LTF members discussed the Department of Levelling-up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)’s consultation on directions to the Regulator of Social Housing about the new consumer regulatory regime – relating to tenant involvement and mutual exchange in a meeting on 29th March.

Members said that they struggled to see any real or significant differences between these proposals and the existing 2012 consumer standards on tenant involvement and empowerment that registered social housing providers are supposed to do and the standards they must meet.

They said that they felt what is being proposed, is about the government – being seen to be dealing with the significant problems in social housing that result from:

• 40 years or more of underinvestment in social housing,
• privatisation of public social housing and
• the reduction and undermining of the development and support for collective, democratic and accountable tenant organisations – from the local and landlord-wide level, which once formed the bedrock of tenant involvement and engagement in the management and maintenance of their homes

rather than resolving these particular issues.

Members suggest that these might be achieved initially by returning to something that worked reasonably well in the past (more than 40 years ago) or making the improvements proposed in the London Tenants Manifesto for a Positive Future for Social Housing in London.

Read LTF’s full response – LTF response to DLUHC consultation on implementing the new consumer regulatory regime