2024 Housing Legislation Wrap-Up: Updates, regulations and what's next

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the most significant developments in the housing sector over the past year. From legislative changes to evolving regulations, 2024 has been a pivotal year, reshaping how landlords and housing providers operate whilst laying the groundwork for a safer future. Let’s dive into the key legislative highlights and what they mean for the sector going into the new year. 

Building Safety Act 2022 

2024 has seen the full implementation of key provisions from the Building Safety Act 2022, paving the way for fundamental changes within the sector. The new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) regime has transformed the way organisations manage high-rise building safety.  

Key milestones:  

• Building safety case report submissions: In April 2024, organisations began submitting building safety case reports, mandatory occurrence reporting information, and resident engagement strategies. The Building Safety Regulator will now begin issuing Building Assessment Certificates (BACs) to acknowledge robust safety case reports, confirming that Accountable Persons are managing building safety risks effectively.  

• Updated fire safety requirements: From 1st October 2023, Section 156 of the Building Safety Act introduced changes to fire safety requirements, including the obligation to record Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) in full. 

For detailed insights into creating a compliant building safety case report or navigating Section 156 updates, explore our dedicated resources or speak to our team of experts.

Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing Plus (EEIS+) 

In December 2024, the government published its official response to the Emergency Evacuation Information Sharing Plus (EEIS+) consultation, introducing significant changes to improve fire safety for residents and updating processes for Responsible Persons (RPs). To discover more about what this update will mean for you, access the full guidance document here. 

New Consumer Regulation Regime  

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) implemented four new Consumer Standards in April 2024. To recap, the new standards that the RSH is regulating against are:  

• Neighbourhood and Community Standard
• Safety and Quality Standard
• Tenancy Standard
• Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard  

Since the start of April, the RSH has been actively inspecting organisations against the standards and issuing gradings (C1-C4) based on compliance, with C1 being the most compliant and C4 requiring the most improvement.  

To learn more about the inspection process and how leading housing providers are adapting, catch up on our recent webinar on-demand here: Consumer Regulation: Insights on Achieving a C1 Grading.

In addition to the standards, the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) are a requirement of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Organisations were asked to collate the data last year in preparation for submission this year under the standard. You can access the RSH’s analysis of social landlords’ first year of TSM results here.

Decent Homes Standard and HHSRS  

The Decent Homes Standard, established over 20 years ago to provide a minimum standard of housing conditions for those housed in the public sector, has now been under review for over a year. Similarly, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) underwent a review nearly two years ago. These updates aim to modernise and simplify standards to better address current housing needs. However, delays - potentially influenced by the change in government and the consultation requirements of Awaab’s Law – have pushed the anticipated release of the new regulations from late 2024 to 2025. 

For more expert insight into how the changes will impact your organisation, catch up on our on-demand webinar, Preparing for Change: HHSRS, Damp, Mould, and Condensation, for everything you need to know.  

Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and Awaab’s Law  

Coming into force in July 2023, the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 reinforced the government’s commitment to improving social housing standards. 

Key commitments of the Act:  

• Awaab’s Law: This legislation, stemming from the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, requires landlords to address all HHSRS hazards, including damp and mould hazards promptly. 2024 saw the publication of what Awaab’s Law will look like, with its implementation now expected alongside the Decent Homes and HHSRS reviews in 2025. Discover everything you need to know Awaab's Law in our dedicated blog.

• Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs): The STAIRs consultation phase concluded in mid-2024, aiming to grant tenants of Private Registered Providers (PRPs) the right to access information about their housing management. Learn more about preparing for the STAIRs here.

Retrofit and Energy Efficiency  

With the new government goal for all rented homes to achieve an EPC rating of band C by 2030, 2024 was a year of retrofit preparation and funding applications. 

There are several government and third-party funds, grants, and subsidies available to help landlords and housing associations fund retrofit projects, such as: 

• The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (formerly the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund) closed its Wave 3 funding applications in November 2024, with successful bids to be announced in early 2025.  

• The National Wealth Fund (NWF) and two major UK banks have announced plans to release £1bn of funding to accelerate social housing retrofit in the UK. 

Once funding is secured, retrofit projects must be conducted successfully and safely to increase energy efficiency to EPC band C. For expert guidance throughout your retrofit journey and best practices for meeting your goals, download our FREE Housing Provider’s Guide to a Successful Retrofit Project here.

Looking ahead to 2025 

The housing sector will remain on a transformative journey going into the new year. With ongoing regulatory updates, funding opportunities, and legislative reviews, organisations must stay informed and proactive.  

Find out how to best prepare for the legislative changes coming in 2025 in our blog, ‘2025 Housing Legislation Updates: How to prepare', and keep your organisation up to date and compliant.