New Code of Practice for Private Retirement Housing

The code is a very useful guide to managers, but its real purpose is to offer protection to residents. The code has a status similar to the Highway Code. It is not an offence in itself to ignore the code but it can and will be used by residents in evidence at Leasehold Tribunals and when making complaints. The ARHM will deal with complaints from residents about its members and the code, and carries out compliance checks on its members.

The code contains an update of legal requirements for leasehold management and incorporates amendments to legislation made by the 2002 Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act. In all it contains 126 legal requirements arising from 22 Acts of Parliament and 20 sets of regulations that managers of private retirement housing must follow. In addition there are a further 284 recommendations of good practice.

The Housing Corporation recommends all housing associations follow the code for the management of leasehold schemes for the elderly.

Michael Biles, Housing Ombudsman, welcoming the code said: “The ARHM must be congratulated on producing this excellent new code of practice and for securing Government endorsement of it. In the past my caseworkers have frequently used the ARHM code, which this one replaces as part of our investigations to measure good performance by housing managers.

It is clearly set out, easy to read, and comprehensive in scope and I am in no doubt that it will be similarly valued and used as a practical, easily understood reference not only by my staff but by all the private retirement sector.”

In her forward to the code Baroness Andrews, Parlia-mentary Under Secretary of State (above), writes: “I should like to thank the ARHM for producing this revised code, which, like its predecessor, is destined to play a key role in improving management practices in the sector. I warmly commend it to all managers of retirement housing in the hope it will continue to be closely studied and followed.”