Latest Updates on the Social Housing Bill in the UK
Last year, the Social Housing Regulation Bill was introduced to Parliament, and hopefully, over the coming weeks, it might be approved. In this article, we take a look at the Bill and discuss its purpose.
What is the purpose of the Social Housing Bill?
The UK government has long-term plans to increase consumer regulation within the social housing sector. Doing so will mean that the Regulator will have the powers to oversee any services provided to its residents. The Regulator will also have the power to step in if the services are deemed unsatisfactory.
The current Regulator of Social Housing has been planning the new requirements for a while. These new plans will need to be officially brought in under the Social Housing Regulation Bill to ensure they are enshrined in law.
What will the regulator do?
The Regulator will be able to carry out routine inspections of social landlords who have more than 1,000 homes. The Regulator will be able to put into place measures to track social landlords’ performance and tenant satisfaction to ensure that they are providing safe homes, quality services and treating residents with respect. There are 10 outcomes in total that the Government aims to achieve.
The 10 outcomes or measures currently under the Bill will ensure that Social housing is properly managed and that homes are of a decent standard. It will ensure that tenants’ complaints are dealt with in a timely manner and that tenants are treated fairly. Landlords will need to ensure their housing meets health and safety requirements, that they comply with tenancy law and regulations and that they avoid unnecessary evictions. There will be greater transparency so that tenants can see how their landlords perform against the new measures, making landlords more accountable [1].
Why is this Bill taking a long time?
Five years ago, the then housing secretary Sajid Javid, said that he wanted a “fundamental rethink of social housing in this country”. This dates back to September 2017 and a promise for a ‘Social Housing Green Paper’, which was then published in summer 2018. The white paper was eventually published in autumn 2020. It is only now that we are seeing the Bill becoming legislation.
Over the past few years, UK politics have been unstable, with various prime ministers, housing ministers and secretaries of state. Add Brexit, Covid-19, the energy crisis and the cost of living into the mix, and the Social Housing Bill has been pushed back on several occasions. Only now is the UK closer than ever to getting the Bill approved.
When will the Bill come into force?
If all goes well, Spring 2023 should see the Social Housing Bill coming into force. The Bill is considered to have gained support across all parties, and the current Regulator of Social Housing already has much of the groundwork covered. However, the Bill will need to be passed through both Houses of Parliament and be added to the statute books. This might take time, and as the Bill progresses through parliament, there may be further amendments or changes.
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