Policy paper

Direction on the rent standard 2026

This Direction requires the regulator to set a rent standard for registered providers of social housing.

• From: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
• Published: 1 April 2026

This was published under the 2024 to 2026 Starmer Labour government

Applies to England

Documents

Policy statement on rents for social housing

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Direction on the Rent Standard 2026

PDF, 713 KB, 4 pages

Details

The Direction on the rent standard 2026 requires the Regulator of Social Housing to set a rent standard for registered providers of social housing with effect from 1 April 2026. This replaces the Direction on the rent standard 2019 and the Direction on the rent standard 2023.

The Direction on the rent standard 2026 is accompanied by a new policy statement on rents for social housing, replacing the old policy statement that was issued in December 2022.

Published 1 April 2026