The Government has announced landmark reforms to improve social housing in England, giving tenants a greater voice and ensuring landlords raise standards where needed.
The Government made a commitment to the Grenfell community that, never again, would the voices of residents go unheard and is now acting on its manifesto pledge to provide greater redress, better regulation and improve the quality of social housing.
The social housing white paper – ‘The Charter for Social Housing Residents’, sets out reforms that will speed up the complaints procedure for residents by improving access to the Housing Ombudsman, reducing decision times and ensuring effective resolution.
The announcement also underlines the government's commitment to safer homes, with a consultation seeking the same legal protections on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for social tenants as private renters. To contribute to the consultation on domestic smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/domestic-smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-alarms.
In addition, the white paper reaffirms the Government’s ambition to provide social housing residents with more opportunities to own their home via Right to Buy and a new Right to Shared Ownership for housing association tenants in new grant funded homes.
Welcoming the reforms, Richard said: "Today’s measures follow extensive engagement and consultation with residents’ and landlord groups as well as hearing directly from those most affected by the Grenfell tragedy. The white paper will bring transformational change for social housing residents - empowering them by giving them a much stronger voice and, in doing so, re-focusing the sector on its social mission.
"It also underlines our commitment to safer homes, with a consultation seeking the same legal protections on smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for social tenants as private renters."
Visit here to view the ‘charter for social housing residents: social housing white paper’ in full.
