Understanding the Consumer Standards

What are the Consumer Standards?

The Regulator of Social Housing sets Consumer Standards that social landlords like Abbeyfield Living Society must meet. They set out what residents should be able to expect from us and help make sure homes and services are safe, well managed and focused on residents.

As a charitable housing provider dedicated to supporting older people, Abbeyfield Living Society fully supports these standards. We believe transparency builds trust, strengthens our resident communities, and keeps us accountable to the people who call Abbeyfield home.

There are four Consumer Standards. Below you can find out what each one means and how it relates to the services you receive.

1. Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard

This standard is about making sure we are open and accountable to residents and that we treat residents fairly and with respect.

It means we should provide clear and accessible information about our services and performance, listen to residents and give you meaningful opportunities to influence how services are delivered. It also covers how we handle complaints and how we show what we have learned from residents' feedback.

The Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) form part of this standard and give residents greater access to information about their landlord and its services.

Find out more about STAIRs and the information we publish

2. Safety and Quality Standard

This standard is about the safety and quality of your home.

It requires us to understand the condition of our homes, keep them safe and well maintained, provide an effective repairs and maintenance service and meet our responsibilities for health and safety.

3. Neighbourhood and Community Standard

This standard is about helping residents live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods and communities.

It includes working with residents and other organisations to keep shared spaces safe, working with relevant partners to promote social, environmental and economic wellbeing, and having effective approaches to anti-social behaviour and hate incidents.

4. Tenancy Standard

This standard covers how homes are allocated and let and how tenancies are managed.

It includes making sure homes are allocated fairly and transparently, giving residents appropriate information about their tenancy, and managing tenancies and tenancy endings fairly.

What the Consumer Standards mean for you

The Consumer Standards set out the level of service you should expect from us as your landlord. They are designed to make sure residents are safe, treated fairly, listened to and kept informed.

Official information and external resources

To learn more about the Consumer Standards and how they are regulated across the social housing sector, explore these official government and regulatory resources:

• Regulator of Social Housing: Consumer Standards
  Details on the standards set by the Regulator of Social Housing including the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard that registered providers must maintain.

• Social Housing: (Regulation) Act 2023
  The legislation that strengthened the regulation of social housing and the Regulator of Social Housing's consumer regulation powers.

• Housing Ombudsman
  The official independent service that investigates complaints made against registered social housing providers, promoting dispute resolution and holding landlords accountable to service standards.