The staffing cuts were revealed in a new survey of 500 landlords by auditor Baker Tilly. It showed 30 per cent of landlords surveyed had already reduced headcount, while a further 20 per cent plan to do so.
According to the previous year’s survey, only 6 per cent of providers cut back office staff, such as pay roll and invoice processing personnel in 2010.
A new Tenant Services Authority regulatory framework, due to be introduced in April, will demand greater economic efficiency from landlords.
The survey also found 59 per cent of respondents found managing back office costs had become more challenging over the past 12 months.
However, housing associations are increasingly monitoring costs, with more than two thirds engaging in benchmarking programmes to measure value for money against other providers. In last year’s survey, less than a third said they benchmarked costs.