Industry News


Government to publish housing regulation bill in March


Te long-awaited legislation setting out how the social housing sector is to be regulated in future is expected to be laid before Parliament in early March. Te Bill is expected to include plans


for a more active Regulator of Social Housing, with a greater focus on delivering higher quality customer services, while also assessing social landlords’ performance across a range of services, including disrepair and tenants’ health and safety in their homes. Other proposals include a new obligation


for landlords to identify a nominated person responsible for building safety compliance, plus a requirement to improve tenant engagement and a review of the Decent Homes Standard.


It will also look to speed up the complaints process by improving access to the Housing Ombudsman and removing the democratic filter. The filter was introduced by the Coalition Government in 2012 and requires residents to wait eight weeks or consult a politician before escalating their case.


Te new legislation was initially


prompted by the Grenfell disaster four and a half years ago and widespread reports of how tenants have long felt stigmatised, marginalised and ignored. Publication of the Bill will mark a


significant step in a journey that began as long ago as September 2017. In November 2020 the Government published a Social Housing White Paper and late last year the regulator began a consultation exercise on a new customer focused regime to improve housing standards.


Government announces drive to improve service standards in social housing


T


he Government has announced a package of measures to ensure social housing residents are listened to and better protected in the


future, with their new rights enshrined in law. Among the measures announced by the Minister


for Rough Sleeping and Housing Eddie Hughes, are the following:


• A review of staff training and qualifications to improve social housing services and ensure residents’ complaints are dealt with effectively;


• Residents will be encouraged to come forward and have their say on the future of social housing; and


• Te Social Housing White Paper will make sure tenants are safe, listened to and live in good quality homes.


A new charter will make sure tenants know how to raise concerns when things go wrong and can be confident that their landlord will make things right. Te Government says it will also be bringing forward legislation as soon as practicable to strengthen consumer regulation of the sector. However, there was no mention made of


additional resources being made available to make improvements to tenants’ homes, or to pay for a widespread drive to increase staff training. Tis might come later, but without it some tenant groups will be sceptical that the cultural changes can be delivered. Te Government hopes a review on qualifications


and professional training will drive up standards by making sure social housing staff are better equipped to support tenants, deal effectively with complaints, and make sure homes are good quality. A working group is being set up to lead on


this and it will include representatives from the Chartered Institute for Housing, tenant engagement experts TPAS, as well as North Star Housing Group and Sanctuary Housing. Te Social Housing White Paper


Professionalisation Review will explore the qualifications currently available for staff, with landlords, residents and trade bodies putting forward recommendations to the government. It will also consider if additional training is required to improve the service to residents.


HAVE YOUR SAY Te Government is now urging social housing residents to come forward and have their say in the review and talk about their experience dealing with social housing staff. Tey can also suggest what


14 | HMMFebruary/March 2022 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


changes they would like to see. Te Social Housing White Paper set out how the


Government will ensure residents in social housing are safe, listened to, live in good quality homes, and have access to redress when things go wrong. Tis review is a crucial step in ensuring staff and trained to support residents and listen to their concerns. Te announcement comes aſter thousands of


social housing residents told the Government (aſter the Grenfell tragedy) that they felt their landlords were failing to treat them with courtesy and respect. It also follows the latest English Housing Survey


report, which shows that more than 59 per cent of social housing residents who complained were not happy with the response to their complaint. At the same time the Housing Ombudsman has seen a 139 per cent increase in complaints in the past year. Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing


Eddie Hughes MP said: “Too many social housing residents have told me they feel like they are not listened to or treated with respect – raising complaints time and time again only for the problems not to be fixed.” “Tis needs to stop. Tis review will drive up the


standard of services received by residents, making sure their concerns are taken seriously and they have somewhere safe to live. Te review is a key element of our Social Housing White Paper, which is bringing forward wide-ranging improvements for tenants.” Chartered Institute for Housing CEO Gavin


Smart said: “As the professional body for housing, CIH is delighted to be involved with DLUHC’s Professionalisation Review. Home is the foundation on which we all build our lives, our experience during the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced just how important home is.” “We are pleased to have the opportunity to take


part in the review to help make sure that housing professionals have the right tools to deliver good quality homes and services with people at the heart.” Landlords, residents and other interested


parties can contribute to the Social Housing White Paper Professionalisation Review by emailing: Professionalisation.Review@communities.gov.uk.


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