Failing landlords to be named and shamed as government steps up support for social housing tenants

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Social landlords providing sub-standard housing and services will be named

Failing social housing providers will be “named and shamed” under new reforms announced by the government last month.

The move means social landlords providing sub-standard housing and services will be publicly called out on the government's website and across social media channels. This includes publicising where landlords have breached the Regulator’s consumer standards or where the Housing Ombudsman has made its most serious finding – severe maladministration – against them.

Measures announced on 29 March also include a resident panel that will allow tenants who live in social housing to be heard directly by government.

Around 250 social tenants from across England will be invited to have their say on how to improve the quality of social housing and help ensure reforms work to improve standards. The panel will allow residents to scrutinise and influence measures to strengthen the decent homes standard, training and qualification for staff, a new access to information scheme and other planned reforms.

Any social housing resident can submit an application to join the panel, which will close on Friday 29 April.

The resident panel will be supported by a national survey. Around 5,000 residents will be asked to share their views about their landlord’s services during March and April 2022. The survey will be used to monitor the impact government reforms will have on social housing residents.

The reforms – set out in the Social Housing White Paper – will change the way in which social landlords are regulated and held to account for the homes and services they deliver. This includes tougher consumer powers, greater enforcement tools to tackle failing landlords and new responsibilities on social landlords.

The measures also include strengthening regulation of the sector, improving the Housing Ombudsman Service, and empowering residents to know and exercise their rights.

Minister for Social Housing Eddies Hughes MP said: “Everyone in this country deserves to live in a safe and decent home. It is unacceptable that anyone should have mould covering their walls, risk slipping on a wet floor or have water dripping from the ceiling.

“We have published draft legislation today to toughen up regulation of social housing landlords. This includes naming and shaming those landlords who fail to meet acceptable living standards and giving tenants a direct channel to raise their concerns with government.

“This package will help to deliver on our commitment in the Levelling Up White Paper to halve the number of non-decent rented homes by 2030.”