Project requirements

The Suffolk-wide Private Rented Sector (PRS) Pathfinder Programme, funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), was established to drive sustained improvement across Suffolk’s private rented sector. The initiative, involving five partner local authorities, was aimed at driving strategic-led enforcement in the PRS. The programme sought to provide best practice and expertise to strengthen future local authority interventions.

RHE Global delivered key project support and management to the Suffolk local authorities, playing a central role across the lifetime of the programme. A full project brief and specification of work packages were put forward early in 2023, comprising project governance, communications planning, recruitment support and procurement of key services. Our role included strategic project planning and support, policy review and development and operational delivery, together with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspection validations for stock condition findings. 

The core objectives of the Pathfinder Programme were to:

• Support landlords in complying with legal requirements

• Educate tenants about their rights

• Improve engagement with harder-to-reach sectors in the PRS, including residents

• Strengthen enforcement against non-compliant landlords

• Enhance stock condition insight

• Place emphasis on enforcement activities.

A crucial ambition was to create consistency across the region, both operationally and in terms of the quality of expertise embedded within the five local authority private sector housing teams, ensuring lasting sustainability of local authority service impact beyond the project period.

Project delivery

At project initiation, RHE Global developed a detailed project plan and delivery strategy structured around a two-year timeframe. From the outset, timelines, milestones, outcomes and risk mitigation strategies were outlined, fostering effective and detailed strategic project planning. 

At the beginning of the Pathfinder Programme, RHE supported the procurement and supply of a housing stock condition modelling (HSCM) exercise. This was effected through the development of optimised procurement documentation, which ultimately led to the appointment of a supplier that worked on a five-year PRS database and dashboard to inform intelligence-led inspections and strategic interventions. The HSCM dataset became the backbone of targeted enforcement across Suffolk, aligning with national survey standards. At the same time, RHE Global also supported the general principles of a communications and engagement strategy to underpin the operational programme, also devising appropriate procurement documentation for this purpose. This included development of a Suffolk-wide communications plan and the addition of web-based housing information to inform online tenant information, advice and guidance. These campaigns sought to empower tenants, promote responsible landlord behaviour and clarify local authority enforcement priorities, with particular efforts being made to reach typically underserved rural areas. Recruitment support and planning was another key deliverable. RHE instigated a staffing plan and supported recruitment of key Pathfinder posts, incorporating screening process design and candidate recruitment support. Furthermore, RHE carried out HHSRS inspection, assessment and enforcement training with new and existing programme staff, in particular environmental health practitioners and other housing enforcement officers.

Suffolk-wide policy and strategic consistency was another key output of the project. Accordingly, RHE Global conducted a comprehensive review of PRS enforcement policies across the five Suffolk authorities, highlighting any irregularity and aligning practices. This work led to the evolution of:

• A new Suffolk-wide Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Prescribed Suite of Housing Standards

• A new Rogue Landlord Enforcement Policy.

By establishing conformity between local authority regulatory and policy frameworks, they could present a uniform approach to the sector while maintaining flexibility for local priorities. The amended and updated policies and procedures helped with robust and intelligence-driven operational delivery across the Suffolk region. To support this, Suffolk adopted RHE’s Regulatory and Information Management Systems (RIAMS), a legally resilient environmental health and housing cloud-based digital tool that supports officers with day-to-day operational procedures, guidance and templates.

RHE also managed and provided a proactive property inspection programme, conducting approximately 270 inspections in designated ‘high impact’ areas. The full project management of the HHSRS validation inspection programme was included in this. Properties were selected based on data from the HSCM database to prioritise higher-risk stock. Each inspection assessed compliance with the HHSRS, identifying category 1 and 2 hazards. Findings were used to verify or update the HSCM database, establishing continual advancement in local housing knowledge. Where urgent risks were found, immediate action was taken, and detailed inspection records were maintained to support enforcement and demonstrate outcomes. The HHSRS validation inspections were achieved with the help of RHE’s ‘The Housing App,’ a specialist on-site HHSRS inspection and assessment digital tool used by officers to undertake thorough evidence-based dwelling-level reports.

Key operational tasks involved:

• Scheduling and coordinating inspections

• Liaising with property owners and tenants

• Managing RHE’s accredited HHSRS assessors

• Ensuring continuous legal compliance under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004.

The project gave a strategic, data-led focus for future local authority action through the identification of high-impact areas – geographically focused clusters where interventions would be prioritised based on verified housing condition data acquired through the inspection process. 

Project outcomes

The Suffolk PRS Pathfinder Programme saw wide-ranging and sustainable improvements to the private rented sector across the region. Substandard properties were either brought into line through selected inspections and enforcement activity or subjected to appropriate legal action. This not only protected vulnerable tenants but also reinforced the expectation that all landlords must meet their legal obligations.

One of the most impactful outcomes was the creation of a validated, Suffolk-wide PRS housing stock database. By cross-referencing inspection findings with the HSCM model, local authorities now have a high-quality evidence base to guide future interventions. Such a data-driven approach gives rise to efficiencies through the directed use of enforcement resources moving forward. The programme also succeeded in embedding a united regulatory environment across Suffolk. With aligned PRS policies, common HMO standards and county-wide enforcement policy, the local authorities are better placed to provide fair, transparent and effective regulation across a diverse and growing sector. 

In summary, the Suffolk PRS Pathfinder Programme positively influenced housing conditions in the region through sector-wide collaboration, intelligence-driven enforcement and a regional partnership approach to the delivery of local authority housing services. RHE Global gave pivotal support and expertise throughout the project.

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