Share your views on Social Housing

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is looking for social housing residents from across the country to join their Social Housing Quality Resident Panel so they can directly share their views with the government and ministers on their approach to driving up the quality of social housing.

The DLUHC are committed to listening to social housing residents, making sure you can have your voices heard so they can act on what they hear. The new panel will be a way for tenants across the country to get involved in their work to drive up social housing quality.

The Resident Panel will be supported by a national survey. Around 5,000 residents will be asked to share their views about their landlord’s services during March and April 2022. The survey will be used to monitor the impact the DLUHC's reforms will have on social housing residents.

Topics of discussion

Residents should live in good-quality homes and neighbourhoods and feel safe and secure. They should know how their landlord is performing, be treated with respect and have their voice heard, and if they feel their landlord does not provide this service, be able to make a complaint promptly and fairly.

The Panel will discuss the measures the DLUHC are already delivering to improve social housing quality, making sure this is the experience of every social housing resident. Some of these measures include:

• Reviewing the Decent Homes Standard, which sets the minimum standard of housing every social housing landlord has to meet regarding hazards, states of repair, facilities and energy efficiency.
• Ensuring residents know how to raise complaints and have confidence in the system.
• Reviewing the training and qualifications available to social housing staff.
• Delivering a new access to information scheme for social housing tenants of housing associations and other private registered providers of social housing, so that information relating to landlords is easily available.

Wider issues which may impact on social housing quality, such as waiting lists, how much new social housing should be built and where this should be located, will not be discussed formally as part of this Resident Panel. The DLUHC know these are important issues for many residents but want to ensure the Panel is focused on the specific measures they are taking to drive up quality. A full list of topics for discussion will be agreed in the first meeting.

Format of the meetings

The Social Housing Quality Resident Panel will involve up to 250 social housing residents from across the country, who will meet around three times a year for the foreseeable future. The DLUHC will hold at least 6 meetings.

Full meetings of the Panel will be supported by smaller, focused discussions, which will follow up on points raised and agree targeted actions.

Short surveys and questionnaires may also be used to gather views.

How to apply

Any resident can apply. It does not matter how long you have been a resident or whether you have any previous experience in dealing with your landlord or engaging with the government – they just want to hear from you. You can apply here.

Applications will close on Friday 29 April 2022.

You may want to know more before submitting an expression of interest form. The DLUHC have developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions which can be found here, which may provide the answer, or alternatively please email ResidentPanel@levellingup.gov.uk.

You can find full details about the Social Housing Quality Resident Panel here.