Housing associations

Providing housing to millions of people in our society is a challenging task, one in which you as a housing association are involved. Building affordable and sustainable housing requires huge investments, while your financial resources as a housing association are limited. What’s more, the strict supervision of housing associations requires you to professionalise your business operations. Baker Tilly’s accountants and consultants can help you address these challenges.

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Sustainability

As a housing association, you have an important role to play in improving the sustainability of the housing stock in the Netherlands. All houses have to be energy neutral by 2050. Our property experts are happy to develop business cases and various scenarios with you to ascertain what this sustainability challenge means for your housing association.

Affordable housing development

It is important to arrange the legal and financial aspects of renovation, demolition or new construction projects properly. Our tax consultants can clarify the tax implications of your building plans or advise on VAT issues in property transactions.

Digitalisation and provision of information

Digitalisation is an ongoing process: a one-off exercise to bring your organisation’s system up to date will not suffice. With an IT consultant at your side to give you expert advice, you’ll never fall behind in your digital transition. We can advise you on information security, data quality or implementing a new IT system.

Risk management

You have to deal with stringent requirements for your internal control, accountability and supervision, and these requirements are being tightened up. We can help you understand the risks you’re exposed to through your primary processes, while also providing support with the growing risks concerning matters such as personal data protection and cybercrime.

Personnel

Employing people means having to pay attention to matters such as working conditions, absenteeism and disability, job mobility, talent development and remuneration. These are aspects that you want and have to organise properly as an employer, but that’s easier said than done. Generally speaking, conflicts with employees are not easy to resolve and a sick employee often requires a lot of attention too.

ESG legislation affects housing associations as well

Sustainability is an important topic for housing associations. For instance, you will have to deal indirectly with CBAM legislation, which requires certification on materials such as steel and iron products, aluminium and cement. Legislation that directly affects you includes the EU’s CSRD directive, which requires companies to produce an annual sustainability report, or the obligation to buy carbon credits for building emissions under the ‘Fit for 55’ scheme. Our ESG Advisory experts are happy to help you draw up an overview of all these things.

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The strength of our advice

The business community is encountering many laws and regulations, and it’s virtually impossible to manage it all on your own. Baker Tilly has all the relevant services for the SME sector under one roof, which means it’s ideally placed to serve you. Why manage all your HR affairs yourself if handling staff is not your forté? And why go looking for knowledge about an industry or sector yourself, for example, when sound advice on this will help you find what you’re looking for quickly?

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Valuation protocol

As a housing association, you are required to determine the market value of the real estate you are utilising so that you can report on it in your financial statements. However, managing the valuation process may raise questions such as how to shape the process over the course of several years, and how to account for changes in value over the years. A clear valuation protocol is a practical tool that can help with this. It is equally important for the association, the external assessor and the auditor to work well together. Baker Tilly supports housing associations in drafting valuation protocols and setting up an uncomplicated annual valuation process.

The three-compartment model

If you’re looking to improve your social performance and enhance its visibility – or in other words, strengthen your legitimacy – then a tool you could consider using is the three-compartment model. This model can be used to reveal the amount of resources your corporation spends on various social goals. Applying the three-compartment model can be challenging, particularly for smaller housing associations. Baker Tilly can help you put the model into practice. The model will help you as a housing association to make informed decisions about your property portfolio, and maintain a balance between financial and social values.