The National Housing Federation (NHF) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have announced a new initiative to standardise the way housing associations and social landlords assess the quality of social housing. This collaborative effort aims to develop a new, standardised stock condition survey, which will enable housing providers to gather consistent and reliable data on the state of their properties.

This development comes at a critical time as the sector looks to improve the quality of existing homes while also supporting the government's ambitious goal to build 1.5 million new homes during the current Parliament. The NHF has been advocating for the construction of better-quality, affordable homes and recently highlighted that building 90,000 social homes annually could add £51.2 billion to the economy. Alongside this, a report by the Building Research Establishment found that investing in remedial work for England’s poorest housing could generate £135.5 billion in social benefits over the next 30 years.

The Good Home Inquiry indicates that 10% of social rented homes do not currently meet the Decent Homes Standard. To address this, the NHF and RICS are working to ensure that housing associations have a more consistent and effective approach to assessing the quality of their housing stock. The new survey will also help to align the sector with upcoming regulatory changes and improvements in housing standards.

The NHF is seeking feedback from its members and social housing residents to ensure that the new framework is practical and reflective of on-the-ground needs. By involving a broad range of stakeholders, the NHF aims to create a tool that will be widely adopted by social landlords to improve the quality and safety of their housing.

Standardising stock condition surveys will help housing providers better understand the condition of the homes they manage and make informed decisions about repairs, maintenance, and investment. This will not only enhance the living conditions for thousands of residents but also support landlords in meeting compliance requirements and maintaining a high standard of service.

Although the new survey will not be mandatory, the NHF hopes it will be embraced by social landlords as a best-practice approach to housing assessment. This initiative will build trust with residents and stakeholders, showing a commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in the sector.

Find out more here:
https://www.housing.org.uk/news-and-blogs/blogs/alistair-smyth/standard-stock-condition-survey-for-social-housing-landlords/