Recommendation 2

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted

7. We will set out wider plans for housing in the Long-Term Housing Strategy, which we will publish shortly. It will bring together many of the changes that we have already announced, including our 5-step plan to deliver a decade of renewal for social and affordable housing, the recent announcements on rent convergence consultation, and providing long-term certainty on future regulatory requirements. The progress update, published in January, gave councils and social housing providers the certainty they need to increase their delivery of new social homes. 8. We confirmed the 10-year, £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country, including regeneration where there is a net increase in homes. This means social landlords can plan investment further ahead and find efficiencies to make grant funding go further. This is in addition to recent confirmation on rent convergence, building safety funding, our low interest loan scheme and our roadmap on section 106 agreements. 9. We published the government response to the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) consultation and confirmed details of the new standard. An updated DHS will apply from 2035 across both the social and private rented sectors. The new DHS has been designed to reflect modern expectations of rented homes and improve health outcomes for tenants. It prioritises safety, decency and warmth and will act as a common standard for both private and social rented housing. 10. And we confirmed the details of the final Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and will publish a full government response to this consultation shortly. All social homes will need to meet EPC C by 1 April 2030 using one of three approved metrics (Fabric Performance, Smart Readiness or Heating System) with a requirement to meet a second metric by 1 April 2039 unless exempt. A transitional period will recognise EPC C ratings achieved by 2030 under the current EER methodology until each home’s EPC certificate expires. 11. This builds on progress since July 2025: • In July 2025 we confirmed the headline parameters of the new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP), to kickstart social and affordable housebuilding at scale across the country. • In November 2025 the Greater London Authority and Homes England published their detailed prospectuses for this fund, for London and the rest of England respectively alongside government’s policy statement for the programme. This re-confirmed its core supply objectives – our ambition is to deliver around 300,000 social and affordable homes over the programme’s lifetime, with at least 60% for Social Rent. • Over £1 billion of building safety funding will be available between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to accelerate remediation of social housing. • Just under £1.15 billion has been offered to retrofit social homes across 138 projects under Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 across England. This includes funding offered for 17 Strategic Partnership projects and 121 Challenge Fund projects. • Phase 1 of Awaab’s Law came into force in October 2025, requiring emergency hazards to be addressed within 24 hours, and will be expanded following a test-and-learn period. • Five-yearly electrical safety checks are now mandatory for new lets and will be phased in for existing tenancies during 2026. • Reforms to Right to Buy will increase the eligibility period, revise discounts and exempt newly built homes for 35 years. Councils will be able to combine Right to Buy receipts with SAHP grant from 2026/27 and retain the share previously returned to HM Treasury. • We have introduced the Social Tenant Access to Information Scheme (STAIRs), designed to rebalance the tenant–landlord relationship, addressed information gaps for tenants living in homes managed by TMOs by extending the FOI and will introduce the new Competence and Conduct Standard from October 2026.