Have your say as a council tenant

The Government has made changes to the consumer regulation of social housing.  This will make landlords more accountable for providing safe homes, quality services and treating residents with respect.

From 1 April there is a new way that we will be regulated on our social housing.  There are five new consumer standards that set the requirements we must meet.

We will be inspected by the Regulator to see how well we are meeting the requirements of the new standards. Once we have been inspected, we will be given a grade between 1-4.

The five new consumer standards are:

• The Safety and Quality Standard 

Requires landlords to provide safe and good quality homes and landlord services.

• The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard

Requires landlords to be open and treat tenants fairly and with respect so they can access services, raise complaints when necessary, influence decision-making and hold their landlord to account. 

• The Neighbourhood and Community Standard 

Requires landlords to engage with others so that tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods and feel safe in their homes.

• The Tenancy Standard

Sets requirements for the fair allocation and letting of homes and for how those tenancies are managed and ended by landlords. 

• Tenant Satisfaction Methods (TSMs) 

Requires landlords to provide certain information to the Regulator of Social Housing based on resident feedback, such as repairs, safety checks and complaints.

The new standards will make sure we:

• ensure our tenants are safe in their homes
• listen to our tenants’ complaints and respond quickly to put things right
• are accountable to our tenants and treat them with fairness and respect
• know more about the condition of every home and the needs of the people who live in them
• collect and use data effectively across a range of areas, including repairs

Full details on the standards can be found on GOV.UK