Regulator of Social Housing launches consultation on new consumer standards
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has issued a consultation on four draft consumer standards which set out the specific expectations and outcomes that all registered providers will be expected to achieve.
It claimed that the new requirements “will be even stronger and give tenants greater power to hold their landlord to account”.
The four standards are:
- The Safety and Quality Standard which “will require landlords to provide safe and good-quality homes for their tenants, along with good-quality landlord services”.
- The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard which “will require landlords to be open with tenants and treat them with fairness and respect so they can access services, raise concerns when necessary, influence decision making and hold their landlord to account”.
- The Neighbourhood and Community Standard which “will require landlords to engage with other relevant parties so that tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods, and feel safe in their homes”.
- The Tenancy Standard which “sets requirements for the fair allocation and letting of homes, as well as requirements for how tenancies are managed by landlords”.
The consultation on the consumer standards runs until Tuesday 17 October 2023.
RSH anticipates that the final set of standards will apply from April 2024.
Fiona MacGregor, Chief Executive of the Regulator of Social Housing, said: “All social housing tenants deserve to live in safe and decent homes, and receive good-quality services from their landlords. We’re proposing new requirements to make sure this happens. We encourage tenants, landlords and others in the sector to have their say through our consultation.
“We’re gearing up for the biggest change to social housing regulation for a decade. This will include our landlord inspections from next April, as well as stronger powers to make landlords put things right when they breach our standards.”
The Government is giving RSH stronger powers via the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which received royal assent on 20 July 2023.
