Accredited official statistics

Local authority registered provider (LARP) technical notes and definitions

Updated 25 October 2022

Applies to England

Introduction

These technical notes and definitions support the latest statistics release on local authority registered providers social housing stock and rents in England. The release comprises of a briefing note, additional tables, look-up tool, supplementary documents and raw data, all available through the statistical release pages.

Data sources

LARP social housing stock and rents statistics are derived from the local authority data return. This survey collects stock and rent information from English local authorities registered with us as providers as social housing. ^{[footnote 1]} We collect these data to support the regulation of the rent standard.

The LADR is collected annually and was first collected in 2020. The data submitted by LARPs are drawn from their housing management records. Further information on the collection, processing and analysis of the data can be found in the data quality and methodology note.

Local authority housing statistics and LADR

Data on stock and rents for local authority social housing were collected in previous years by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, through the local authority housing statistics. The data from these was published annually from 2009/10 on the local authority housing data pages.

Following consultation with local authorities and in response to the requirement for us to regulate rents for social housing from 1 April 2020 several questions were transferred from LAHS to LADR in 2020. The data collected in LADR is broadly comparable with that previously collected, whilst increasing the granularity of information required to support regulation of the rent standard. The prior year comparability section (page 9) provides more details.

Coverage

The statistics provide information on social housing that is owned by LARPs. Data collected in LADR on stock size, types, location and rents is as at 31 March, but users should note that figures prior to 2019 collected through LAHS were as at 1 April. All figures in this document refer to stock located in England. All data collected through the LADR is at a local authority level (as all LARPs are local authorities). We present the data in these statistics at individual local authority and regional level.

As an organisation we are required to restrict data collection to that which is used to support our regulatory activity. More detailed unit or sub-LA geographical data are not collected as we do not require this granularity of data and consider the burden of the request disproportionate to the value it would add to the regulation of the rent standard. The definitions used within the release are consistent with the way data was collected each year.

National Statistics status

The local authority registered provider social housing stock and rents in England statistics are designated a national statistic. For more information see the data quality and methodology note.

Publication schedule

We intend to publish these statistics in the autumn each year, with the data pre-announced in the release calendar.

All data, supplementary tables, data tools and additional information (including a list of individuals (if any) with 24hour pre-release access) are published on our LARP statistics pages.

These statistics are also presented in DLUHC live tables and our registered provider social housing statistics.

Purposes and uses of the data

We use the LADR data as a source of administrative data, specifically within our operational approach to regulating the rent standard. See the data quality and methodology note for more information.

Why is the data published?

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority encourages public bodies to use administrative data for statistical purposes, as such, we publish these data annually. The published dataset promotes transparency. The publication of LADR data provides users with geographical breakdowns of stock types and social rents, which we believe are of significant value. These statistics are comparable to data on other housing types published in other statistics, including the private registered provider statistics we release, and the local authority housing statistics previously published by DLUHC.

Who uses the data?

The primary users of these statistics and the underlying data are our own staff, who use this data for the purposes of regulating the rent standard.

We believe that others will use these data in similar ways to the private registered provider social housing stock and rents statistics and the previous releases of LAHS. Central and local Government are likely to use these statistics for a variety of purposes, including policy development and the production of statistics and as a basis for answering Parliamentary questions and other requests for information by Ministers, local authorities and the general public. LARPs and PRPs are likely to use the data to inform business planning and benchmarking. Journalists and academics are also likely to find this data useful for research into and understanding of the social housing sector.

How is the data released and what can it be used for?

The statistical release and the accompanying dataset are useful primary sources of information for users interested in the social housing sector in England. The dataset underlying this release is the most comprehensive source of information on the stock and rents for LARPs in England, collecting stock data from all LARPs in 2021.

We publish the raw data set along with a briefing note providing commentary and context for the data presented. Additional supplementary tables and maps are available to provide additional information at an LA level, and an Excel-based look-up tool is provided for easy access to the data.

When combined with private registered provider social housing in England statistics, this provides the fullest picture of stock and rent information across the social housing provision in England. See our statistical release registered provider social housing stock and rents in England.

Strengths and limitations of the data from which the statistics are drawn

The LADR is designed to be a complete census of LARPs, and therefore no sampling errors should be present in the final dataset. In 2021 there were no missing data, as all LARPs submitted data to LADR. However, the data may contain reporting errors in the data submitted by individual LARPs. See the data quality and methodology note for more information on how we deal with this.

Strengths of the LADR

The LADR data collection is the source of information on social housing that is owned by LARPs. Comprehensive data on stock types, size, location and rents is collected annually directly from the providers of that stock. The data are subject to both automated and manual cleaning by a team of experienced analysts. We take data quality very seriously, see the data quality and methodology note for more information.

Limitations to note

Although we are confident in the quality of the LADR data we are aware of some limitations due to data collection methodology.

• Stock classification – As in previous years, the likely areas for data error are the classification of stock units. These errors are most likely in the classification of stock owned by LARPs as a result of different interpretations of stock classifications under various legislation. This is also complicated by the wide variety of supported housing services and accommodation types offered by LARPs. During 2020/21 the RSH has worked closely with a number of LARPs for the first time on reported rent and stock types. This has resulted in some changes to stock reported in 2021 when compared to both LADR 2020 and previous LAHS data. For more information on these changes please see the data quality and methodology note.

• LARP data recording – All data derived from the LADR are supplied to us directly by LARPs. We work with LARPs to limit errors in the supplied data, but we are unable to verify all figures. Data changes year on year may be impacted by LARP recording practices or internal reviews.

• LADR introduction in 2020 – While the questions within the LADR are similar to those in the previous LAHS returns, the introduction of any new survey can create a potential for a break in the continuity of the time series. This is due to LARPs reviewing their data more closely, confirming definitions or checking accuracy. The prior year comparability section (below) gives details of the questions in LAHS and LADR and considers the impact the changes between collections may have.

Factors impacting the statistics

The figures reported in these statistics can be impacted by internal factors and external influences. These can dictate practices and patterns in social housing provision and create differences in categorisation and recording within and between years.

Effect of Government policy

Changes in Government policy relating to different aspects of the social housing sector impact the statistics on the shape and nature of the sector overall. Those likely to impact the 2021 statistics are outlined below.

Regulation of rents

We introduced the LADR collection in 2020 to support our regulation of the rent standard. We guide local authorities to submit data consistent with the requirements outlined in the Government’s Policy Statement on Rents for Social Housing 2019 (the ‘policy statement’). This confirms that, from April 2020 registered providers (including local authority) are required to set rents in accordance with this policy. Prior to 2020 local authority registered providers were subject to a control known as the ‘Limit Rent’ which reflected the prevailing rent policy. Limit Rent served to indirectly control local authority social housing rents through the Housing Benefits system. The consultation on a proposed direction to the Regulator of Social Housing (‘the Regulator’) on social housing rents from 1 April 2020 provides more details Rents for social housing from 2020-21.

We are aware that many providers have revised their stock categorisation and checked rent figures in light of the collection, validations received and, in some cases, our subsequent operational work based on the 2020 LADR data. This will mean that data submitted in 2021 will diverge slightly from that presented in 2020 as stock classification is confirmed and corrected rent values are reported.

Large scale voluntary transfers

LSVTs describe the transfer of all or a substantial part of a local authority social housing to a private registered provider. Although there has not been any LSVT activity in 2021, it is important to note the impact these have had on the trends presented. The first LSVT occurred in 1988 and approximately half of all local authorities in England have transferred some or all their stock to PRPs since. Most of the transfers occurred between 1990 and 2009, with the most recent LSVTs occurring in 2015 - see private registered provider social housing in England statistics for 2014/15 and 2015/16 for more information.

When LSVTs occur unit numbers for local authority social housing are seen to fall substantially in that local authority area.

Effects of public subsidy

The role that public subsidy plays in the changes to stock numbers should be considered, especially when considering any gains. Changes in available public subsidy also reflect underlying changes in Government policy. For information on public subsidy please see information published by Homes England.

Affordable Rent

Affordable Rent can only be offered by local authorities as part of a contractual agreement with the Homes and Communities Agency (known as Homes England) or Greater London Authority. Levels of growth are principally driven by the timing of the funding and delivery programme.

Home ownership

The mix of stock to be delivered under the 2016-2021 Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme has evolved during the lifecycle of the programme. The initial prospectus and bidding round for the programme was focused almost exclusively on shared ownership and other home ownership products. The Autumn Statement in November 2016 increased the funding available for affordable homes delivery (and also made grant funding available for Affordable Rent schemes).

The 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme will provide grant funding for social and Affordable Rent units and for home ownership units (with an approximately equal delivery split between rental and ownership units). At the point of the 2021 data collection, the grant funding from this programme had yet to be allocated. The profile of social stock held by providers will be influenced by this funding in future years.

Effects of LARP recording

The data from which the statistics are produced are provided by LARPs. This data is likely drawn directly from LARP housing management systems. While we challenge data which appear anomalous we ultimately rely on LARPs to provide an accurate reflection of their operations. See the data quality and methodology note for more information.

Changes to policy (such as Government’s Policy Statement on Rents for Social Housing 2019) may impact on LARPs’ recording of stock (for example requiring the reclassification of stock based on changing requirements). We rely on LARPs to accurately categorise their stock according to prevailing policy (see also limitations of LADR data above).

Coronavirus pandemic

Although the pandemic should not have impacted on stock classification or rent setting directly, it is important to recognise the resource impact the pandemic had for many providers of social housing. We consider it a small but recognisable risk that the recording of data at source may not have been subjected to the same data quality assurance processes as may have been in place in other years.

Comparability with previous years

The key definitional and structural changes between each collection are shown below.

2019/20 (referenced as 2020)

The movement of the data collection from DLUHC s local authority housing statistics (LAHS) to our local authority data return (LADR) in 2020 will have impacted on comparability in previous years. The 2020 LARP statistic release provides detailed coverage of the key areas of change which may have impacted on comparability between LAHS and LADR.

2020/21 (referenced as 2021)

There were no structural changes to the way in which the LADR data was collected in 2021 and therefore the data presented in these statistics are directly comparable to those from 2020.

Users should note that in the 2021 briefing note we focused on the bed space count for non-self-contained units from the LADR, rather than the dwelling equivalent count reported in 2020. The impact of this is explored in the data quality and methodology note.

Revisions policy

We have adopted the revisions policy developed by DLUHC.

This policy covers two types of revisions.

Scheduled revisions – where the receipt of subsequent information is expected.

These statistics are based on data collected in the LADR. This survey has no scheduled revisions period. We expect LARPs to submit complete, accurate data in a single survey round. As such, there are no scheduled revisions planned for this release. However, the data collected through LADR is used to inform engagement on registered providers’ compliance with the rent standard. As part of their response to any issues raised by us, providers subject their data to increased validation and may identify errors in the data submitted. We are committed to ensuring the quality of the LADR data and will gather corrected data from PRPs as part of this work. We will, therefore, republish these statistics in the April of the year following the initial publication, if the aggregate changes made by providers require a major revision.

Non-scheduled revisions – where subsequent information is received unexpectedly, for example to rectify a data error or where methodological issues are identified.

If a substantial error occurs as a result of the production process or due to errors in submitted figures reported by LARPs after the survey has closed, the statistical release and accompanying tables will be updated with a correction notice as soon as is practical. Revisions will normally only be made to the previous year’s data and not earlier years. Revised data are denoted ‘R’ in tables and each document (including the raw data release) contains a revisions history.

We consider data quality and transparency in publication of data a priority. As such, where errors are identified through regulatory engagement we will ensure published data are revised. The data quality and methodology note provides information about our approach to data quality and publication of revisions when they are required.

Related statistics

Social housing statistics in the UK are available for England and the devolved administrations. While the statistics derived from LADR data cover local authority stock in England, those listed below provide additional information on development activity or provide information on social housing owned outside the LARP sector (including that owned by PRPs in England).

Private registered provider social housing stock and rents

Published by us, these national statistics provide information on housing stock, lettings, average rents, decent homes and evictions by PRPs in England.

They are compatible with the data within this statistical release.

Private registered provider social housing stock in England

Registered provider social housing stock and rents

A briefing note and tables, drawing together the PRP and LARP statistics we publish is also available.

Registered provider social housing stock and rents in England

DLUHC Housing statistics

DLUHC, formerly MHCLG, produce a range of statistics from data collected from providers of social housing. Summary information about their collections, including frequency and topic area is provided at:

Guide to MHCLG housing statistics - GOV.UK

Of most relevance to this publication are the local authority housing statistics.

Local authority housing statistics

LAHS data are published by DLUHC annually. They provide information on stock, lettings, average rents (prior to 2020), waiting lists, decent homes delivery and evictions by LA landlords in England.

The LAHS statistics are broadly compatible with the statistics drawn from the LADR, although there are some definitional differences, particularly in the way in which bed spaces and LCHO units were treated prior to 2020.

Local authority housing data - GOV.UK

CORE

DLUHC collects data through CORE (the continuous recording of lettings and sales in social housing in England). This system records information on all new social housing lettings and sales (for both LA and PRP properties), along with the characteristics of new social housing tenants and the homes they rent and buy. All providers delivering Affordable Rent units are obliged to update CORE.

Information on lettings from CORE is available in the DLUHC release on Social housing lettings - GOV.UK

Information on sales from CORE is available in the DLUHC release on Social housing sales - including Right to Buy and transfers GOV.UK

Housing Statistics

The Housing Statistics release (produced each year in June and November) by Homes England details the supply of new stock, through housing starts on site and completions made for each programme managed by Homes England, by LA and tenure.

The Housing Statistics release relates only to new stock, while the SDR covers both existing and new stock. London is excluded from the Affordable Housing Starts and Completions in the Housing Statistics release. When reviewing new build data against figures contained in these statistics, reference to the limitations in new build recording should be made (see above).

Housing statistics - GOV.UK

Affordable Housing Statistics (England)

The GLA publishes data relating to other London housing delivery, with monthly and annual Affordable Housing Statistics. When reviewing new build data against figures contained in these statistics, reference to the limitations in new build recording should be made (see above).

Affordable Housing statistics - London City Hall

Affordable Housing Starts and Completions (England)

DLUHC combines data from Homes England and GLA to publish live tables on Affordable Housing supply.

Live tables on affordable housing supply - GOV.UK

English Housing Survey (England)

This survey is comprised of two parts. The first covers household profiles (including tenure trends, demographic and economic characteristics, rents and housing benefit). The second covers housing stock (age, size and type, energy efficiency, decent homes and homes affected by damp).

English Housing Survey - GOV.UK

The data cover all dwellings in England, so include stock from both the private (free market) and social housing sectors, though stock figures covering the social sector separate LA and PRP dwellings.

Private Rental Market Statistics (England)

The Valuation Office Agency releases statistics on the average rents paid for private properties in England (private rental market) twice yearly (May and November).

Valuation Office Agency: private rental market statistics - GOV.UK

While average rents are provided by unit sizes comparable to the LADR and by LA location, all figures are on a monthly, rather than a weekly basis as in the LADR and other releases mentioned in this section. The underlying data set is not drawn from a statistical sample, so the statistics should be treated as indicative only.

Related statistics - devolved administrations

Information on social housing in the rest of the UK is available from the respective devolved administrations. It should be noted that, due to differences in the collection period, methodology and terminology, direct comparisons should be made with care. Details of the data collected and methodologies used can be obtained from the sources below.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Housing Statistics are produced annually by the Department for Communities. These statistics contain information on supply, energy, social renting demand, private renting demand, owner occupier demand and household characteristics.

Housing - Department for Communities

While the report covers all homes in Northern Ireland, the social renting demand section focuses more on applications/ allocations/ homelessness, though it does also provide comparable overall average weekly rents for housing associations.

Scotland

The Scottish Government produce a range of statistics in the annual Housing Statistics for Scotland. These include information on new housing supply, public sector stock and house sales, LA housing management, supported housing, houses in multiple occupation and RTB entitlement.

Housing statistics - gov.scot

The social housing tables contain a selection of statistics that offer some coherence with the SDR, such as stock counts, average weekly rents, sales and vacancies. Most of these measures are available by individual LA location, with some available by landlord type (registered social provider versus LAs).

Wales

The Welsh Government produces the Social Housing Stock and Rents Statistical Release on an annual basis, running across the financial year. The report includes information on the number of dwellings, bedsits and bed spaces owned or partly owned by LAs and registered social landlords, along with breakdowns of location of stock at LA level.

Social housing stock and rents - gov.wales

This release provides unit counts and average weekly rents, split by provision type and by LA location for registered social landlords’ stock, which are comparable with the equivalent SDR statistics.

Definition of terms

The definitions presented below are provided for clarity of terms and categories within this release. They are consistent with definitions for the data collected in the 2021 LADR collection (based on a view ‘as at’ or ‘in the year to’ 31 March 2021). See the 2020-21 LADR guidance published as part of this release for more information.

Affordable Rent

Affordable Rent homes are those made available to households eligible for low cost rental housing at a rent level of no more than 80% (inclusive of service charges) of local market rents. Affordable Rent homes must form part of an agreement with Homes England or the GLA. They can be either general needs or supported housing. See also London Affordable Rent.

Dwelling equivalents of HMO/ hostels

The ‘dwelling equivalent’ of multi-occupied dwellings has two components – a figure derived from bed spaces in hostels and a figure derived from ‘clusters’ in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Dwelling equivalents are only captured in LADR to ensure continuity with the previous LAHS collection. Dwelling equivalents are calculated as follows:

• Hostels – for hostels the dwelling equivalent is derived from the number of groups of three bed spaces in the hostel. The total number of bedspaces in each hostel at 31 March is divided by three, with any balance counting as one dwelling.
• HMO (with clusters) – In HMOs with shared facilities, the dwelling equivalent is derived from the number of ‘clusters’ in the dwelling. A ‘cluster’ is a group of rooms in a HMO serving as separate accommodation for two or more persons but sharing common kitchen, bathroom and lavatory; where such a dwelling accommodates six of fewer persons, this counts as one cluster; where it accommodates more than six persons, the number of clusters is calculated by dividing the number of persons by six, with any balance counting as one clusters. The figure derived as the number of clusters is the dwellings equivalent for the HMOs.

Exceptions/ excepted units (rents)

Units with an exception from the rent standard are set out in the Policy statement on rents for social housing.

General needs housing

General needs housing covers the bulk of housing stock for rent. It includes both self-contained units and non-self-contained hostel/ shared housing units and bed spaces. General needs housing is stock that is not designated for specific client groups.

Gross rent

The total charged to tenants inclusive of all rent and property related service charges.

London Affordable Rent

London Affordable Rent was introduced in 2016 by the Mayor of London. LAR units are Affordable Rent units in London let at or below the weekly rent benchmarks set by the GLA. They are included in Affordable Rent figures in the LADR collection. For more information see Homes for Londoners: Affordable Homes Programme 2016-2023 - London City Hall.

Low cost home ownership

LCHO accommodation is defined in the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as being that occupied or made available for occupation in accordance with shared ownership arrangements, shared equity arrangements, or shared ownership trusts; and it is made available to people whose needs are not adequately served by the commercial housing market.

LCHO figures do not include ‘fully staircased’ properties, that is properties once occupied under relevant arrangements but where the occupier has for example acquired a 100% share of a shared ownership property or repaid an equity loan on a shared equity property in full. Fully staircased properties where the landlord has retained a freehold interest are not included in the return.

An LCHO unit should be recorded as a full unit within the LADR return while the local authority retains a percentage share. Once the local authority’s percentage share is 0% then the unit is no longer captured within the LADR return. This is different to the previous recording in LAHS (where the share of the equity in the dwelling acquired by the tenant was excluded).

The conditions under which LCHO properties are regarded as sold to occupiers (e.g. through being fully staircased) are more formally set out in Housing and Regeneration Act 2008.

Low cost rental

The term low cost rental is used in these statistics to denote any stock which meets the definition of low cost rental accommodation in the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008. It must be available for rent, with a rent below market value, and in accordance with the rules designed to ensure that it is made available to people whose needs are not adequately served by the commercial housing market.

Net rent

The rent charged to tenants excluding all service charges.

Non-self-contained unit (bed space)

A non-self-contained unit will consist of an area in a hostel/ dormitory or other similar entity or a room or rooms (within a block of flats, sheltered scheme, house in multiple occupation or similar entity) which is/ are private to the tenant, but which require sharing of some or all living, cooking, bathroom or toilet amenities. When counting non-self-contained units, LARPs record the number of areas for which an individual tenancy can be issued, not the number of occupants. All non-self-contained units are recorded in the LADR as bed spaces.

Policy statement on rents for social housing

Local authorities must refer to the Government’s Policy Statement on rents for Social Housing (referred to as the ‘Policy Statement’) for information on categorising stock and determining rents and formula rents.

Right to Buy

The statutory rights of secure tenants to purchase the property they occupy from their landlord (public sector). The main legal provisions are contained in Part 5 of the Housing Act 1985, as amended.

Self-contained unit

A self-contained unit is one in which all the rooms (including kitchen, bathroom and toilet) in a household’s accommodation are behind a door, which only that household can use and therefore allows that household exclusive use of them. Some self-contained units, especially flats, may have some common services such as a central boiler for heating and/ or hot water. Households which share a common entrance hall, but otherwise have all their accommodation behind their own front door are self-contained. Bedsits are considered self-contained units.

Service charges

Service charges are payable by some tenants in addition to rent. Service charges usually reflect additional services which may not be provided to every tenant, or which may be connected with communal facilities rather than being particular to the occupation of a dwelling. Service charges are subject to separate legal requirements and are limited to covering the cost of providing the services.

All service charges should be excluded from the net rent calculations in the low cost rental rent data section. The rent for Affordable Rent should be inclusive of all property related service charges. The rent calculations in the Affordable Rent data section should be on a gross rent basis.

Shared ownership

A dwelling disposed of on shared ownership terms should be recorded as a full unit within the LADR return while the local authority retains a percentage share. Once the local authority’s percentage share is 0% then the unit is no longer captured within the LADR return. This is different to previous recording of shared ownership units under LAHS (where the share of the equity in the dwelling acquired by the tenant was excluded).

Social housing

Social housing is defined in the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 sections 68-77. The term covers low cost rental, LCHO and accommodation owned by LARPs as previously defined in the Housing Act 1996.

Social rent

In these statistics social rent refers to all low cost rental units that are general needs or supported housing (excluding Affordable Rent). This includes units with exceptions from the Rent Standard.

Social stock

Social stock is used in these statistics to denote the total number of low cost rental and low cost home ownership units. Total social stock figures represent the number of self-contained units plus bedspaces.

Supported housing

Units can only be counted as supported housing if they meet the definition of supported housing specified in the policy statement. The fact that a tenant receives support services in their home does not make it supported housing.

Categorisation of units

The graphic below shows the types of unit included in each category used in the statistics. Social rent and Affordable Rent are both included in low cost rental figures. In the statistics the term ‘social rent’ is used for all low cost rental units which are not defined as Affordable Rent. This is in line with common usage of the term ‘social rent’ and means that ‘social rent’ units will include some units excepted from the Rent Standard.

User should note that the terminology used in the LADR collection is more specific. It reflects the use of terms as per the policy statement, as ‘social rent’ describes only units to which the policy statement (and therefore the rent standard) applies. To ensure the capture of the total number of units (including those excepted from the rent standard) the term ‘low cost rental – excluding Affordable Rent’ is used.

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© RSH copyright 2021 This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent via enquiries@rsh.gov.uk or call 0300 124 5225 or write to:

Regulator of Social Housing
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7-8 Wellington Place
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RSH regulates private registered providers of social housing to promote a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a range of needs.

1. Users should note that local authorities who own social housing must be registered with the RSH. Therefore, data on stock owned by LARPs covers all social housing owned by local authorities. ↩