A new Standard for social housing in England is coming and we’re prepared! The Competence and Conduct Standard is being introduced in October 2026. Backed by new legislation and a broad ranging consultation, the new Standard looks to address failures found in the housing sector in recent years, particularly in relation to safety, quality of homes and how tenants are treated.
The proposed Competence and Conduct Standard is designed to deliver better, more consistent services for customers. It will:
- Raise standards across the sector by making sure that senior staff have the right qualifications, teams are properly trained, and everyone understands what good service looks like.
- Focus on how customers are treated, making respect, fairness and professionalism the norm. This includes setting clear expectations for contractors, listening carefully to customer feedback and ensuring every organisation has a clear and accessible code of conduct.
- Strengthen the customer voice, so customers play a meaningful role in shaping policies and decisions. We will also be more transparent about what we do and how well we are performing.
- Drive real improvements in how organisations operate, including updating policies, systems and checks to make sure these standards are delivered in practice, not just written down, and clearly demonstrated to the Regulator of Social Housing.
The Competence and Conduct Standard is an opportunity to create real change within the housing sector, to the benefit customers and residents and we really support the move.
What this means for customers
The Standard is designed to make a real, positive difference to the services you receive from us.
Our most recent survey tells us that 83% of customers are satisfied with the overall service from Vico Homes. While this is encouraging, we are committed to listening, learning and continuing to improve. The new Standard will support that commitment and give customers confidence that they can expect:
- Support from well trained, qualified colleagues who have the right skills to help.
- Clear, respectful communication so customers are always treated fairly and kept informed.
- Consistent and reliable services that customers can depend on.
- concerns and complaints to be taken seriously, with action taken when it’s needed.
- More opportunities to have a say, helping to influence how services are delivered.
The Standard also applies to any contractors or partners working on our behalf, helping to ensure customers get a consistent, high quality service every time.
Preparing now
Although the Standard won’t formally come into force until October 2026, and organisations have a few years to fully meet it, we’re already taking action now. So far we have:
- Introduced a new Code of Conduct and Ethics for all Vico Homes colleagues, setting clear expectations around respect, professionalism and accountability.
- Put in place a qualification framework for senior managers, with 80% already qualified or working toward the standard needed.
- Strengthened our learning, development and performance approach to ensure we deliver high quality, value for money services.
- Improved how customers can get involved, including launching a scrutiny team, customer led reviews and greater customer involvement in shaping policies and decisions.
What’s next?
We’re proud of the progress made so far, but we know there’s more to do. Next up:
- Delivering our Breaking the Stigma project, helping to challenge perceptions of social housing and bring more opportunities for customer involvement into our communities.
- Rolling out refreshed customer service training for all colleagues.
- Making sure we fully meeting the new Standard, when it’s introduced from October 2026.
- Providing more ways for customers to shape how we deliver these standards in practice.
You can find more information about the Competence and Conduct Standard in social housing on the gov.uk website.