It's now or never

The National Housing Federation's controversial exercise to rebrand its members, changing their image from that of merely landlords to organisations that are the cornerstone of their communities, fits into that category. It is a natural progression. Housing associations already provide everything from banks to radio stations to construction training – and by and large they do it well. The travesty is that the public and politicians have a very low opinion of registered social landlords – if they are even aware of their existence. For the public, RSLs harbour "neighbours from hell". For MPs like Gerald Kaufman, writing in Housing Today last October, RSLs are "riddled with complacency, inefficient and unaccountable".

The rebranding exercise is a brave attempt to counter such negative perceptions and wield more influence in government by both restating what associations do and recognising the ways they need to improve. The graphic toolkit to help them don this new face may be inelegant, but the thrust of the message and its intention is clear.

It is one thing to nod in approval, but quite another to actually meet the commitments in the new manifesto. Better service means greater efficiency and, given the new financial constraints by which housing associations are ruled, this is going to be quite a trial for some. If anyone is in any doubt of the difficulties, the Treasury's Lucy de Groot offers a timely reminder on page 27: "It is vital, given the turnaround in housing investment, that the sector is keen to learn from the best and improve." Excessive payouts don't really give the right impression either (page 11).

Tackling antisocial behaviour – again, vital if negative perceptions are to be avoided – is also difficult. RSLs are only one part of the struggle against it, and the tougher rhetoric being used in the rebranding manifesto might in itself be hard for a traditionally liberal sector to swallow.

It is one thing to nod in approval, quite another to take action

Making housing association homes a more aspirational product means making them available to more people. In the South, this means building more homes both for rent and for sale. But, worryingly, new research indicates RSLs simply do not have big enough assets to borrow against (page 14).

There is a whole swath of other concerns ranging from the cost of reprinting headed notepaper to whether it is really practical to work more closely with local government. Also, how will these improvements be measured and proliferated? The Audit Commission's takeover of inspection will help RSLs' credibility here. In the longer term, housing associations' success in getting their share of regeneration grants, leading local strategic partnerships and getting more new homes through planning should also be markers of progress.

For now, there's inevitably cynicism and the "I'm alright, Jack" mentality persists; and let's not forget the "what a waste of money" brigade. So far only 100 housing associations have put their head above the parapet.