The removal of the ‘serious detriment’ test will make it much easier for the regulator to inspect providers proactively and to survey properties where it has reason to suspect serious disrepair. We welcome this development as perhaps the most important reform of the consumer regulatory regime. We appreciate that proactively surveying properties could be burdensome, if done on a large scale, but we do not think the regulator should limit itself to using its powers to survey only reactively.

The removal of the ‘serious detriment’ test will make it much easier for the regulator to inspect providers proactively and to survey properties where it has reason to suspect serious disrepair. We welcome this development as perhaps the most important reform of the consumer regulatory regime. We appreciate that proactively surveying properties could be burdensome, if done on a large scale, but we do not think the regulator should limit itself to using its powers to survey only reactively. Type: conclusion | Number: 49 | Paragraph: 197 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: We welcome the Committee’s recommendations regarding our role, which are both timely and very helpful at this point. We will carefully consider them as we continue to develop our approach to proactive consumer regulation.