NHF: All Social Housing Stock in England Should be Audited

by Hannah Wintle

An action plan is calling for the government, housing associations, and regulators to subject all social housing stock in England to a thorough audit.

The National Housing Federation (NHF), together with the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), published the action plan in response to the Better Social Housing Review.

Seven recommendations were made in the 2022 review, firstly that the housing sector should refocus their core purpose and deliver against it.

Their second recommendation stated that housing associations should work together to conduct and publish a thorough audit of all social housing in England.

Additionally, Housing associations, tenants, contractors, and frontline staff, should develop and apply new standards defining an excellent maintenance and repairs process.

Another recommendation dictated that tenants should have influence at every level of decision making within housing associations through voluntary and paid roles.

Housing associations were recommended to develop a local community presence through hubs which foster greater multiagency working.

Finally, the review recommended that annual reviews should examine how well housing associations are implementing the review’s recommendations.

In response to these, the May 2023 action plan was developed. Alistair Smyth, Director of Policy and Research at NHF, said: “It is a response to the seven recommendations published by the Better Social Housing Review - an independent panel to understand issues around poor-quality social housing.”

All social housing should be subject to a comprehensive national audit

Currently, England’s social housing stock is audited inconsistently due to the varying approaches of housing associations up and down the country. Due to these inconsistencies, the quality of data collected is variable, and numerous differing methodologies are used. Consequently, there is no clear picture of the state of social housing today, and the action plan also acknowledges that the regulatory minimum set out in the Decent Homes Standard falls short in providing a ‘meaningful and modern understanding’ of whether these homes are decent, safe, and warm.

A modernised, consistent, and comprehensive definition of decency would help the sector to prioritise its resources and to make a strong case for additional government investment in homes that are now outdated.

To address this, the NHF will work with housing associations to develop a core set of common indicators.

This, as well as a consistent methodology to assess the condition of properties and their residents, will be built upon the best practise that already exists in the sector. Ensuring that their core indicators align with the standards set out in the revised Decent Homes Standard, the housing health and safety rating system, and any changes to consumer regulation, they will also work closely with the government, officials, and the Regulator of Social Housing.

While it is acknowledged that the magnitude of this work means it will take time to perfect and embed the proposed practices, draft core indicators and broader framework is estimated to be ready by April 2024, and the sector will continue to receive support in embedding this over a number of years.

Resident and property data should be jointly analysed

Another key consideration highlighted within the action plan was the necessity to link asset and resident data.

Working with social housing charity HACT, who specialise in data management and define it as ‘critical to the future of social housing’, will ensure that data collection and implementation is based on best practice.

What are the implications for future retrofit measures?

As the audit is developed over the coming years, the possibility it presents to aid in the UK’s decarbonisation efforts could be exploited.

By analysing the condition each property is in alongside who lives there, inequalities can be better understood, and consequently addressed.

In cases where Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic residents might experience inequalities in their resident experience compared to their white British counterparts, it is hoped that collating and linking this data will enable housing associations to tackle racism and discrimination.

Furthermore, landlords would be better equipped to identify those residents at a greater risk should their property experience damp or mould issues. This would enable repair and maintenance measures to be prioritised accordingly.

“Linking property condition with resident data will help to break down and understand structural challenges faced by residents from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.”

Alistair explained that for landlords to be able to carry out these retrofit measures, more funding needs to be made available.

He said: “The government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is enabling housing associations across the country to begin retrofitting their homes, and while this funding has been hugely welcome, we need to see much longer-term pots of funding available for landlords to plan ahead.”

Ultimately, the changes detailed in the action plan offer a more standardised approach to ensuring the quality of all social housing in England, but further government funding could enable landlords to be more proactive in their energy efficiency measures.