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 will 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.
Proposed new consumer standards and a code of practice
Social housing landlords must meet ‘consumer standards’ set by the Regulator of Social Housing which cover things like making sure tenants get quality accommodation, have choice and protection, and can hold their landlords to account.
On the 25 July 2023, the Regulator published a consultation on a new set of proposed consumer standards and a code of practice on those standards. They are expected to come into force from April 2024 and will replace the existing consumer standards. The proposed consumer standards are:
- Safety and Quality Standard – requires social housing landlords to provide safe and good quality homes and landlord services to tenants.
- Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard – requires social housing landlords to be open with tenants and treat them with fairness and respect so that tenants can access services, raise complaints when necessary, influence decision making and hold their landlord to account.
- Neighbourhood and Community Standard – requires social housing landlords to engage with other relevant parties so that tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods and feel safe in their homes.
- Tenancy Standard – sets requirements for the fair allocation and letting homes and for how those tenancies are managed and ended by social housing landlords.
We are currently looking at the new proposed consumer standards and checking that we meet them.
View the consultation on the consumer standards.
What are we doing to prepare for the changes?
Work has already begun on the Council’s extensive action plan to ensure its commitments to tenants are met.
Loneliness Review
A review on how the housing service can help to tackle loneliness took place and following the review, the housing service has put together some resources to help raise awareness of what support is out there for residents who may be feeling lonely. This includes a new loneliness page signposting residents to support services and training and guidance for all housing staff to help spot the signs and help to signpost someone for help overcoming their loneliness.
Resident Engagement Survey
Our Resident Engagement Survey, seeking views on how we communicate with tenants and leaseholders, took place in spring 2022. The results from this survey have been used to help inform our plans for services moving forward.
Tenants and Leaseholders Engagement Strategy
In autumn 2022, we sought residents' views on our draft Tenants and Leaseholders Engagement Strategy 2023-2026, which sets the standards for partnership working with residents in monitoring housing services and our continuing commitment to encourage residents to be involved.
Tenant Satisfaction Measures
In April 2023, the Regulator of Social Housing introduced a set of tenant satisfaction measures that let tenants know how well their social housing landlord is performing.
This summer we'll be inviting our tenants to take part in a survey to be used to calculate the annual tenant satisfaction measures. This follows a pilot survey we carried out at the end of 2022 before the tenant satisfaction measures officially went live.
To find out more about the tenant satisfaction measures, please visit the tenant satisfaction measures page.
What can you do?
Tenant involvement is vital for the Council to make and develop its plans and therefore will be continuing a programme of consultation throughout this process, and into the future.
Look out for our regular updates and if you would like to be involved, please email rio@dartford.gov.uk or call us on 01322 343682.
Further information and links
You can find further information by visiting:
The Charter for Social Housing Residents
Regulator of Social Housing's consultation on the consumer standards