Our response to the consultation on the consumer standards and Code of Practice

The Regulator for Social Housing has been consulting on their revised regulatory consumer standards and Code of Practice.

The Regulator has been asking for views on four draft consumer standards, which set out specific expectations and outcomes that all registered providers will need to meet.

At the NHF, we have been engaging with a wide range of members to gather feedback on this consultation, and have now published these in our sector-wide response.

A summary of our response

As a sector, we are committed to making sure that all residents of social housing have a safe, secure home that provides a firm foundation for a decent life.

That’s why we support the introduction of more proactive regulation through the Social Housing Regulation Act. The act aims to empower residents, ensure our sector is accountable and transparent, and improve access to swift and fair redress when things go wrong.

At the NHF, we believe the standards set the right overall expectations for landlords. We welcome the standards’ focus on quality of homes, resident engagement and tackling domestic abuse.

However, we outline some concerns, including:

• The practicalities of the requirements and how they will be carried out in practice.
• Although we support collecting evidence on the condition of homes, we would welcome flexibility on the way physical assessments of properties are conducted.
• While we support measures to improve resident data, we also highlight potential challenges with data collection.
• We are concerned about some of the expectations outlined in the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, in particular those around anti-social behavior, shared spaces and local cooperation.
• We agree that the Code of Practice serves as a valuable tool for registered providers to understand how to meet the standards’ requirements. However, we suggest areas where the Code of Practice could enhance its effectiveness in clarifying expectations.

Please get in touch with us through the contact details below if you have any questions or would like further clarification on our response to the consultation.