Tell us what you think about the Regulator’s proposed guidance on enforcement powers

The Social Housing Regulation Act received its Royal Assent in July 2023, becoming law. The Act aims to strengthen the powers of the Regulator of Social Housing, strengthen resident rights and make sure homes are safe and good quality.  

One of the most important parts of these new reforms is the changes to the consumer regulation role of the Regulator of Social Housing. This means that the Regulator will now be empowered to proactively monitor and promote landlords’ compliance with the enhanced consumer standards.  

The Regulator of Social Housing is now consulting on proposed guidance on how its regulatory and enforcement powers should be used in practice. This consultation is concerned with the updates to the Regulator’s existing powers, including: 

• The introduction of emergency remedial action.  
• Performance improvement plans. 
• Amendments to the grounds under which the regulatory and enforcement powers can be used.  

After receiving submissions to this consultation, the Regulator will review the proposed changes to the statutory guidance, taking the responses into account in the process. Most of these proposed changes will not come into effect until 1 April 2024.  

At the NHF, we are encouraging our members to have their voices heard and share their feedback and views on this consultation with us. Your feedback will directly inform our response on behalf of the sector to the Regulator, and we want to make sure we accurately represent the views of our members.  

We will be submitting our response in January. If you would like to share your response or ask us a question about this consultation, please submit them to us using the details below by 8 January 2024.