The Tenant Services Authority has announced that it will be overhauling the way that social landlords are inspected by the Audit Commission.

Inspectors in public sector housing jobs will be using an entirely new system of short-notice inspections to ensure that the Tenant Services Authority's new standards are followed.

One of the most fundamental changes would affect how often social housing inspectors are called to inspect providers. Rather than the current regime of regular evaluations, inspections will only take place in the future if the TSA is concerned about the performance of social housing associations and landlords.

The new regime will be open to consultation from tenants, landlords, and other stakeholders such as social housing management. From March they will be invited to respond to the consultation document. Their feedback will be gathered to inform a final decision, made in July.

If all goes to plan, the new inspection regime will come into force on the first of October 2010. It is hoped that the new approach to internal and external inspections will allow those working in social housing roles to ensure that their dependant tenants are not being failed by their landlords.

Steve Bundred, chief executive at the Audit Commission, said "It is important that the inspection arrangements complement the TSA’s national standards and produce information that will help identify if landlords are failing."