A Decade of Renewal: What It Means for Tenant Voice and Influence in Social Housing
Tuesday 5th of August 2025
Understanding the UK Government’s 2025 Housing Vision
On 2 July 2025, the UK Government launched its flagship policy document:
“Delivering a Decade of Renewal for Social and Affordable Housing” — a strategy aimed at reversing decades of underinvestment, rebuilding public confidence, and ensuring every tenant has a decent, affordable, and safe home.
The Five Pillars of the Government’s Ten-Year Plan
1. A £39 Billion Investment in New Homes
- The Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) will fund around 300,000 homes across the next decade.
- At least 60% will be let at social rent levels, prioritising affordability over market logic.
- This is the largest commitment to social housing in a generation, and it sets clear expectations for long-term planning by landlords.
Tenant Engagement Implication:
Tenant panels and scrutiny groups should demand clarity on how their landlord will bid into this programme, how homes will be allocated, and how new schemes will reflect local needs.
2. Long-Term Funding Certainty for Landlords
- A new 10-year rent settlement allows for inflation-linked increases (CPI + 1%) from April 2026.
- While this ensures financial predictability for housing providers, it also raises questions about affordability for tenants—especially in a cost-of-living crisis.
- £2.5 billion in low-interest loans and access to building safety funds will support quality and growth.
Tenant Engagement Implication:
Involved tenants should ask:
- How will rent increases be communicated and justified?
- What mitigation plans are in place for financially vulnerable tenants?
- Will funding be spent on homes or headquarters? Scrutiny matters.
3. Regulation and Standards: Raising the Bar
- The Government will modernise the Decent Homes Standard, mandating:
- Warmer, safer, more energy-efficient homes
- A stronger role for residents in accountability and transparency
- Minimum thresholds for energy performance
- Mandatory inspections (incl. electrical safety via Awaab’s Law)
- The Regulator of Social Housing and Housing Ombudsman will have more powers to enforce against poor practice.
- Consultations on Right to Buy reform and convergence of rents are also promised.
Tenant Engagement Implication:
- Tenants must shape these consultations — especially on decent standards, repairs, and local delivery.
- Use tools like the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) to monitor landlord performance.
- Push for published action plans following inspections and reviews.
4. Council Housebuilding Returns
- The strategy encourages councils to resume large-scale building programmes, akin to the pre-1980s era.
- Councils will receive support in land acquisition, planning, and funding.
- This aims to restore balance between housing associations, private developers, and local authority delivery.
Tenant Engagement Implication:
- If your landlord is a council, get involved in early plans to influence design, location, and sustainability.
- Ensure homes built reflect the diversity and accessibility needs of your local population.
- Watch for potential stock management issues: new homes shouldn’t mean neglecting existing ones.
5. Renewed Partnership and Engagement Commitment
- The Government is explicitly seeking collaboration with housing associations, councils, resident organisations, and tenant networks.
- A national Strategic Partnership Prospectus will be issued in autumn 2025.
- New development partners will be expected to demonstrate tenant voice and community benefit in their bids.
Tenant Engagement Implication:
This is your mandate to be at the table:
- Landlords will need to evidence tenant involvement in shaping new schemes.
- Co-design, co-produce, and co-govern are terms appearing more frequently – make sure they’re more than slogans.
- Local tenant and resident associations should be empowered, funded, and supported to participate meaningfully.
Where Does Tenant Engagement Go From Here?
This policy paper implicitly recognises that the housing crisis cannot be solved by government alone. It requires:
- Providers who listen
- Regulators who act
- And most critically — residents who lead
This decade could redefine the role of tenants from consumers to partners in shaping the future of their homes and communities.
Actions for Tenant Engagement Staff and Involved Residents
|
Action |
Why it matters |
|
Respond to policy consultations |
Influence the design of standards and reforms before they’re finalised |
|
Push landlords for local delivery plans |
Find out what share of the £39bn they’re targeting and how |
|
Use data to hold to account |
Use Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), complaints logs, and repair KPIs |
|
Strengthen local resident networks |
The new partnership model rewards providers that show effective local involvement |
|
Keep affordability central |
Challenge rent increases that aren’t matched by service improvements |
|
Track delivery progress |
Ask for regular updates on new homes, retrofitting and building safety compliance |
A Decade for Tenants to Shape
This isn’t just a construction programme. It’s an opportunity to rebuild the relationship between residents and landlords, with transparency, accountability, and safety at the core.
Whether you’re a member of a scrutiny panel, a co-regulation group, or a tenant board, this plan gives you leverage — backed by investment, legislation, and public expectation.
Use your influence. Stay informed. Be the voice that ensures this renewal delivers for everyone.
To read the full policy document:
Delivering a Decade of Renewal – GOV.UK