February 2024 – update on the government’s work to improve the quality of social housing
The government is committed to improving the quality of social housing in England. In response to the tragic death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak, we are reforming the sector so that every tenant has a decent, safe and secure home. We report our progress every month.
Applies to England
Decency
Awaab’s Law: time limits for landlords to fix hazards
Last month we launched a consultation on Awaab’s Law (timescales for repairs in the social rented sector). Awaab’s Law will set new requirements on social landlords, including timescales for repairs, to ensure they are taking swift action to address dangerous hazards such as damp and mould. This consultation will be open until 5 March 2024.
When it closes, we will consider the responses before bringing Awaab’s Law into force through secondary legislation (regulations) as soon as we can. You can read and respond to the consultation at: Awaab’s Law: Consultation on timescales for repairs in the social rented sector.
Regulation of social housing
On 29 February 2024 the Regulator of Social Housing published its revised consumer standards, following a consultation which ended in October last year. The standards set out the requirements that all registered providers of social housing (social landlords) will be expected to achieve from 1 April this year.
The Regulator will proactively gather assurance that registered providers are meeting these standards, including through a programme of regular inspections of large landlords (those with over 1,000 homes).
Alongside the publication of the revised consumer standards, the Regulator has published a Code of Practice, to support registered providers to understand what the Regulator is looking for when seeking assurance that they are meeting the standards and an updated version of their ‘Regulating the Standards’ document - How we regulate, which sets out their approach to regulation.
The Regulator has also published their plan for carrying out routine consumer inspections, as committed to in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, a summary of their approach to consumer regulation (Reshaping consumer regulation: our new approach) and revised guidance on their enforcement and other powers.
Quality of service
Competence and conduct standard for social landlords
On 6 February 2024, we launched a consultation about introducing a new Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing landlords.
It says that social housing landlords, and third parties managing services on their behalf, must have a published document setting out their approach to learning, development and performance management of staff. It will also mean providers must have a code of conduct which their staff must follow.
In addition, it will require senior managers and executives working in the social housing sector to gain a qualification in housing management. The consultation seeks views on our proposals about which roles should be included in this requirement, the criteria that qualifications should meet, and the timescales for staff to enrol into and complete qualifications.
The consultation is open until 2 April 2024. When it closes, we will consider the responses before directing the Regulator of Social Housing to publish the standard.
You can read and respond to the consultation at Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing: consultation.
Making tenants’ voices heard
Make Things Right campaign for residents
We are continuing our communications campaign – Make Things Right – to help tenants know their rights and how to complain if they have an issue with their home or landlord.
Advertisements have been appearing on social media and online search engines since October. On 5 February, we launched a second round of advertising on commercial radio (on stations like Heart and Kiss), community radio stations (such as local ones and those in other languages) as well as on digital audio (for example Spotify and Soundcloud). If you’re a social housing tenant, listen out because these adverts will be running until 20 March.
Please visit our campaign website, available in multiple languages, for advice and to learn more.
If you’re a landlord, a tenant or someone who works in a community organisation, please visit the campaign toolkit which has posters, email signatures and leaflets to share.
Your help in promoting the campaign could mean more tenants get their issues fixed.
Housing Ombudsman
The Housing Ombudsman has published its new Complaints Handling Code, which will become law from the 1 April 2024. The Code is a guide for landlords and residents on high quality complaint handling, improving awareness, accessibility, and speed of complaint resolution.
Resident Panel
On 27 February 2024, members of the Social Housing Resident Panel took part in a webinar as part of our continuing conversations on Awaab’s Law and the Competence and Conduct Standard. The webinar provided Panel members with essential information about the new requirements landlords will have to meet. We listened to members’ views and answered their questions.
Four Million Homes
Our Four Million Homes programme provides free information, guidance, and training on residents’ rights. It will run until March 2025. It helps residents know their rights and to work with their landlords to make sure homes and neighbourhoods are well-maintained, clean and safe.
This month we held a webinar on net zero, covering what landlords and residents can do to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. We also hosted a webinar where over 100 residents fed into the consultation on Awaab’s Law and the proposed timescales for repairs.
In March, there will be in-person and online training sessions on options for resident control and management of their homes and on social housing regulatory requirements.
To stay up to date with the very latest programme of in-person training, online training, and recorded webinars you can sign up for the Four Million Homes newsletter.
Looking ahead
All timings are indicative and subject to change.
Winter / Spring 2024
The government will keep pushing forward its reforms to social housing.
We are consulting on proposals for new time limits for repairs and competence and conducts standards for social housing staff. We aim to publish further consultations on a new Social Tenant Access to Information Scheme and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards shortly. Once each consultation closes, we will consider how people responded to the proposals before publishing the government’s own response.
We are continuing our review of the Decent Homes Standard – which sets minimum standards for the condition of homes and will set out next steps as soon as possible.
April 2024 onwards
The Regulator of Social Housing’s new consumer standards will come into effect from April 2024, and it will start a programme of regular inspections of larger landlords (those with over 1,000 homes).
By Autumn 2024
The Housing Ombudsman will have consulted on its approach to issuing good practice and requiring landlords to carry out a self-assessment against it.
Publication of the first Tenant Satisfaction Measures data, provided by landlords to the Regulator. This information will help show whether landlords are delivering the standards of accommodation, services and respectful treatment that residents deserve. Tenants will be able to see how well their landlord is doing and to hold them to account for their performance.
Further information and resources
- Social housing issue? Know how to complain. Visit gov.uk/social-housing
- Read more about the government’s work on Social Housing Quality.