The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is set to introduce new measures aimed at increasing transparency for social housing tenants in England and raising standards across the sector.
RSH has published the outcome of its consultation on revisions to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability standard – including Social Tenant Access to Information (STAIRs) requirements – and a separate Competence and Conduct (C&C) standard.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) had already consulted previously on C&C and STAIRs. The purpose of RSH’s consultation was to ensure that the directions MHCLG gave as a result were accurately reflected in RSH’s standards.
RSH originally consulted on the C&C requirements being part of the TIA standard. However, RSH carefully considered the feedback received through the consultation, and decided to create a separate C&C standard to increase its visibility for tenants and landlords.
The C&C requirements are aimed at driving greater professionalism and higher standards by ensuring relevant housing staff have the required skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours to deliver a high standard of service to tenants.
Senior housing managers and executives will also be required to hold, or be working towards, a housing management qualification.
The STAIRs requirements will give tenants of private registered providers (PRPs) a similar level of access to information relating to the management of social housing that local authority tenants already have.
PRPs will have to proactively publish certain information about their activities that is set out in the government’s policy statement, and tenants will be able to formally request relevant information and receive timely responses.
RSH Chief Executive Jonathan Walters said “Greater transparency, stronger accountability and a stronger tenant voice are at the heart of these changes. They represent an important step towards improving outcomes for social housing tenants, helping residents better see and influence the services they receive.
“By supporting better engagement and consistent delivery of standards, these changes will help create a culture where tenant voices are heard, trust is strengthened, and the factors that can contribute to stigma are reduced.”
The new standards come into force from October 2026, with transition periods for elements of the STAIRs and C&C requirements.
The consultation also asked for feedback on the introduction of a new electrical safety checks Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) and this was introduced last month.
ENDS
Notes to editors
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The consultation ran from 9.30am on Tuesday 9 December 2025 to 6.30pm on Tuesday 3 March 2026, and had three parts
– changes to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability (TI&A) Standard relating to Competence and Conduct (C&C), the Social Tenant Access to Information (STAIRs) and the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)
– changes to the associated Code of Practice
– the introduction of a new electrical safety checks TSM. -
MHCLG’s consultation outcomes can be found on Gov.UK Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements consultation; Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing government response.
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The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 gave the government the power to direct RSH to introduce new C&C requirements, which will set the professional standards that landlords must ensure their staff meet. MHCLG consulted on their direction to RSH including their policy statements for C&C and STAIRs. RSH consulted on C&C requirements and Code of Practice, having been directed by the government in September 2025. The requirements will come into force from 1 October 2026 with a transition period for some elements.
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The STAIRs requirements will give the tenants of PRPs broadly similar access to information to that of tenants of local authorities under the Freedom of Information Act. From 1 October 2026, PRPs will be required to proactively publish certain information relating to the management of their social housing. From April 2027, they will also be required to respond to information requests from their tenants or their designated representatives. RSH was directed on STAIRs in September 2025 and this has been reflected in the TI&A Standard.
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RSH will reissue the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) using our new powers of direction. This is a purely administrative change and should not affect registered providers or change or alter in any way how they currently collect, process, publish and submit their TSM data – it is an exercise to align the TSMs to their proper legal context for RSH. RSH has also published a Direction on the TSMs reflecting changes to the powers we use to require providers to collect, process and report TSM data.
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RSH introduced its new Tenant Satisfaction Measure for electrical safety checks on Thursday 11 June 2026. All large social housing landlords in England – those with more than 1,000 homes – will be required publish the electrical safety checks TSM for the first time covering the 2026/27 reporting year. Small landlords must publish for their reporting years ending 31 March 2027 onwards.
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