Social Housing Regulations and Initiatives: 1980s to Today
Published: Jul 18, 2024
Publications
Keeping social housing tenants safe, homed, and comfortable is currently a huge problem in Britain. As a result of the Grenfell Tragedy, focus on this area of regulation has increased: new legislation has been passed and Keir Starmer’s new government has pledged to make further improvements. This has spurred a multitude of initiatives, committees and consultations which can be hard to navigate. We have provided a timeline of the most important aspects of the shifting legislative landscape.
Housing Acts 1988 and 1996
These Acts reformed the regulation of social housing and housing associations in the UK – they established the framework for tenant protection.
A bill which aimed to “make rented properties fit for human habitation”, was voted down in 2016.
Between 2010 and 2017 the number of government-funded houses for social rent fell by 97%
2017 Guardian Article
June 2017 Grenfell Tower Tragedy
The Grenfell Tower Tragedy rocked the nation – killing 72 people, it was the worst residential fire in the UK since the bombings of World War II. Amongst a whole host of issues brought up by this incident, it prompted investigation into the management of social housing. Social housing tenants and the Grenfell community felt their voices were not considered.
2018 Social Housing Commission
Shelter, a leading charity tackling housing issues, established this commission to give tenants a greater influence over the future of social housing. It consisted of a panel of 16 key figures and prompted over 31,000 organisations and people to share their views and experiences.
2019 ‘Vision for Social Housing’
The Social Housing Commission released a report outlining a long-term strategy for social housing, focusing on increasing supply and enhancing quality of social houses, as well as ensuring tenant voice and engagement. It called for 3.1 million new homes for those experiencing homelessness, disability or long-term illness, as well as for ‘trapped renters’ and older private renters. Also, it recommended a new ‘Ofsted-style’ consumer regulator, an organisation to better represent tenants’ voices and to ensure neighbourhood investments.
2019 ‘Together with Tenants’
The National Housing Federation launched this initiative, which aimed to strengthen the relationship between housing associations and their tenants through improved transparency, accountability, and tenant involvement. It now has over 225 adopters who have pledged to its charter, stipulating 7 main principles of tenant relations including communication, accountability and quality. The charter now covers 2.4 million homes.
2020 Social Housing White Paper
This document laid out the government’s legislative plan to reform social housing, focusing on tenant rights, safety, and quality standards, and enhancing the regulatory framework. Developed from the 2018 Social Housing Green paper, it lays the groundwork for the 2023 Social Housing (Regulation) Act.
December 2020 Awaab’s Death
Two-year-old Awaab Ishak died as a result of damp and mould in his socially rented home. The 2022 coroner’s report recommended action should be taken to prevent future deaths. This tragedy refocused efforts on social housing reform, with many organisations and charities calling for a new ‘Awaab’s law’ to solve the systemic issues in the sector.
‘Make Things Right’ – Government Campaign 2023
This campaign aims to empower social housing tenants to raise complaints and ensure landlords take action to address core issues. Despite only covering tenants living in England, it attempts to clarify the complaint procedure.
In 2022-2023, there was a reduction in the number of social homes of 11,700, with 1.3 million households on social house waiting lists in England alone.
According to research by Shelter
2023 Social Housing (Regulation) Act:
After much anticipation, this act finally became law in 2023, it’s heralded as a “new era of regulation for the social housing sector” by multiple organisations. It aims to give tenants greater powers, improving solutions to issues which may face them, and ensuring better quality, safer housing. Much of the policy came into force in April 2024.
- Now, there’s increased regulation of social landlords, including more regular, in-depth inspections by regulatory bodies such as the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH). The RSH now has the power to impose unrestricted fines.
- There are new, stricter rules for protecting tenants from serious hazards. The regulator previously couldn’t intervene until there was ‘serious detriment’ to a tenant. They no longer require this.
- This Act also led to the introduction of a new series of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs). They aim to give tenants a greater voice and hold landlords to account. These include tenant surveys and incorporate aspects such as overall satisfaction, maintaining building safety, respectful and helpful engagement, and responsible neighbourhood management. The first report on these measures is due in Autumn 2024, but Housemark has released preliminary figures which suggest overall tenant satisfaction has dropped below 70% for the first time in 5 years.
2024 #PlanForHousing Campaign
In the run up to the July 4th General Election, the National Housing Federation launched a campaign to highlight the urgent need for improvements. Their plan aims to achieve the following objectives by 2025:
- End child homelessness
- Halve overcrowding
- Provide a social home for 1 million more people
- Ensure a warm, decent home for 7 million more families
- Improve affordability
- Boost productivity by ensuring every region has the homes it needs
This campaign was promoted by various housing associations across the United Kingdom.
The New Government:
Within the first few days of government, housing has been featured heavily by the new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves. The government has pledged to reform the planning system to help build 1.5 million new homes in the next 5 years, whilst ensuring the “right mix” of affordable housing and homes for social rent.
The King’s Speech (17th July 2024):
The King announced 40 bills which the new government plan to introduce this parliamentary session. Next, they will be developed into white papers and debated over in the Houses of Commons. The main bill which will likely effect housing regulation is the Renters’ Rights Bill. Additionally, there is a Draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill which may also have an effect, but we don’t have much information on it yet.
“Legislation will be introduced to give greater rights and protections to people renting their homes, including ending ‘no fault’ evictions and reforming grounds for possession”
His Majesty The King – 17th July 2024
The government followed this announcement, promising that the bill will “fundamentally reform the private rented sector”. It aims to..
- Ban Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions
- Crack down on ‘unscrupulous’ landlords who push tenants out through unfair rent
- Protect tenants from unfair bidding wars
- Make the rules stricter for landlords attempting to take possession of property
How to improve:
As regulation becomes stricter, and the cost-of-living continues to push households into poverty, it becomes more important for housing associations and landlords to take notice of their more vulnerable tenants. They must take the necessary steps to protect them – this requires innovative solutions.
TellJO offers digital wellbeing checks which help identify and protect vulnerable tenants who are struggling with rent arrears and other issues such as mental health, addiction and disabilities.
We’ve worked with RHA Wales for the last 5 years, supporting them with improving insight into tenant welfare. We’ve reduced tenant arrears and the need for enforcement by 33%.
See more on our work with RHA Wales in this video
Also, read our full case study report here.
Want to know more about TellJO?
Let’s chat: https://telljo.org/work-with-us/contact/
Helpful links & References
2020 Social Housing White Paper
Social Housing Regulation Act, NHF Blog Post
Make this Right Campaign Website
Shelter, The Story of Social Housing (Blog post)
Shelter, Vision for Social Housing Report (Social Housing Commission)