This year’s rent compliance conference will help to shape landlord thinking around rent increases while also covering the key requirements of how to comply with the Rent Standard, understanding the current sector risk profile and learning from recent regulatory downgrades.

Chaired by Emma Turay, Assistant Director of Rents & Service Charges at Notting Hill Genesis, our popular virtual conference will cover:

• Horizon scanning and how organisations are approaching the 2024/25 rent increase
• Legal updates – Looking to the future and learning from past mistakes, notifications and judgements
• Communicating with and supporting residents on rent increases and the wider cost of living
• Implementation of the Rent Standard:
  • Recap of the rules and regulations for varying rent types and different tenures
  • Identifying the lessons learnt and best practice
• Sector risk profile to be published by the Regulator in the autumn – what will this mean?  What have we learned and implemented from prior publications?

Who should attend?

This event is essential for everyone involved in rent setting and compliance:

• Executive directors and board members
• Finance, risk assurance and rent compliance teams
• Rent setting/review panels
• Income management and/or housing management teams
• Data governance teams.

10.30 Chair’s welcome and introduction

• • Emma Turay, Assistant Director – Rents and Service Charges, Notting Hill Genesis

10.40 Financial Modelling for 2024/25 rent increases

• • Ian Parker, Housing Finance Network Lead Associate, HQN

11.10 Bringing rents and resident’s together during the cost of living crisis

• • Clare Basham-Smith, Finance Operations Manager, Eastlight Community Homes

11.40 Break 

11.50 Consultation with residents on rent rises

• • Lucy Jefferies, Income & Homeownership manager, Raven Housing Trust

12.20 Regulatory and legal updates – insights over the last year

• • Samantha Grix, Partner, Devonshires Solicitors LLP

12.50 Q&A

13.00 Close

Emma Turay, Assistant Director – Rents and Service Charges, Notting Hill Genesis

Emma works at Notting Hill Genesis ensuring that the organisation is robust in terms of regulatory and legislative requirements for Rents and Service Charges. She is also responsible for the development of automated bespoke databases to increase efficiencies and manage compliance risks. Emma has led on the development of Rents & Service Charge systems designed to provide a platform to complete work compliantly, increase data integrity and provide insights for future decision making. Emma has over 15 years’ experience in the sector has lead on implementing an annual rent compliance conference and sector 2021 publication of the “Complying with the Rent Standard”.

Ian Parker, Housing Finance Network Lead Associate, HQN

Ian has worked in the public sector for 40 years. During his career he has worked in senior positions in local government and has been the Finance Director at four RPs.  Ian has worked as a consultant for the last eight years and during that period has:

• Developed HQN’s VfM metric model
• Provided advice to clients about the sector’s VfM agenda
• Undertaken in excess of 60+ mock In Depth Assessments (IDAs)
• Developed HQN’s merger model.

Ian is HQN’s Lead Finance Associate and in that role he provides advice to members of the Housing Finance Network and also ensures that they receive relevant news and technical updates.

Samantha Grix, Partner, Devonshires Solicitors LLP 

Samantha advises Private Registered Providers and Local Authorities (RPs) across a spectrum of matters affecting the social housing sector including Housing Management and has specialist knowledge of rent regulation.

In addition to being an accomplished litigator in landlord and tenant disputes, Sam has in depth knowledge of rent regulation and regularly advises RPs on compliance, self-referral to the Regulator of Social Housing and advises on and undertakes investigations in respect of complex rent regulation matters. Samantha works collaboratively with clients and third-party consultants to determine the cause and extent of the issue as well as providing pragmatic advice to rectify the issue and prevent it from occurring again. Samantha also regularly trains clients and Boards on rent regulation.

Additionally, Samantha advises on validity of rent increase notices, acts for RPs in challenges to the First Tier Tribunal and advises on interpretation of rent increase provisions in tenancies and leases.

Samantha also advises clients on the Consumer Standards and is adept at providing pragmatic and straightforward advice on compliance and how to remedy identified breaches.

Lucy Jefferies, Income & Homeownership manager, Raven Housing Trust

Lucy works for Raven Housing Trust and is responsible for maximising income and helping customers sustain their tenancies. She also oversees their Homeownership services to ensure all statutory and regulatory requirements are delivered. Lucy has spent the last couple of years leading on a digital transformation for all services relating to income collection, and part of that has been improving the way rent increases are handled, listening to and acting on customer feedback, and transforming the way Raven communicate with their customers around rent. Lucy has 6 years of experience in the sector, and has spent this time managing income collections teams, promoting a customer focused approach, and reducing rent arrears as a result.

Clare Basham-Smith, Finance Operations Manager, Eastlight Community Homes

Clare works for Eastlight Community Homes as Finance Operations Manager and is responsible for overseeing transactional activity teams within finance.

Clare has focused on working closely with the organisation to help improve the delivery of rent notifications, and looking at continuous improvement to drive efficiency across all transactional activity, improve processes and service delivery.

Clare has 12 years of experience in the sector, and has spent time  as a finance lead for  a new CRM & Housing Management System, as well as managing Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Rent transaction teams.

If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected]

Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable.

If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance.

Cancellations must be made in writing, and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited