Housing key lines of enquiry (KLOE)

Key lines of enquiry (KLOE) represent sets of questions and statements around either service or judgement specific issues which provide consistent criteria for assessing and measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of housing services. These KLOE are designed to provide inspectors, inspected bodies and others with a framework through which to view and assess services. Descriptors of excellent and fair services will help organisations to understand how the quality of services is judged against the KLOE. These descriptors are not intended to act as a checklist or to prescribe the services that organisations would be providing if they were judged to have an excellent or fair service by inspectors.

From August 2007 the Housing Inspectorate has changed the presentation of the KLOE documents. The changes emphasise the KLOE questions and encourage housing organisations to find their own routes to providing excellent services. For more detail on these changes see the attached document.
The next stage in the development of housing KLOE (Word, 65Kb)

The Commission periodically reviews the KLOE to ensure they remain relevant and up to date. To view details of any current or previous consultations, go to the housing KLOE consultation page.

You can e-mail comments on the KLOE to hi@audit-commission.gov.uk

KLOE and guidance downloads

Housing KLOE guidance - updated 17 October 2007 (PDF, 121Kb)

Click on the relevant KLOE below to view.

Landlord services

• Stock investment and asset management
• Tenancy and estate management
• Housing income management
• Resident involvement
• Allocations and lettings (as appropriate)

Local authority strategic housing role (including communitywide housing services)

• Strategic approach to housing
• Homelessness and housing advice
• Private sector housing
• Supporting people
• Allocations and lettings (as appropriate)

Specialist Functions

• Supported housing
• Management of leasehold and shared ownership housing
• Management of right to buy and right to acquire schemes
• Housing regeneration and neighbourhood renewal

Cross Cutting Areas

• Access and customer care
• Diversity
• Value for money

What are the prospects for improvement?

• Prospects for improvement

Supplementary guidance note: value for money within housing (Oct 2005)
The following supplementary guidance note should be read in conjunction with the value for money (VfM) KLOE. It outlines some basic principles and sets out the key elements to be considered when assessing value for money across a range of housing services. It builds upon the emerging issues from inspections and draws upon, and links to, other VfM work within the Commission.

• Guidance note: value for money within housing (PDF, 123Kb)
• Guidance note: value for money within housing (Word, 149Kb)

Supplementary guidance note: gas safety for landlords (Dec 2005)

• Guidance note: gas safety for landlords (PDF, 123Kb)
• Guidance note: gas safety for landlords (Word, 149Kb)

Supplementary guidance note: diversity - guidance note to legislation (March 2007) (as appropriate)

• Guidance note: diversity - guidance note to legislation (PDF, 39Kb)
• Guidance note: diversity - guidance note to legislation (Word, 89Kb)