Will it make a difference to my rent and how I pay it?
No. Our plans will not affect your rent and how you pay it. If they are accepted, you will make your payments the same way you normally do.
Will the amount of rent I pay change?
No, not because of the amalgamation. Our plans won’t affect the way in which your rent is calculated. There is a Government-set target for housing association rents, which all housing associations must follow.
What will my landlord be called?
Southern Housing Group Limited. We will be a charitable housing association and a non-profit making Industrial and Provident Society that does not pay any dividends to its shareholding members.
The Tenant Services Authority would oversee these changes and continue to regulate us.
Does the amalgamation mean that Southern Housing Group Limited is taking over James Butcher and South Wight Housing Associations?
No. Although Southern Housing Group Limited is the biggest association in the Group, the amalgamation is a coming together of all three associations to create a stronger and more efficient organisation. This would be called Southern Housing Group Limited, and all three associations would contribute to creating the new association.
What would the regions in the new organisation be called?
Isle of Wight Region
South Region
West Region
London Region
Thames Gateway Region
What will happen to my tenancy or lease?
The conditions of your tenancy (or lease for leaseholders) would not change, but Southern Housing Group Limited would be the name of your landlord. We would not have to issue new tenancy agreements, but we would send you a formal notice giving you general landlord details following the amalgamation.
Your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or leaseholder would not change.
It is also important to note that any statutory rights, such as ‘right to buy’ and ‘right to succeed’ are also unaffected.
Will my services be affected?
Our plans won’t make any changes to your local services. They will just help us to be more efficient behind the scenes.
Will there be any new services for residents?
We plan to extend the work of our community development team to cover all parts of the new organisation.
We will also continue to look at ways that we can improve our existing services to residents in all parts of the organisation.
Will you keep existing offices open?
Yes. We have no plans to close any of our offices.
Would staff be affected?
Most staff will be unaffected. The people who work with you now will probably stay the same, but some might have a different internal reporting structure following the amalgamation.
Who will manage the amalgamated organisation?
The new organisation would have a single board which would oversee the work of the Group.
We also plan to create Resident Service Panels, which will be locally-based committees made up of residents focused on monitoring regional services. They will support and inform our Group-wide Customer Services Committee, which reports to the board.
Who would be the shareholders of the new organisation?
The board members of Southern Housing Group Limited would be the shareholders of the new organisation.
How do I know if this legally is the right thing to do?
The boards within the Group have taken the advice of independent consultants to help them consider the pros and cons of amalgamation, and we have also taken legal advice to make sure that our plans are within the law and are being properly handled. Our proposals will also be considered and approved by the Tenant Services Authority, the government agency which oversees the work of housing associations.