Customer news

All the homes we provide to tenants must meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard. This is a minimum standard requirement for social housing in England and Northern Ireland.  

Examples of what makes a home “decent” include: 

• making sure it’s in a reasonable state of repair, including a home’s structure and its internal services and amenities, such as its heating system or kitchen; 

• having reasonably modern facilities and services; 

• providing a comfortable temperature through efficient heating and effective insulation. 

You can read how we’ve been doing with repairs and maintenance and the investments we're making in homes, such as new kitchens, bathrooms, and heating improvements, in our Annual Report.  

There are other legal and regulatory responsibilities we must meet as part of your tenancy agreement, some of which you can find out about below. 

• Comply with health and safety legislation – We help keep you and your home safe. One of the ways we do this is by carrying out safety checks in your home, including gas, fire, and electrical safety. You can read about the safety checks we undertook last year and find more information about each one in the Home safety section of our website.   

• Provide you with a home that’s fit for human habitation – This includes providing a home that’s safe, secure, warm, and dry, as well as being free from damp and mould. We’ve improved our approach to managing damp, mould, and condensation and you can read more about what to do if you have mould or a damp issue in your home in our dedicated guide. We’re also working to increase the energy efficiency of our homes, which will improve their performance and reduce energy costs for customers.  

• Tell you if we’re going to visit your home to carry out repairs or maintenance, or to check the property’s condition – We’ll repair certain fixtures and fittings inside your home to help keep it in good condition and we’ll confirm the time and date of your repairs appointments by text or email. For planned home works, we’ll use our housing stock data to identify needs and discuss your preferences with you where possible. We’ll write to you before starting work to arrange a pre-survey and explain the work involved. With your consent, we’ll give you an estimated start date and duration. We’ll also provide details about our contractors and precautions to avoid delays and minimise disruption. Site inspections will take place to monitor progress. You can find more information about these topics in our Planned Maintenance Policy and our Repairs Policy. 

• Allow reasonable adjustments if you have a disability – If you have additional support needs, we may be able to help you maintain your independence by making changes to your home. You can read about this in our guide to adaptations in your home and recently updated Adaptations Policy. We can also support tenants’ diverse needs, such as additional support needs or language barriers, with accessible services and communication.  

You can find out more about how we work to provide a great service and safe and well-maintained homes on our website. Many of our policies, which define the way we carry out a service and meet our duties, are also available on our website.