December 2023 – update on 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
Consumer regime
Regulator of Social Housing publishes tenant satisfaction measures data return guidance for social landlords
On 11 December, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) published guidance setting out how social landlords need to submit their tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) results to the regulator.
The Tenant Satisfaction Measures Standard requires all registered providers of social housing to collect and report annually on their performance on a core set of defined measures, to provide tenants with greater transparency about their landlord’s performance.
This guidance will ensure that social landlords submit consistent and transparent TSMs, that tenants can use to hold their landlords to account.
Decency
This month saw the publication of the English Housing Survey (EHS) Headline Report, an annual report on people’s housing circumstances and the condition and energy efficiency of housing in England. The EHS covers all housing tenures and provides valuable information and evidence to inform the development and monitoring of DLUHC’s housing policies, including the levels of decency in social housing.
Between 2019 and 2022 the proportion of non-decent social homes decreased from 12% to 10%. While we welcome the improvement in non-decency rates, we know there is more to do and we remain committed to halving the number of non-decent homes in the rented sectors by 2030. Everyone has the right to a safe and decent home.
We are also reviewing the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) and for the first time extending it to the private rented sector so that all tenants across both tenures are secure in the knowledge that they are living in safe and decent homes. We have tabled amendments to the Renters (Reform) Bill that will enable us to introduce a DHS into the private rented sector for the first time.
Even though there has been a reduction in the proportion of social housing that is non-decent, cases of damp and mould have increased.
This is not acceptable and it’s why we are exploring the merits of a standalone damp and mould standard within the DHS that all landlords, private and social, must meet. Our consolidated guidance on the health impact of damp and mould in homes, tailored to the housing sector, can be found at: Damp and mould: understanding and addressing the health risks for rented housing providers.
Making sure tenants’ voices are heard
Resident Panel
In December we published our latest Resident Panel reports on the important topics of repairs, maintenance and Awaab’s Law, and also the experiences of disabled residents in social housing. The reports are available to read at: Social Housing Quality Resident Panel: wave 2 reports
The Resident Panel’s Online Community where they shared their thoughts on their landlord’s role in the local community closed on 3 December. We will publish a report on these findings in the Spring.
The next Resident Panel activities are two focus groups in January and February to discuss how landlords communicate with residents. Also in January, Panel members will be asked to complete an evaluation of their experience on the Panel.
Four Million Homes
Our Four Million Homes programme provides free information, guidance, and training on residents’ rights for residents. It will run until March 2025. It helps residents know their rights and to work with their landlords to help improve the quality of social homes.
In December we launched a series of brand-new training videos. They are available online so that as many social housing residents as possible can have access to this important training, at a time to suit them. The topics of the first three videos are: “Know your rights to engage and be heard”; “Resident panels”; and “How to run an effective residents’ association”. They are available to watch here:
Free training videos for social housing residents. More training videos will be launched in 2024.
For residents interested in attending training in person, you can now book sessions from January to March in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and London here: Free training events
The training will cover: landlord financial models; options for resident control; and social housing regulatory requirements.
We will also be running a series of webinars in the New Year on topics such as energy efficiency; safety and quality of homes; communication and conduct; as well as a follow-up session focusing specifically on leaseholders.
To stay up to date with the very latest programme of in-person training, online training and webinars you can sign up for the Four Million Homes newsletter on their website.
Looking ahead
All timings are indicative and subject to change.
Autumn / winter
The government continues to progress its programme of reform. Over the autumn / winter period, we will set out next steps on:
- time limits for repairs and hazards (Awaab’s Law)
- a new competence and conduct standard for the social housing sector
- Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements for tenants of private registered providers
- minimum energy efficiency standards
- supported housing regulatory oversight
- the Decent Homes Standard.
We also plan to publish:
- our consultation response on changes to electrical safety requirements
- our consultation response on directions to the Regulator of Social Housing relating to tenant rights and complaints
Following its consultation, which closed on 17 October, the Regulator will publish the revised consumer standards ahead of the introduction of the proactive consumer regulation regime in April 2024.
From April 2024
The Regulator of Social Housing’s new consumer standards will come into effect, 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 put the Complaint Handling Code on a statutory footing and begun monitoring compliance with it. The Ombudsman will also have consulted on its approach to issuing good practice and requiring landlords to carry out a self-assessment against this, and completed the consultation on its first good practice guidance.
- 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.
- Case studies on good practice approaches to dealing with anti-social behaviour. This will help landlords and partner agencies who are working to reduce repeat offending that is committed by perpetrators with underlying support needs such as mental health needs.
Further information and resources
- more details on our reforms can be found on the Social Housing Quality page
- find information and guidance on social housing residents’ rights and the services landlords are required to provide at Four Million Homes guidance
- find out more about how to get an issue with your social home or landlord sorted