MRAssociates — Glossary

A registered housing association means a social landlord registered and regulated by the relevant government regulatory body:

• In England: the Homes and Communities Agency
• In Wales: the Welsh Government with independent scrutiny by the Regulatory Board for Wales
• In Scotland: the Scottish Housing Regulator
• In Northern Ireland: the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

Registered housing association tenants and licensees (especially people living in supported accommodation) usually have their full rent met by Housing Benefit - the main exception being when a general needs tenant has spare bedrooms in which case the rent allowed for HB is reduced by 15% or 25%. The reduction is known as the “Maximum Rent (Social Sector)”, or more popularly as the “bedroom tax”.