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Royal Assent of the Social Housing Regulation Act is a historic moment for England’s nearly nine million social renters, says Shelter

Posted 20 Jul 2023

Royal Assent of the Social Housing Regulation Act is a historic moment for England’s nearly nine million social renters, says Shelter

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “The passing of the Social Housing Regulation Act is a historic moment for the nearly nine million people who live in social homes in England. Six long years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, this legislation is the result of tireless campaigning by Grenfell United and other activists to improve the way social tenants are treated.

“The landmark legislation means social landlords must be professionally qualified and can be properly held to account for the homes they let out. The Act should mark a step change in ensuring tenants have homes which are fit to live in, and that nobody’s life is put at risk, as has happened too many times before, from Grenfell to the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.

“As we look to the future, it is important to remember that stronger regulation alone cannot fix this country’s serious housing problems. Social housing has a vital role to play in providing decent, secure homes that are genuinely affordable for people, but to do that it desperately needs more government investment to both improve the existing homes and build new ones.”

The below statistics demonstrate some of the common problems that social tenants face, which the Social Housing Regulation Act should help to address:

Conditions and maintenance:

Three in ten (29%) social tenants are dissatisfied with how their landlord dealt with a repair in the last 12 months.

10% of homes in the social housing sector fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard, compared with 23% of homes in the private rented sector and 13% among owner occupied homes.

Almost one in ten (8%) social tenants feel their home is unsafe. Of those who feel their home is unsafe, over half (56%) say this is due to mould, damp or condensation, one in six (17%) say this is due to electrical wiring and one in ten (11%) say this is due to a fire risk.

Social housing supply:

Just 7,500 new social rent homes were delivered last year, while more than one million households are stuck on social housing waiting lists in England

We lose more social homes than we build due to demolition and sales – there was a net loss of 14,100 social homes in 2021/22 in England

ENDS

Notes to editors: