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This Month In Social Housing: September 2024

As September draws to a close, the long, lazy days of summer are now firmly behind us as October looms into view we speed towards the end of the year. With the arrival of autumn leaves crunching underfoot, shelves filling up with plastic Halloween tat, and the internet going mad (as it does each and every year for some inexplicable reason) over Starbucks bringing back spiced pumpkin lattes —it’s easy to wonder where the time has gone. Many of you might be looking back, not just on the season, but also at the social housing stories that slipped through the cracks while you were squeezing in those last summer breaks. While we can’t bring back the sunshine, we’ve got you covered on the news front! So, cozy up with your favorite autumnal drink and dive into the top five social housing stories from the past month in This Month In Social Housing: September 2024…

Grenfell Inquiry Report: No Specific Recommendations for Social Landlords

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 report failed to introduce new recommendations for social housing providers, citing sufficient legal reforms from the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. The report heavily criticised Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) for neglecting fire safety and mishandling resident relations before the 2017 fire. However, the inquiry refrained from broader social housing sector scrutiny. Instead, the report focuses on construction industry reform, recommending stricter regulations, a unified construction regulator, and a review of fire safety standards. These changes could significantly impact social landlords, especially those managing high-rise buildings. The report concludes that existing legislation should address many of the concerns uncovered during the inquiry.

Three purple booklets are stacked. The top one is titled "Raising the bar: Learning from consumer standards and inspection analysis" with a geometric design in the top right corner.

First Consumer Standard Grades Analysis Suggests ‘Significant Challenges’ Within Sector

Housemark’s recently released Raising the Bar report has revealed significant challenges for social housing providers in meeting new consumer standards. Based on data from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), it highlights issues such as poor record-keeping, safety compliance failures, and tenant satisfaction, with up to one million tenant complaints going unrecorded. Despite damp and mould being a priority, one in five cases resurface within a year. Of the first 23 landlords graded, 15 were compliant, while eight received non-compliant grades. Housemark emphasised the need for data-driven decision-making and improved complaint-handling systems to meet the new standards. It warned of further risks with the upcoming Decent Homes Standard 2, urging providers to act now to improve service delivery and tenant experience.

Several "To Let" signs are displayed in front of a row of brick residential buildings. A person wearing a hat and backpack walks past. The scene reflects a residential area with properties available for rent.

New Renters’ Rights Bill To Scrap Section 21 and Introduce Standards for PRS

The Renters’ Rights Bill, introduced to parliament on 11 September, aims to abolish Section 21 no-fault evictions, offering greater security to tenants in new and existing tenancies. This reform addresses the rising number of evictions, which reached a six-year high. By banning Section 21, landlords must now provide valid reasons to end a tenancy, protecting renters from retaliatory evictions. The bill also introduces standards for the private rented sector (PRS) and seeks to prevent tenants from outbidding each other for rental properties. With nearly 26,000 households facing homelessness due to Section 21 evictions last year, the bill aims to provide tenants with peace of mind and stability in their homes and communities. Deputy prime minister and housing secretary, Angela Rayner said: “There can be no more dither and delay. We must overhaul renting and rebalance the relationship between tenant and landlord. This bill will do just that and tenants can be reassured this government will protect them.” 

Government to Publish Age Breakdown of Children in Temporary Accommodation

The government plans to start publishing age-specific data for children in temporary accommodation, responding to Inside Housing’s research into toddlers and babies in such housing. Currently, data only shows overall numbers of children, without distinguishing between teenagers and infants. Inside Housing estimates that as of March 2024, nearly 34,900 households in England, Scotland, and Wales had children under five in temporary accommodation, with almost 3,000 in B&Bs. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) aims to require local authorities to report this data regularly. A spokesperson for MHCLG said: “Homelessness levels have sky-rocketed and too many families are living in temporary accommodation in our towns and cities. We will take the action needed to tackle this issue and develop a long-term, cross-government strategy working with mayors and councils to put Britain back on track to ending homelessness.”

Rayner Promises New Remediation Plan and Accountability for ‘Faster Repairs and Complaints’

In her opening speech at this year’s Labour Party Conference, Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister housing secretary, announced a new cladding remediation plan set for autumn, aiming to accelerate repairs and enhance accountability. Reflecting on the Grenfell Inquiry, Rayner emphasised the tragedy of unsafe cladding and vowed to hold those responsible accountable, as well as criticising the previous government’s housing record. Ms Rayner pledged to increase social housing construction and improve tenant rights through measures like the Renters’ Rights Bill, which would ban no-fault evictions. She also highlighted plans to address issues like damp and mould in homes and implement Awaab’s Law, with the new government’s vision centering on creating safe, decent housing and ensuring fair treatment for all tenants and leaseholders.

That’ s this little feature wrapped up again for yet another month. We’re all off to check if there’s enough left in that can of de-icer we bought last winter to see us through this one, see if our ‘big coats’ still fit, and purchase enough Halloween Haribo to give an entire primary school diabetes. Quite a hefty workload we think you’ll agree but don’t worry – we’ll be back here same time next month to bring you another handy news roundup. Until then, Auf Wiedersehen!

Dean Quinn
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