Housing group 'needs to improve'

The association owns nearly 2,000 properties in the Borders

A housing association which owns hundreds of homes in southern Scotland has been told it must improve services.

An inspection report by the Scottish Housing Regulator gave Berwickshire Housing Association a "fair" rating.

It found that the group, which is based in Duns in the Scottish Borders, had some strengths but other areas where it needed to improve.

BHA chairman Michael Calvert said it was "keen to put in place" the actions suggested by the regulators.

The association owns about 1,750 houses throughout Berwickshire.

SHR head of inspection Michael Cameron said they had found strengths and weaknesses in its operations.

Immediate changes

"The association has a clear focus on improving its services to customers, is doing this in a range of ways and has further plans for improvement," he said.

"The association made a number of immediate changes to its services in response to the inspection.

"However, BHA needs to improve its performance management, the management of its repairs service and it also needs to ensure its approach to lettings fully meets housing need."

He added that business planning issues also needed to be addressed.

BHA director Helen Forsyth said the inspection process had been "very positive" and confirmed it was "moving in the right direction".

"We will be working on our improvement plan from now and will prioritise our strategy to deliver planned efficiencies," she said.