Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 [“FoISA”] was extended to include registered social landlords on 11 November 2019. This legislation gives people the right to request information from Scottish public authorities to understand how they work, how they make decisions and how they spend their money.
The legislation applies specifically to the supply of information to the Scottish Housing Regulator in relation to Link’s “financial well-being and governance arrangements” and “housing services” as defined in section 165 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. “Housing services” for the purposes of the application of FoISA to Link are defined as:
• Prevention and alleviation of homelessness
• The management of housing accommodation let under a Scottish secure tenancy or short Scottish secure tenancy
• The provision of management of sites for gypsies and travellers, whatever their race or origin
Some activities which are carried out by RSLs are not included in the scope of the legislation, these activities are:
• Care
• Mid-market rent
• Factoring
• Shared Ownership