Action plan published for landlords to deliver on Better Social Housing Review

The trade associations said they would work closely with the government and the Regulator of Social Housing on this. The work is expected to take at least a year to design and launch, and any changes needed will be embedded over “multiple years”.

Other actions in the plan include: both organisations supporting social landlords to review their maintenance and repairs processes; promoting qualifications, training and professional standards for housing officers; encouraging landlords to open community hubs; and supporting housing associations to measure their progress annually against the plan.

As well as housing association groups including Homes for the North, Greater Manchester Housing Providers and the G15, the plan was approved by local authority landlords. It has been signed by the Local Government Association (LGA), the Association of Retained Council Housing and the National Federation of ALMOs.

The action plan was developed by NHF and CIH members, including a working group on race and inequalities. The NHF said the plan seeks to tackle structural inequalities that are currently leaving Black and Asian households around three times more likely than their white British counterparts to live in damp homes of all tenures.

The NHF will increase the number of landlords adopting its ‘Together with Tenants’ measures to more than 90% of housing association homes. All housing associations will be encouraged to see the need for equality, diversity and inclusion as a “strategic priority”.

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the NHF, said the plan “shows the sector’s commitment to making improvements where they are needed”.

Social housing leaders are “passionate about driving forward this collaborative effort to ensure that all of our homes and services meet the high standards we set for ourselves”, she said. However, “housing associations do not operate in a vacuum”, she added, calling for “a long-term strategy for social housing” from government.

Helen Baker, chair of Shelter, who chaired the Better Social Housing Review, said the plan was “ambitious” and showed that housing associations “recognise the issues and will work with tenants to share learning and drive positive change”.

She added: “Our housing system is under huge pressure and we need to see the government also now taking action, alongside social housing providers and tenants, to invest in our country’s homes.”

Linda Taylor, housing spokesperson for the LGA, said councils are “determined that their tenants should have the security of a safe and well-maintained home with any issues quickly and satisfactorily dealt with”.

She continued: “We are pleased to be working with the NHF and CIH to explore how we can better help councils with housing stock achieve their goal of improving the standards of social housing and supporting and empowering their tenants.”