​​Consultation on the Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements

Overview

The Charter for Social Housing Residents: Social Housing White Paper (‘Social Housing White Paper’) included a commitment to introduce an access to information scheme for the tenants of private registered providers (PRPs). The commitment specified that the scheme would allow social housing tenants and their representatives to access information related to the management of their housing. It also states that the scheme would set out circumstances where landlords may refuse to disclose information.

This consultation seeks views on the content of a policy statement which outlines the requirements providers will need to meet under the new Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs).

This consultation also seeks views on a proposed Direction from the Secretary of State to the Regulator of Social Housing (‘the Regulator’), directing the Regulator to require PRPs to comply with the policy statement for STAIRs.

This scheme accompanies broader reforms to improve the quality of social housing, including the introduction of the proactive consumer regulation regime in April 2024.

The consultation will be open for 9 weeks, from 20 May 2024 until 22 July 2024.

Why your views matter

The need for greater transparency was a key finding from stakeholder engagement carried out in support of the Social Housing Green Paper following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. 

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 introduces a new objective for the Regulator to ensure that registered providers act in a transparent manner in relation to their tenants of social housing. The Act also introduced a new power of direction for the Secretary of State on standards relating to information and transparency. This consultation sets out proposals to use these powers to direct the Regulator to introduce requirements in their regulatory standards for PRPs to comply with the requirements in the STAIRs policy statement.

Subject to the outcome of this consultation, we will formally issue the Direction to the Regulator. Once issued, the Direction will be binding on the Regulator. The direction will have an impact on the regulatory standards which will affect both PRPs and their social housing tenants.