17 March 2006
A housing association whose chief executive was suspended by the Housing Corporation might have broken the law when it rehoused its own staff, according to inspectors.
The long-awaited Audit Commission report into African Refugee Housing Action Group accuses the London-based landlord of altering files and committee records to cover up the way that it allocated homes.
Its policy for rehousing staff is likely to have breached the 1996 Housing Act, while the way it administered allocations and lettings was neither accountable nor transparent, the report says.
Inspectors concluded that services at ARHAG, which houses refugees and immigrants, are poor and gave it no stars. The report, published on March 9, describes the association's prospects for improvement as 'uncertain'.
Maureen Corcoran, head of housing inspections in London, said: 'The services provided to ARHAG tenants, many of whom are vulnerable, are among the worst we have seen.'
Set up in 1979, ARHAG owns about 600 homes. In January, its chief executive, Ronnie Moodley, and finance manager, Richard O'Dur, were both suspended.
ARHAG, which is being run by interim chief executive Owen Ingram, said it had started to improve services. An independent inquiry ordered by the corporation is ongoing while the landlord remains under supervision.
The report came as the National Housing Federation announced it was setting up a commission to give tenants more say on how their landlord operates. It is expected to publish its recommendations in September.
'Housing associations must be more responsive to what people want and involve them in the decisions that affect their lives,' said NHF chief executive David Orr.
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