The Charter for Social Housing Residents

The government published its Social Housing White Paper in 2020 and introduced a new Charter for Social Housing Residents. The Charter outlines plans for new regulation, an enhanced Housing Ombudsman to improve complaints handling and sets out new tenant satisfaction measures for social housing landlords to report against. All social housing landlords must deliver on the below seven commitments, which tenants should be able to expect from their landlord:

1. To be safe in your home.
2. To know how your landlord is performing, including on repairs, complaints and safety, and how it spends its money.
3. To have your complaints dealt with promptly and fairly, with access to a strong Ombudsman.
4. To be treated with respect, backed by a strong consumer regulator and improved consumer standards for tenants.
5. To have your voice heard by your landlord.
6. To have a good quality home and neighbourhood to live in, with your landlord keeping your home in good repair.
7. The government will ensure social housing can support people to take their first step to ownership.

Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023

The Social Housing (Regulation) Bill became law on the 20 July 2023. This provides the legal basis for many of the measures set out in the Charter for Social Housing Residents. The key changes the Act bring include:

• Intervention – the Regulator of Social Housing can set up a proactive regulatory approach to the consumer standards.
• Health and safety – social housing landlords must designate a person to act as lead on compliance with health and safety obligations and publish their contact details.
• Regulatory standards – the Regulator can set new regulatory standards and issue a code of practice on them.
• Tenant satisfaction measures – the Regulator can require social housing landlords to collect tenant satisfaction measures.
• Surveys – the Regulator has the power to enter properties with only 48 hours’ notice and make emergency repairs where there is a serious risk to tenants.
• Emergency remedial action – the Regulator can authorise persons to enter premises to take emergency remedial action to remedy failures by a landlord.
• 'Awaab’s Law' – the Regulator will set strict time limits for landlords to address hazards such as damp and mould.
• Performance improvement plans – the Regulator can give notice to require a landlord to prepare and implement a performance improvements plan where the landlord is failing to meet the regulatory standards.
• Inspections – the Regulator will carry out regular inspections of the largest social housing landlords and has the power to issue unlimited fines to failing landlords.
• Professionalism – the Regulator can set new qualification requirements for social housing managers.