Industry News
New standardised stock condition surveys to be developed for the social housing sector
T
he National Housing Federation and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors are to develop a new standardised stock
condition survey specifically designed for the social housing sector. Te new standard will be developed in
partnership with housing associations and other stakeholders including the National Federation of ALMOs and the Association of Retained Council Housing. It is expected to be launched in 2025 and although it will not be mandatory, there are hopes that most social landlords will adopt it and use it as a tool to improve the quality of existing homes. Most social housing landlords already conduct
regular stock condition surveys, but their content and use varies. Te NHF believes a standardised approach would offer greater assurance to both residents and landlords. According to the Good Home Inquiry, there
are 10 million people living in homes (of all tenures) that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard. While the proportion of these homes in the social housing sector is smaller than those in the owner-occupied sector, in 2022 there were still 10% of the social rented sector’s homes that did not meet the standard. Te Better Social Housing Review recommended
that social landlords improve how they collect and use data – both about the condition of the homes they manage and about who lives in them. With a growing number of HAs aiming to conduct 100% rolling stock condition surveys every five years, it became clear there is room for improving consistency in assessing the quality of homes to ensure they are as good as they can be for residents.
Most social housing landlords already conduct regular stock condition surveys, but their content and use varies
A CONFIDENCE BOOST Kate Henderson, chief executive of the NHF, said the standardised survey will be an “invaluable resource” that will help the sector to assess the quality of their homes in a consistent way, and give both landlords and residents greater confidence. It is hoped the new standard will help HAs
and councils to easily identify quality issues that need addressing within their properties, by creating a standardised and consistent approach to understanding the condition of tenants’ homes. Te standard will incorporate all current
regulatory requirements and be adapted as needed to align with future changes, such as the new Decent Homes Standard when it is finalised. Te NHF and RICS said the standard “will help landlords provide a consistent and accurate barometer of the
condition of the UK’s social housing sector” and ensure that all social housing residents are living in good quality homes. Justin Young, chief executive of RICS said: “Te
UK needs a data-driven, fact-focused social housing sector and a comprehensive stock condition survey, designed with RICS members’ expertise, will clear up uncertainty about the quality of the UK’s social housing stock”. Young described the new partnership between
RICS and the NHF as “timely”, due to the Government’s plans to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years. He added: “Ending the housing crisis not only begins with building new homes; it must also include the renovation and retrofit of existing homes, improving the quality, quantity, and sustainability of social housing.”
CIH welcomes minimum energy efficiency standards
Te Government has announced that Wave 3 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and a new local authority retrofit scheme will be opening for applications. Both schemes, which have respectively been
renamed the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and the Warm Homes: Local Grant, will provide funding to registered providers of social housing and local authorities to tackle fuel poverty and improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Te Social Housing Fund opened on 30
September 2024 and will close at midday on 25 November 2024. Delivery of the fund runs until 2028. An expression of interest window is expected
to open in October 2024 for the Local Grant. Te total funding available will be confirmed at the April 2025 Spending Review, together with more details of the Government’s Warm Homes Plan. Te Government has also announced that it
will consult on a new minimum energy efficiency standard for the private and social rented sectors (targeting EPC C by 2030) and on EPC reform before the end of year. Responding to the news, Rachael Williamson,
head of policy and external affairs at CIH, commented: “Warm, safe homes are one of the building blocks of health and wellbeing, but some homes are still too difficult to keep warm in the
6 | HMMOctober/November 2024 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
winter. It is hugely welcome that government have confirmed the continuation of these retrofit schemes, something that CIH had called for in our submission to the autumn budget. “Te funding will enable social housing
providers to continue their work tackling fuel poverty, and some small tweaks made to the schemes, especially to the grant funding profile in the Social Housing Fund, will help to accelerate delivery in the coming years. “CIH has long called for the introduction of
minimum energy efficiency standards in the rented sectors, especially in the private rented sector, where residents are too oſten exposed to unaffordable energy bills. We look forward to responding to the consultation, and working with our members to ensure the proposals provide a strong regulatory framework for eliminating fuel poverty.”
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