Navigating the new Social Housing (Regulation) Bill
The government recently announced an amendment to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, which will require all social housing managers to hold professional qualifications in order to protect residents and improve standards within the sector.
We’re here to help you navigate this change and meet the new requirements
What do the changes mean?
These changes mean that around 25,000 managers will be required to have a housing management qualification equivalent to a level 4 or 5 certificate, a diploma in housing or a foundation degree from the Chartered Institute of Housing.
This will bring the social housing sector into line with other frontline services such as social work, teaching and health and care services. Any landlord who fails to meet the requirements of the new standards could face an unlimited fine by the regulator.
Who must be qualified?
A draft of the amendment said that requirements will apply to ‘senior housing executives and senior housing managers’.
This includes:
- Staff who have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the provision of services and are part of the provider’s senior management team
- Senior housing and property management staff in both social and private housing sectors
- Roles such as voids managers, asset managers and neighbourhood housing managers, neighbourhood investment managers, property managers, incomes managers, resident involvement managers, leasehold managers and supported housing managers.
When will requirements become mandatory?
As it stands, there has been no timescale given to bringing the new requirements in. It’s expected that the government will consult with the housing and training sectors to determine a realistic timeframe.
Once the requirements are in force, there will be specified time limits for staff to enrol on and complete qualifications.
What happens if housing associations don’t meet the requirements?
Any landlord that fails to comply with the new law will face unlimited fines.
Qualifications by the sector, for the sector
As part of The Regenda Group, The Learning Foundry understands the pressure that the housing sector is under to ensure that staff have the right skills, experience and knowledge to deliver high quality services for residents.
Our housing qualifications (Levels 2 to 5) are Ofqual-approved and Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) accredited and are delivered by the sector, for the sector, aligned to your workforce development plans, supporting your employees to meet the amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill.
Level 4
For senior housing professionals in the social or private housing sector who are responsible for the delivery and management of housing or property related services.
For added value, we can combine this with our Senior Housing and Property Management (level 4) apprenticeship standard to support the development of practical knowledge, skills and behaviours required for a housing management role.
- Delivered in 18 months
- Delivered by blended learning
- Delivered nationally
Level 5
Our bespoke Level 5 leadership and management programme has the Level 5 CIH qualification integrated to support the development of practical knowledge, skills and behaviours required for a senior housing management role.
- Delivered in 22 months
- Delivered by blended learning
- Delivered nationally
Our experts
Our expert team is here to support you through the entire process to find tailored commercial solutions that work for you.
This could mean:
- As a large organisation, you could utilise your existing apprenticeship levy budget to fund the training.
- If this is not the right solution for you, our experts will provide you with different options to help you meet the requirements of the amendment.
We’re here to help you get ahead and get your staff ready for the changes.
We are proud to support the sector to navigate the new requirements and to ensure that you comply with the new laws when they come in.