Major reforms to support housing tenants in England and ensure landlords raise standards have been announced today (17 November) by the Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick
The social housing white paper – ‘The Charter for Social Housing Residents’, sets out reforms that will speed up the complaints procedure for residents by improving access to the Housing Ombudsman, reducing decision times and ensuring effective resolution.
The Charter will also make landlords more accountable for the services they deliver, including access to a new information scheme for tenants of housing associations and introducing a set of tenant satisfaction measures that landlords will have to report against.
Shaped by the views of residents across England, including the survivors and bereaved family members of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, it also includes a new Charter setting out what every social housing resident should expect from their landlord.
The social housing white paper delivers on the government’s manifesto pledge to provide greater redress, better regulation and improve the quality of housing.
The government is reforming the Regulator of Social Housing and Housing Ombudsman service to drive the culture change required, backed by legislation where needed.
Today’s announcement will see a transformation of consumer regulation, ensuring tenants are at the heart of social housing delivery.
Tenants will get access to quicker and fairer redress so that they are not waiting long months to resolve complaints.
Alongside publishing the white paper, the Housing Secretary also announced a consultation on mandating smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in all rental homes.
The social housing green paper consultation response and response to the call for evidence on the review of regulation is also published today.
‘Never again’
Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, said: “We are delivering on the commitment we made to the Grenfell community that, never again, would the voices of residents go unheard.
“This white paper will bring transformational change for social housing residents, giving them a much stronger voice and, in doing so, re-focusing the sector on its social mission.
“I want to see social housing tenants empowered by a regulatory regime and a culture of transparency, accountability, decency and service befitting of the best intentions and deep roots of social housing in this country.
“The new approach and regulatory changes we set out in this white paper will make a measurable difference to the lived experiences of those living in England’s 4 million social homes in the years ahead.”
