Social housing managers will need new qualifications, Gove announces

It said that the amendment will bring social housing more closely into line with other sectors providing frontline services, including social work, teaching, and health and care services.

DLUHC said that while many managers already provide a high-quality professional service, not all do. It said the new amendment will ensure that all managers have the skills and qualifications they need and that residents receive a “high level of service and are treated with respect at all times”.

Any landlord who fails to meet the requirements of the new standards could receive an unlimited fine from the RSH.

Staff competency requirements were first made as an amendment to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill in October.

This came after DLUHC said in January 2022 that a review on qualifications and professional training would take place to make sure social housing staff are better equipped to improve social landlords’ capacity to handle tenants’ complaints.

The latest amendment on professionalisation follows Mr Gove tabling changes to the bill, dubbed as ‘Awaab’s Law’, to force social landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould in their properties within “strict new time limits”.

The bill progressed onto the report stage on 1 March.

Mr Gove said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy and, more recently, the death of Awaab Ishak showed the devastating consequences of residents inexcusably being let down by poor-performing landlords who consistently failed to listen to them.

“We know that many social housing residents are not receiving the service or respect they deserve.

“The changes we are delivering today will make sure social housing managers across the country have the right skills and experience to deliver an excellent service and drive up standards across the board.”

In January, writing for Social Housing, the Chartered Institute of Housing’s (CIH) chief executive Gavin Smart said that many of the recommendations in the Better Social Housing Review, published in December, point to the importance of professionalism.

At the time, he said the CIH’s professional standards framework, launched in 2022, can play a key part in the sector’s response to the government’s Professionalisation Review and the passing of the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill. 

Commenting on the new amendment, Mr Smart said: “We welcome the government’s focus on and support for professionalism in housing.

“We believe housing professionals should do all they can to ensure that tenants and residents have access to good-quality, affordable homes; that they are treated with dignity and respect; and that their voices and views are heard and taken account of in decisions that affect them, their homes and the communities they live in and that the vast majority of housing professionals and organisations share this belief.

“We look forward to working with government to support organisations and individuals in achieving the qualifications needed under these new requirements.”

Other amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill include improvements to insolvency arrangements, data protection, and the requirement for written reports after inspections.

Last year there were amendments allowing the RSH to set standards for registered providers over the energy efficiency of accommodation, facilities and their services and making energy efficiency one of its stated priorities and objectives.

In January, the RSH published its implementation plan for new consumer regulation, including recruiting more staff and increasing fees.