April 2023 – update on government’s work to improve the quality of social housing
The government has a programme of reform to improve the quality of social housing. Every month, progress on our commitments will be shared on these pages, as part of our commitment to respond to the tragic death of 2 year old Awaab Ishak.
Applies to England
Since our last update in March, we have continued to progress our reforms to raise the standard of social housing in this country.
Making sure tenants are heard
Four million homes
Social housing tenants can now access free training and webinars offering advice on their rights and how to hold their landlord to account, following the launch of the Four Million Homes programme.
Backed by £500,000 government funding, the programme will also encourage tenants to take an active role in how their homes are managed, with advice on how to set up a residents panel so tenants are treated with respect.
Resident Panel
Our Social Housing Quality Resident Panel brings together social housing tenants from across the country so they can directly share their views with the government on our approach to driving up the quality of social housing.
The second meeting of the panel took place on 15 April 2023. We focused on complaints handling by landlords, the service offered by the Housing Ombudsman, and issues around landlord transparency. More information on what the resident panel has discussed and how this has influenced the work of the Department will be published on the Social Housing Quality Resident Panel page in due course.
Anti-Social Behaviour
The government launched its Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan on 27 March, which sets out an ambitious new approach to stamping out anti-social behaviour. It hands Police and Crime Commissioners, councils, social landlords, and other agencies the tools to better tackle this crime in communities throughout England and Wales.
In some cases, this will mean additional patrols in hot-spot areas. In others, it will mean making offenders repair the damage they cause or visibly support the local community in other ways, such as through litter picking.
If you are social housing tenant who has experienced anti-social behaviour, you can find support through anti-social behaviour: how to get help.
Consumer regulation
Inspections will form a key part of our new regulation, making sure landlords meet the high standards both tenants and the government expect.
The Regulator of Social Housing has announced its second wave of consumer inspection pilots, so they can test how these inspections will work before rolling them out to all social landlords next year.
Looking ahead
Over the course of this year, we will:
- Progress the review of the Decent Homes Standard, consulting on updated standards to set minimum requirements homes must meet.
- Launch the consultation on Awaab’s Law, including time limits for action.
- Provide free webinars for social residents starting in May with a session on damp and mould. Sign-up at www.fourmillion.org.
- Carry out a review of existing guidance on the health impacts of damp and mould in homes. We aim to publish new guidance tailored to the housing sector by this summer.
- Continue to progress the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill through Parliament. We expect the Bill to receive Royal Assent by the end of this parliamentary session.
- Launch the consultation on improving energy efficiency in social housing within 6 months of Royal Assent of the Bill.
- Hold more conversations with residents on social housing policies as part of our Social Housing Quality Resident Panel. In May, we will invite panel members to share their views on repairs, maintenance, and how the government can best implement Awaab’s Law.
Further information and resources
More details on the reforms the government is delivering can be found on the Social Housing Quality page.
More information about how a Bill goes through Parliament is available on the Parliament website.