OCTOBER 2025: A summary of the latest UK Government policy changes and news.

1. Tenant Satisfaction Measures Pilot

Earlier this month, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) published the findings from its pilot study involving small providers submitting Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs). Whilst almshouses were among the participating organisations, the results have broader implications for how the sector can approach resident feedback, performance monitoring, and reporting in smaller settings. The message is clear – small housing charities are fulfilling their role effectively, keeping residents at the centre of what they do. 

What this means for members:

• The outcome confirms that small providers are not required to make formal TSM returns, therefore, most almshouse charities (unless they are Registered Providers and have over 1,000 units) do not need to submit TSM data to the Regulator.
• Note, however, that regardless of size, almshouse charities that are Registered Providers are required to continue to collect TSM data and ensure the data is accurate, transparent and usable to demonstrate performance to tenants (residents) and improve services.

For more information about the pilot – see our response here.

2. Housing Qualifications – Competence and Conduct Standard

The Government has directed the Regulator of Social Housing to produce a standard for registered providers.

The Government has directed that the standard must:

• apply to senior housing managers and executives and service providers
• have written policies setting out the model approach to learning and development, appraising staff, and managing poor performance etc.
• adopt or develop an appropriate code of conducts for those staff
• give tenants meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise the development of the policy, and decisions relating to the code of conduct, and ensure they are made accessible to tenants and kept up to date and fit for purpose
• secure that their Senior Housing Executives and Senior Housing Managers have, or are working towards, a specified qualification, or type of qualification, in housing management and take steps to secure that Relevant Managers of their services providers also gain a specified qualification.

The standard will come into force in October 2026, with a transition period before all relevant staff must have or be working towards an appropriate qualification. The transition period is 3 years for large registered providers and their services providers (1,000 homes or more) and 4 years for small registered providers and their services providers (under 1,000 homes).

Most importantly, it sets out the criteria for who the standard will apply to. Following extensive engagement on behalf of the charity housing sector, The Almshouse Association is pleased to confirm that it will now, not apply to unpaid volunteers (trustees).

For more information, please visit the Government website here.

3. New consultation – Continuing the Warm Home Discount Scheme

The Government is seeking views on the The Warm Home Discount Scheme – which has been a key policy in the government’s approach to tackling fuel poverty and reducing the energy costs of low-income and vulnerable households ever since its inception in 2011.

This consultation sets out the government’s proposals for the new scheme period and is gathering feedback from stakeholders on:

• the design of the core elements of the scheme
• options for the next scheme period in Scotland
• proposals to change the administration of the scheme
• a call for evidence on Industry Initiatives
• a call for suggestions for future improvements during the next scheme period

The Almshouse Association will submit a response on behalf of its members.

We would encourage members to also submit responses, or to get in touch with any comments or concerns to inform our response ahead of the deadline: 20 November 2025

posted 9 October 2025

7 Oct 2025: Housing Ombudsman published a special investigation: Lewisham Council must know its homes better to improve services for residents.

Their article below highlights a recent special investigation by the Housing Ombudsman into Lewisham Council, which raises significant issues around how the landlord manages its homes, handles repairs and supports residents. The findings are relevant to all member charities, as they underline the importance of good data, effective complaint handling and proactive management of housing conditions, particularly in relation to damp and mould. We encourage members to read the report to identify potential learning and apply it, where applicable, within their own charities.

Housing Ombudsman Special Investigation

We have released our special investigation report into Lewisham Council.

This follows serious concerns about the way it manages hazards and handles complaints and repairs in its homes in the complaints we’ve investigated.

In 92% of findings the landlord had handled an issue poorly.

Our investigation found issues across multiple areas. This includes:

• hazards
• communication with, and attitude towards, residents
• contract management
• knowledge and information management
• system failure

During our investigation we met directly with residents to understand the real-life impact of the landlord’s failures, housing officers and the appointed Member Responsible for Complaints.
The landlord told us almost a quarter of the housing it manages did not meet the Decent Homes Standard as of September 2024. The standard is a set of minimum quality rules for UK social housing. This is compared to an average of 10.8% across London local authorities. Poor data prevented the landlord having a true understanding of its issue with decent homes.

Damp and mould is the leading cause for not meeting the standard and a primary reason why residents are escalating complaints to us. The landlord admitted to not using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to assess damp and mould or category 1 and 2 hazards. HHSRS is a risk-based evaluation tool to help local authorities find and protect against potential risks and hazards to health and safety. We also found the landlord applying temporary fixes, such as mould washes, to ongoing problems such as leaks.

The landlord has committed to make changes. It is currently collecting information about its properties and the people living in them. They told us it had previously relied on property information from when its housing management came back in-house.

We publish special investigation reports to help other landlords identify potential learning to improve their own services.

• Read the Housing Ombudsman’s full article on their website here
• Link to report here

posted 9 October 2025

The Charity Commission has launched the next phase of its ongoing campaign to support charity trustees, with a particular focus on strengthening financial management and resilience.

Growing evidence has identified financial resilience as a key challenge for many charities. In response, the new campaign aims to help trustees enhance their understanding of financial responsibilities and improve the way they plan and manage their organisations’ finances.

The initiative promotes reflection on trustees’ financial duties and highlights a range of resources covering key financial topics. These include practical tools and guidance, as well as a Financial Health Checker that provides trustees with tailored advice based on their individual responses.

Running from Friday 10 October to Thursday 7 November, the campaign directs audiences to the Trustee Finance Toolkit, a central resource hub designed to build financial confidence and capability among trustees.

The Charity Commission is encouraging partners and sector organisations to help amplify the campaign’s reach by sharing the tools and materials within their networks. A partner pack has been provided to support this, offering ready-to-use resources for staff, trustees, and collaborating organisations.

Those interested in supporting the campaign or seeking further information are invited to contact Jennifer Cahill, Campaigns Manager, at jennifer.cahill@charitycommission.gov.uk.

posted 9 October 2025

What the Regulator of Social Housing’s TSM Pilot Says About Almshouses [and the Charitable Housing Sector]

Earlier this month, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) published the findings from its pilot study involving small providers submitting Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs). Whilst almshouses were among the participating organisations, the results have broader implications for how the sector can approach resident feedback, performance monitoring and reporting in smaller settings.

The pilot was voluntary and included a diverse mix of small social housing providers – local authorities, supported housing specialists, for-profit providers, and almshouses. Its goal was to explore how small providers collected TSMs, how feasible it was for them to submit data to RSH and whether there would be benefit (or burden) in requiring them to do so.

While the result of the pilot confirmed the current RSH outlook on TSMs – that small providers will not be required to submit TSM data directly to the Regulator – there are some important messages for almshouses to take away.

• Firstly, small scale matters. The data from TSMs indirectly show that residents of smaller charities report stronger relationships and higher levels of satisfaction with their landlord compared to larger organisations. This underlines the value of the personal, community-based model of housing that almshouses have been delivering for centuries.

• Secondly, the almshouse model is different. Despite the Government’s drive to see all small charities as Registered Housing Providers and operating more like Housing Associations, the Regulator itself acknowledges that its framework was built with large scale providers of over 1,000 units. Many almshouses have less than 20 units, and the TSMs pilot acknowledges the burden this places on smaller providers.

• Thirdly, the Regulator is generally reassured with the standards held by smaller providers. The pilot shows that most small providers – including many almshouses – are doing a good job. With resident satisfaction consistently high, the Regulator has signalled that smaller organisations are not their top priority for intervention. 

The message is clear – small housing charities are fulfilling their role effectively, keeping residents at the centre of what they do. 

posted 6 October 2025