODPM research 108 it was noted
that “referral to an external agency” might, in
many cases, involve no more than providing a
tenant with the contact details of an independent
68
advice provider . This was quite distinct from a
“formal referral” where a housing manager took
responsibility for contacting the agency and
booking an appointment for their client . In some
cases, such arrangements have been made within
the context of formal contracts . More than half of
responding associations reported operating
a “formal referrals” system and although there is
no direct historical comparator, this would appear
to indicate a significant increase in this kind of
108 Pawson, H ., Flint, J ., Scott, S ., Atkinson, R ., Bannister, J ., McKenzie, C . and Mills, C ., (2004), The Use of Possession Actions and Evictions by
Social Landlords, London: ODPM http://www .communities .gov .uk/publications/housing/203568