March 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
Social Housing Regulation Bill
At the beginning of the month, the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill (‘the Bill’) passed an important milestone as it completed the Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Commons.
Minister Dehenna Davison – from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – shared several improvements to the Bill in the House of Commons.
This included Awaab’s Law, which will mean that all social landlords will have to fix hazards like damp and mould in their homes within set time frames. This Law will stand as a tribute to Awaab’s family for their tireless fight for justice over the last two years.
Once the Bill is passed, we will consult with the housing sector on these time limits and will set secondary legislation for Awaab’s Law as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove also put forward a measure that will make sure that all senior social housing managers gain a housing management qualification.
This amendment, supported by Grenfell United and Shelter, will drive the culture change needed in the sector, so residents receive a high level of service and are treated with respect at all times.
The next step for this Bill is the House of Lords where it will be considered as part of a process known as Lords Consideration of Commons Amendments. This involves the amendments made in the House of Commons, like Awaab’s Law, being considered in the House of Lords.
The date for this stage is yet to be confirmed but we are confident the Bill will go for Royal Assent and become law this parliamentary session.
Quality homes
Housing Health and Safety Rating System review
The government has finished its review of the tool used to assess risks in homes, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). We spoke with housing experts, tenants and landlords as part of the review, which took place over the past two years.
The review looked at how we could:
- make it easier for local councils to assess risks and enforce standards
- make the system more accessible to landlords and tenants
- introduce a simpler way of working out the results of an assessment.
We will publish a summary of the findings and next steps in due course.
What is the HHSRS?
The HHSRS covers a range of 29 potential hazards (including common issues such as damp and mould) and assesses how dangerous they are in a specific property.
For a property to meet legal standards – under the Decent Homes Standard - it must be free from hazards at the most dangerous ‘Category 1’ level.
If a local council finds a category 1 hazard they have a legal duty to take action under the Housing Act 2004, including requiring landlords to fix issues, prohibiting the use of part or all of a building, or to carry out emergency works themselves.
Consumer rights and regulation
Our new measure to give the Housing Ombudsman the power to demand landlords measure their service against good practice guidance has also passed Report Stage and Third Reading in the House of Commons.
These new powers will set clear expectations for landlords, and will mean that the issues tenants raise should be resolved at an earlier stage.
Making tenants voices heard
Complaints awareness campaign
We launched our Make Things Right campaign on 6 March 2023. This campaign is designed to help tenants know their rights and how to complain about substandard housing. Adverts are running across social media platforms and on radio stations and streaming platforms like Spotify.
If you would like more information on how to make a complaint, you should visit our updated Social Housing complaints website
Looking ahead
Over the course of this year, we will:
- Launch Four Million Homes - our Resident Opportunities and Empowerment Programme. This programme, launching in April, will help residents learn how to take an active role in how their home is managed - through a series of workshops, forums and online resources.
- Launch the consultation on Awaab’s Law, including time limits for action.
- Carry out a rapid 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 summer 2023.
- Continue to progress the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill through Parliament. We expect the Bill to progress through to Royal Assent by the end of this parliamentary session.
- Following Royal Assent, the Regulator will launch its consultation on its new consumer regulation regime.
- Hold more conversations with tenants about our social housing policies as part of our Resident Panel. The next full panel meeting will take place on 15 April.
- Launch the consultation on improving energy efficiency in social housing within 6 months of Royal Assent of the Bill.
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.