Landlords face two-year deadline to get staff trained under new ‘competence’ standard

Under the approach, senior housing managers will be required to have a Level 4 housing qualification. Senior housing executives will need a foundation degree or Level 5 housing qualification.

Higher-level qualifications would also meet the criteria. For a senior housing manager this would mean an Ofqual-regulated qualification higher than Level 4.

For a senior housing executive this would be an Ofqual-regulated qualification higher than Level 5. 

It takes 360 hours to complete a Level 4 qualification and 320 hours to finish a Level 5 qualification, according to an impact assessment published alongside the consultation. 

Overall, large registered providers are expected to spend a collective £21m on enrolling staff on courses, while councils could face a collective bill of £14m, according to the impact assessment. 

Under the standard, landlords will also be required to have up-to-date written policies setting out their approach to “managing and developing the skills, knowledge, experience and conduct of their staff”. 

Writing in the foreword of the consultation, housing secretary Michael Gove said: “The proposals set out in this consultation should equip all social housing staff with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to provide tenants with a high-quality, respectful service – helping to ensure that tragedies like the Grenfell fire and the death of Awaab Ishak never happen again.”

The sector has faced growing scrutiny since the Grenfell Tower fire following a series of damning media reports about housing conditions and the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak due to mould in his home. 

Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “As the professional body for housing, we’re committed to supporting the professionalism agenda and welcome the government’s support for this, with a focus on competence and conduct, including mandating qualifications for key senior roles.

He added: “We know the sector will want to engage with this consultation to ensure the correct balance is struck and that regulation around professionalism in housing is meaningful, accessible and effective.”

Last summer Mr Smart acknowledged that the plans had sparked “significant debate” in the sector, but argued there was “more to celebrate than worry about”. 

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, said: “We welcome this consultation and believe the competence and conduct standard can provide an important national framework to complement the work housing associations already do, which includes providing training to staff and promoting high standards and professionalism.
“We will work with members and the government to ensure the standard takes into account the diverse range of social housing providers and existing qualifications and experience, alongside any potential impacts on costs, retention and recruitment.”

The consultation will run for eight weeks, with a deadline for responses of 2 April.