The Regulation of Social Housing

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 10 Nov 2021 Closed: 5 Mar 2024 Parliament page
The purpose of this inquiry is to examine the quality and regulation of social housing in England and the Government’s proposals in the social housing White Paper for improving the regulatory regime. Read the key findings and recommendations from our report published on 20 July 2022.
24 Recommendations
31 Conclusions
1 Report
6 Oral sessions
11 Letters
6 Events
Activity timeline 26 events
21 Jul
2023
Report published
7 Feb
2023
Correspondence
6 Dec
2022
Correspondence
24 Oct
2022
Report published
19 Oct
2022
Correspondence
19 Oct
2022
Correspondence
20 Jul
2022
Report published
12 Jul
2022
Correspondence
21 Jun
2022
Correspondence
16 May
2022
Oral evidence
16 May
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
19 Apr
2022
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 6 sessions
16 May 2022
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Oral Evidence
Eddie Hughes · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Nick Burkitt · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
19 Apr 2022
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Oral Evidence
Jonathan Walters · Regulator of Social Housing Richard Blakeway · Office for Legal Complaints Richard Blakeway · Housing Ombudsman Service
14 Mar 2022
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Formal Evidence Session
Angela Price · Guinness Daniel Hewitt · ITV News Nicole Walters · Southwark Council
9 Mar 2022
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Oral Evidence
Dr Amanze Ejiogu · Newcastle University Business School Helen Garrett · Building Research Establishment James Prestwich · Chartered Institute of Housing Jenny Osbourne · TPAS Tarun Bhakta · Shelter
7 Feb 2022
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Oral Evidence
Chloe Fletcher · National Federation of ALMOs Cllr David Renard · Local Government Association (LGA) Karen Brown · Northern Housing Consortium Kate Henderson · National Housing Federation Matthew Walker · PlaceShapers Nick Murphy · Nottingham City Homes
17 Jan 2022
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Oral Evidence; Formal Evidence Session
Ben Denton · Legal and General Affordable Homes Clare Miller · Clarion Housing Group Darren Hartley · TAROE Trust Pat Turnbull · London Tenants Federation Professor Ian Cole · South Yorkshire Housing Association Suzanne Muna · Social Housing Action Campaign
Title HC No. Published Items Response
First Report - The Regulation of Social Housing HC 18 20 Jul 2022 55 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
31 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
It is not possible to gauge exactly how prevalent poor quality is within the social...
It is not possible to gauge exactly how prevalent poor quality is within the social housing sector. Given that the English Housing Survey (EHS) estimated that 13% of homes in the social rented sector failed to meet the decent homes … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that the majority of social housing in England is of a decent standard and that examples of disrepair highlighted by the Inquiry are not representative of the majority of social housing tenants’ experiences.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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2 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
Whatever the extent and causes of housing disrepair, we call on everyone in and connected...
Whatever the extent and causes of housing disrepair, we call on everyone in and connected to the social housing sector to work together and prioritise above all else the quality of housing being provided to existing tenants.
Government Response
The government agrees the sector needs to prioritize the quality of housing and states that their messaging to the sector has been unequivocally strong and clear on this issue.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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9 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We agree with our witnesses that housing disrepair, particularly damp and mould, is often aggravated...
We agree with our witnesses that housing disrepair, particularly damp and mould, is often aggravated by the inability of tenants to heat or ventilate their homes properly or by overcrowding, or by a mixture of both. We also agree that … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that the sector needs to prioritize the quality of housing and states that their messaging to registered providers has been unequivocally strong and clear on maintaining a constant focus on delivering safe, good quality homes and treating tenants with respect.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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13 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The presence of a stigma attached to being a social housing tenant is very hard...
The presence of a stigma attached to being a social housing tenant is very hard to dispute, although it is difficult to say how prevalent stigmatising views are among contractors and staff working for social housing providers. It is also … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that providers must take concerns over stigma and discrimination seriously, and work towards reducing the factors leading to it, restating the existing standards.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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15 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The power imbalance between tenants and housing providers is one of the biggest problems facing...
The power imbalance between tenants and housing providers is one of the biggest problems facing the social housing sector today. One of the most effective ways of empowering tenants, however, is through the establishment of tenants and residents associations, led … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that providers must take concerns over stigma and discrimination seriously, and work towards reducing the factors leading to it, restating the existing standards.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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17 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs) and the new access to information scheme are central to...
The tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs) and the new access to information scheme are central to the Government’s plans for making the sector more transparent. While we do welcome the steps taken to improve transparency, we must note how underwhelmed the … Read more
Government Response
The government has published a final suite of TSMs, which they will use as a source of regulatory intelligence, and they intend to review their TSM requirements at an appropriate point after implementation.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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18 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We urge the Government and the Regulator of Social Housing to work together to ensure...
We urge the Government and the Regulator of Social Housing to work together to ensure the TSMs and the access-to-information scheme are implemented in such a way that tenants can have confidence in their reliability and effectiveness as a means … Read more
Government Response
The government has published a final suite of TSMs, which they will use as a source of regulatory intelligence, and they intend to review their TSM requirements at an appropriate point after implementation.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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21 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The commercialisation of social housing can be traced back to the cut to government funding...
The commercialisation of social housing can be traced back to the cut to government funding in 2011. Whilst we would like the Government to provide more central funding for specific purposes, such as regeneration, building safety, decarbonisation and new housing, … Read more
Government Response
The government states they continue to apply consumer powers robustly, encourage providers to improve services and engage with tenants, and share learning from casework with the sector to strengthen systems and processes.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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22 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
It is difficult to say for certain whether very large providers are more likely to...
It is difficult to say for certain whether very large providers are more likely to lose sight of their core responsibility, which is to their tenants, but it seems obvious that there is a tendency for such providers to become … Read more
Government Response
The government states they continue to apply consumer powers robustly, encourage providers to improve services and engage with tenants, and share learning from casework with the sector to strengthen systems and processes.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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23 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We urge all social housing providers, especially the larger ones, to prioritise putting the tenant...
We urge all social housing providers, especially the larger ones, to prioritise putting the tenant at the centre of how they deliver housing services, including by relying far less on impersonal and remote methods of communication and increasing the number … Read more
Government Response
The government states that the overall intention for the new standards will remain to set clear outcome-based expectations, and that registered providers and their tenants are enabled to design the most appropriate way to meet their outcomes according to the needs of their tenant base.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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26 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The primary responsibility for resolving disputes between tenants and providers lies with the providers themselves,...
The primary responsibility for resolving disputes between tenants and providers lies with the providers themselves, and yet too often their complaint handling processes are inefficient and obstructive. It is understandable if tenants sometimes conclude they have been specifically designed to … Read more
Government Response
The government looks forward to continuing to work with tenants and other stakeholders as they develop a new proactive consumer regulation regime.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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27 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The introduction of the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code and complaint handling failure orders must...
The introduction of the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code and complaint handling failure orders must drive improvement and consistency in the way providers respond to complaints. We are pleased therefore that the Government is legislating through the Social Housing (Regulation) … Read more
Government Response
The government looks forward to continuing to work with tenants and other stakeholders as they develop a new proactive consumer regulation regime.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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30 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The Housing Ombudsman’s new power to investigate systemic issues across the sector is an extremely...
The Housing Ombudsman’s new power to investigate systemic issues across the sector is an extremely valuable tool for improving quality across the sector, and we disagree strongly with the assertion that this represents any sort of encroachment on the remit … Read more
Government Response
The Housing Ombudsman welcomed the committee's support for their work on systemic issues and stated that they are investigating the systemic failures that give rise to complaints.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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31 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We encourage the Housing Ombudsman to continue investigating systemic failings across the social housing sector.
We encourage the Housing Ombudsman to continue investigating systemic failings across the social housing sector. In response to this report, the ombudsman should identify which further areas it may investigate. We further encourage both the ombudsman and the Regulator of … Read more
Government Response
The Housing Ombudsman welcomed the committee's support and stated that investigating systemic failures is a core aspect of their role and promotes a positive complaint handling culture. They publish upcoming report topics on their website. They will work with the Regulator on a framework for sharing information and intelligence between the two organisations and will work with the Regulator to identify ways in which they can use their combined powers to improve the resident experience and drive up standards.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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33 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We welcome the ombudsman’s decision to increase the levels of compensation for the most serious...
We welcome the ombudsman’s decision to increase the levels of compensation for the most serious service failings, but even these are inadequate. If the Government thinks tenants in the private rented sector (PRS) should be entitled to compensation of up … Read more
Government Response
The government believes non-financial remedies, as well as financial ones, are an important aspect of an Ombudsman’s toolkit. Our calculation of financial bands will increase. A key aspect of this review will be ensuring landlords recognize distress and disruption in their own awards of compensation, and use their discretion in their complaints procedure.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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34 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The Government must commit to ensuring social housing tenants get the same levels of compensation...
The Government must commit to ensuring social housing tenants get the same levels of compensation it has said tenants in the PRS will be entitled to under its proposals for a new ombudsman. We recommend it does this by amending … Read more
Government Response
The government believes that non-financial remedies are important, and the Ombudsman may order that the landlord reviews costs incurred by the household, but does not explicitly commit to amending the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill or increasing compensation limits. The Ombudsman will consider how its assessment of compensation can be further explained, including loss of earnings, and will review its bands.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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35 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
It is clear from the evidence we received during this inquiry, and from the constituency...
It is clear from the evidence we received during this inquiry, and from the constituency casework we deal with, that generally tenants are not aware of the Housing Ombudsman. We welcome the work the ombudsman has done recently to raise … Read more
Government Response
The Housing Ombudsman agreed with the Committee that improved awareness of, and access to, the complaints procedure is essential. They believe there is a higher-than-average awareness of the Housing Ombudsman compared to other Ombudsman schemes, with research suggesting an awareness level amongst social tenants of between 60% to 70%. To tackle this, they have recruited an Accessibility Expert Panel to advise them. Landlords are integral to awareness raising and will often be the main contact point for residents.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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37 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
It appears that some local authorities might have misinterpreted the Housing Health and Safety Rating...
It appears that some local authorities might have misinterpreted the Housing Health and Safety Rating System enforcement guidance, and as such are not inspecting private providers. We welcome the Minister’s reiteration that a council can inspect a property owned by … Read more
Government Response
The Government recognises the importance of safe and secure homes and local authorities' powers to enforce housing standards, working to raise awareness of these powers regarding hazards like damp and mould. The Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will strengthen tenant rights and regulator powers.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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38 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We strongly recommend that the Government immediately make it clear to local councils that they...
We strongly recommend that the Government immediately make it clear to local councils that they have a duty to inspect all unsafe homes, irrespective of who owns it, including, if necessary, by producing new enforcement guidance. This must include setting … Read more
Government Response
The Government recognises the importance of safe and secure homes and local authorities' powers to enforce housing standards, working to raise awareness of these powers regarding hazards like damp and mould. The Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will strengthen tenant rights and regulator powers.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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39 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We welcome the removal of the serious detriment test, which has obstructed the effective regulation...
We welcome the removal of the serious detriment test, which has obstructed the effective regulation of the consumer standards for far too long.
Government Response
The Government welcomes the Committee’s support on the removal of the serious detriment test, stating that this will give the Regulator stronger powers to proactively address issues of tenant safety and wellbeing.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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40 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The Regulator of Social Housing is independent of the Government and is alone responsible for...
The Regulator of Social Housing is independent of the Government and is alone responsible for the interpretation of its statutory duties. It interprets its duty to minimise intervention and act proportionately to mean that it should only find a provider … Read more
Government Response
The Department engages regularly with the Regulator to understand how it is discharging its duties and to ensure that the Department’s policy intentions are understood. The Department welcomes the Committee’s views on the Regulator’s interpretation and will raise these points with the Regulator. The Government has amended the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill to remove the ‘serious detriment’ test.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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42 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
To ensure that the consumer regulatory regime does not continue to let down tenants whose...
To ensure that the consumer regulatory regime does not continue to let down tenants whose providers are responsible for serious mismanagement that does not meet the ‘systemic failure’ test, we strongly urge the Regulator of Social Housing to reconsider its … Read more
Government Response
The Regulator of Social Housing is independent of the Government and is alone responsible for the interpretation of its statutory duties. The Department engages regularly with the Regulator to understand how it is discharging its duties and to ensure that the Department’s policy intentions are understood. The Government has amended the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill to remove the ‘serious detriment’ test.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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43 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
If the Regulator of Social Housing engages as little with tenants as seems to be...
If the Regulator of Social Housing engages as little with tenants as seems to be the case, we are deeply concerned. It is impossible for the regulator to even give the appearance of putting tenants at the centre of its … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that tenants' voices should be at the center of social housing regulation. The Social Housing (Regulation) Bill will ensure that the Regulator engages with tenants when undertaking inspections. The Regulator has also recently introduced Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), which will provide tenants with greater transparency on their landlord’s performance. The Government has amended the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill to strengthen tenant engagement with their landlords.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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45 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The social housing sector has commercialised and diversified almost beyond recognition since 2011.
The social housing sector has commercialised and diversified almost beyond recognition since 2011. That nothing has gone seriously wrong yet should be no cause for complacency, especially as we enter a period of rising inflation and interest rates. A single … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the Committee's recommendations regarding their role and will carefully consider them as they continue to develop their approach to proactive consumer regulation.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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46 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We are also uncertain about the argument that any increase in the regulator’s powers would...
We are also uncertain about the argument that any increase in the regulator’s powers would prompt the Office for National Statistics to reclassify the social housing sector as belonging to the public sector and so push its debt on to … Read more
Government Response
The Government welcomed the Committee’s views on the Regulator’s independence. The Regulator operates at arm’s length from Government, and it is for the Regulator to determine how to exercise its powers. The Department engages regularly with the Regulator to understand how it is discharging its duties and to ensure that the Department’s policy intentions are understood.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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47 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We disagree with the regulator’s assertion that intervening to shape the market - for example,...
We disagree with the regulator’s assertion that intervening to shape the market - for example, to encourage providers to consolidate their stock in particular areas - would take the regulator beyond its duty to minimise interference. As we have stated … Read more
Government Response
The Department welcomes the Committee’s views on the Regulator’s interpretation of its duties and will raise these points with the Regulator.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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48 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We urge the Government and the Regulator of Social Housing to make sure the latter...
We urge the Government and the Regulator of Social Housing to make sure the latter has the resourcing, skills and capacity to continue to regulate the economic standards properly. As part of this, the Government must first assess the regulator’s … Read more
Government Response
The government states that they will seek to ensure they have the capacity and skills to continue to regulate the economic standards robustly and keep pace with the evolving challenges faced by the sector.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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49 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
The removal of the ‘serious detriment’ test will make it much easier for the regulator...
The removal of the ‘serious detriment’ test will make it much easier for the regulator to inspect providers proactively and to survey properties where it has reason to suspect serious disrepair. We welcome this development as perhaps the most important … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the Committee's recommendations regarding their role and will carefully consider them as they continue to develop their approach to proactive consumer regulation.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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50 Recommendation Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We urge the regulator to publish details as soon as possible of how it plans...
We urge the regulator to publish details as soon as possible of how it plans to use its enhanced regulatory powers under the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, particularly those on inspections and surveys, and to place them at the centre … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the Committee’s recommendations regarding their role, will carefully consider them as they continue to develop their approach to proactive consumer regulation.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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51 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
Whilst understanding the advantages of a relatively light touch regulatory regime, we still find the...
Whilst understanding the advantages of a relatively light touch regulatory regime, we still find the regulator to be extremely reticent and passive in its use of its enforcement powers. It is appropriate for the regulator to punish providers responsible for … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the Committee’s views on the Regulator’s independence, noting that it operates at arm’s length and determines how to exercise its powers.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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55 Conclusion Acknowledged
First Report - The Regulation of S…
We are concerned that potentially extremely vulnerable residents in receipt of unregulated support services do...
We are concerned that potentially extremely vulnerable residents in receipt of unregulated support services do not currently benefit from the protection of regulation by the Care Quality Commission. We are encouraged by the Government’s stated commitment to improving standards in … Read more
Government Response
The government recognizes that some supported housing residents are particularly vulnerable, and is committed to improving standards and quality of supported housing. They have announced a package of measures and will respond to the Committee's upcoming report on exempt accommodation in due course.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Government Response AI assessment · 48 of 24 classified
Accepted 3
Accepted in Part 2
Acknowledged 31
Deferred 7
Not Addressed 5
Total 24 recs + 31 conclusions
Correspondence 11 letters
7 Feb 2023 To committee Letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Faith and Communities to the Chair dated 2 February 2023 concerning the Government response to the Committee's report on the Regulation of Social Housing
Parliament page
6 Dec 2022 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Secretary of State and the Regulator of Social Housing dated 6 December 2022 concerning social housing inspections
Parliament page
19 Oct 2022 To committee Letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Housing and Communities dated 6 October 2022 concerning the Government's response to the Committee's report on the Regulation of Social Housing
Parliament page
19 Oct 2022 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Housing and Communities dated 19 October 2022 concerning the Government's response to the Committee's report on the Regulation of Social Housing
Parliament page
12 Jul 2022 To committee Letter from the Central Hill Estate Residents Association Committee to the Committee dated 7 July 2022 following up the Committee's visit of 11 May
Parliament page
21 Jun 2022 To committee Letter from the Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing dated 13 June 2022 following up his appearance before the Committee on 16 May in relation to the inquiry into the Regulation of Social Housing
Parliament page
30 Mar 2022 To committee Letter from the Guinness Partnership to the Chair dated 23 March 2022 concerning evidence given before the Committee on 14 March on social housing
Parliament page
30 Mar 2022 To committee Letter from the Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing dated 29 March 2022 concerning announcements on the Social Housing White Paper
Parliament page
22 Mar 2022 To committee Letter from BRE to the Chair dated 10 March 2022 concerning the inquiry into the Regulation of Social Housing
Parliament page
1 Mar 2022 To committee Letter from Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association, to the Chair dated 22 February 2022 following up evidence given before the Committee on 7 February concerning the Regulation of Social Care
Parliament page
22 Feb 2022 To committee Letter from Broadacres Housing Association to the Chair dated 9 February 2022 concerning social housing and Auditor shortage
Parliament page