New consumer standards for social housing – the Regulator of Social Housing wants to hear your views if you are a resident or shared owner – deadline 17th October

4th Sep 2023

Why is the government bringing in new standards?
The current system for regulating social housing is just too weak. It has failed to prevent major risks to residents like the Grenfell fire, deaths due to damp and mould and the many cases of people living in poor conditions we see on the news. The Minister, Michael Gove, wants to put a stop to this once and for all. That is why he is bringing in requirements for landlords to:

• Survey all of their homes to work out the repairs that are needed.
• Identify the diverse needs of all their residents and tailor services accordingly.
• Prove that they meet the new standards in full.

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) will check that your landlord is doing what it is supposed to. They will run ‘Ofsted-style’ inspections of landlords every four years – or more often if there is a cause for concern.

These new rules will apply to Newlon as your landlord.

The RSH wants to know what residents and shared owners think of their proposals. Here is a link to their consultation papers including an easy read version.

You have until 17th October to give your views to the RSH. The new rules will come in from April 2024.

What sort of rules are in the new proposals?
As an example, here are some of the proposed new rules:

Landlords should:
• Do checks on each home to make sure they are good and safe for tenants (safety checks should cover gas, electricity and smoke alarms).
• Make sure homes are warm and dry.
• Make sure homes have good kitchens and bathrooms that are easy for people to use.
• Make sure shared areas like hallways and stairs and gardens and footpaths are safe.
• Do any repairs it is their job to do…in the right way and as quickly as possible.
• Make it easy for residents to report a repair.
• If a repair is an emergency, landlords should come and fix it straightaway. This might be if residents have no water or electricity.
• Help people to live independently (this might be things like putting in a stair lift or making bathrooms easy to use).
• Understand residents’ needs and support them in a way that meets their needs.
• Involve residents in plans and decisions – ask residents for their ideas about how to do things better in future – listen to these ideas when they make decisions.
•Tell residents how well they are doing every year (landlords must gather data on resident satisfaction and safety – this RSH will test accuracy).
• Deal with complaints fairly and quickly.
• Work together with other organisations to keep neighbourhoods safe and nice to live in – organisations like the local council, the police and other landlords.
• Say how they will work with other organisations to support residents with domestic abuse and help to stop anti-social behaviour from happening.
• Consult residents on any proposals to merge with another landlord at an early stage – set out advantages and disadvantages (including costs) to residents.
• Say who does what – give details of roles and responsibilities of senior officers – tell residents whose job it is to ensure the new standards are met – provide details of top pay.
• Help local authorities with their homelessness duties.
• Report themselves promptly to the RSH where standards are not being me.