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The Week in Housing: Global Accounts show record maintenance spend, and sector responds to rent settlement consultation
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Good afternoon.
Just before Christmas, the government published the responses to its consultation on the rent settlement and the sector revealed a long wishlist. Top of the pile is a 10-year rent settlement that should be enshrined in law. This means any changes to the policy would require approval via a vote in parliament.
The need for a vote would provide an opportunity for scrutiny and debate from MPs and peers over the “questions and trade-offs related to social housing rent policy, affordability and stock investment requirements”, rather than relying on “unilateral executive action” as is currently the case.
It was also put to the government that rent convergence and mitigating the recent National Insurance hikes were needed, alongside a significant increase in grant funding.
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Meanwhile, the London Tenants Federation called for a freeze on social rents as the rises proposed will “further impoverish” tenants. A decision is not expected until the multi-year Spending Review in March.
With the government mulling over the best way to finance the sector’s spending on new and existing stock, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) revealed that housing associations spent £8.8bn on repairs and maintenance between April 2023 and March 2024, a 14.3% increase on the previous year.
The sum was published in the RSH’s Global Accounts, which covered 200 private registered providers.
Landlords’ spending on development also increased by 10% to £15bn year on year. However, the English regulator underlined the “difficult trade-offs” providers are having to make “between maintaining financial resilience and investing in new and existing homes”.
A busy start to the year for the RSH included opening an investigation into potential “serious failings” at a small landlord, and revealing that it is looking to expand its frontline regulatory teams to meet the demands of its new powers.
In other recruitment news this week, a housing provider started by a confectionary giant welcomed four new board members.
A large association appointed two customers to its board as it looks to ensure residents are at the heart of strategic decision-making.
Rob Perrins, chief executive of Berkeley Group, joined the board of Grosvenor’s UK property arm as a non-executive director.
The Housing Ombudsman started 2025 with news that it will release its first good practice guidance later this year, which will focus on restoring landlord-tenant relationships that have broken down.
Residents living in high-flood-risk areas have been hammered by heavy sleet and rain since the new year, causing a number of rivers to burst their banks. This has left flood warnings and alerts remaining in force across the country after a number of major incidents led to residents being evacuated from hundreds of homes.
Tenants not at risk of flooding raised concerns that the potential relocation of the Chinese embassy near their homes would risk their safety and privacy. Housing association residents in London are campaigning against the move.
People whose homes are connected to communal boilers will not be entitled to compensation payments under upcoming regulation. The energy watchdog said that housing associations should be exempt from compensation payments as they are not-for-profit organisations and their business models are “very different” to commercial energy companies.
This news came as Inside Housing published an investigation into how council residents on older heat networks are facing rising energy bills, and what more social landlords can do to protect them.
In an exclusive interview, new Welsh housing secretary Jayne Bryant told us how she plans to deliver on some tough targets ahead of the Senedd election in 2026.
The Welsh Local Government and Housing Committee has agreed to undertake an inquiry into housing for vulnerable people.
Back in England, deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner made her first appearance in front of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. Despite concern from campaigners that the government’s promises on leasehold reform had been kicked into the long grass, she confirmed that the government aims to introduce the legislation this parliamentary year.
Inside Housing kicked off this week’s financial coverage with an interview with Priya Nair, the new chief executive of one of the most important aggregators of bond finance for the social housing sector. She spoke about her background in investment banking, sustainable finance and her first nine months at the helm.
A for-profit housing provider set aside £3.93m to pay for remediation work to fix a leaking roof and fit replacement cladding to meet new safety standards.
Investment giant M&G lent £60m to a Jersey-based social landlord to enable it to refinance its debt on better terms and develop new housing.
A North East housing association secured a £30m loan with NatWest to help retrofit its homes.
London-based landlord Soho Housing agreed a £13.2m loan from MORhomes to support its acquisition of new homes in the capital’s centre.
Ratings agency S&P affirmed A- ratings for Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing and its subsidiary after the social landlord announced a reorganisation of its corporate structure.
Plus, a restructure will take place at two Midlands-based landlords after Housing Plus Group and The Wrekin Housing Group completed their merger to form a 33,000-home landlord.
In case you were not back as quickly after the new year as the Inside Housing news team, we published our list of 20 key stories from 2024 and revealed who had been recognised in the 2025 New Year’s Honours list.
Have a great weekend.
Stephen Delahunty, news editor, Inside Housing
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