Consumer Standards

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has introduced four new Consumer Standards for social housing landlords

in England that came into effect at the beginning of April 2024.

The standards aim to ensure that tenants have a voice in how their homes and services are managed, they are safe

in their homes and that they are treated fairly and respectfully by their landlords.

We welcome the new Consumer Standards, as they aim to provide you with greater rights and protection and help

us to improve the safety and quality of our housing and the service you receive overall.

What are the new Consumer Standards?

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The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to provide safe and good-quality homes for their tenants,

along with good-quality landlord services.

The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requires landlords to be open with tenants and treat

them with fairness and respect so they can access services, raise concerns when necessary, influence decision

making and hold their landlord to account.

The Neighbourhood and Community Standard requires landlords to engage with other relevant parties so that

tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods, and feel safe in their homes.

The Tenancy Standard sets requirements for the fair allocation and letting of homes, as well as requirements

for how tenancies are managed by landlords.

What do these new standards mean for our tenants?

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These new standards give our tenants more rights and opportunities to influence how their homes and services are delivered. Our tenants can:

Be involved in scrutiny of how Lumen Services are delivered and have their voices heard through engagement activities.
Receive clear and timely information about our performance, policies and procedures, and how they can access services, support and advice.
Have access to a simple, fair and effective complaints process, and be able to escalate their complaints to the Housing Ombudsman if they are not satisfied with the outcome.
Live in homes that are safe, comfortable, and fit for purpose, and have their repairs and maintenance requests dealt with promptly and efficiently.
Enjoy a good quality of life in their neighbourhoods and communities, and benefit from our contribution to social, environmental and economic sustainability.

The standards also include the Tenant Satisfaction Measures, which is a set of measures set up to help the Regulator of Social Housing monitor how well a Social Landlord is performing.

The measures are based on management data and the perceptions of our tenants.

The RSH will monitor and enforce these new standards, and will intervene if landlords fail to comply or pose a serious risk to tenants’ interests.

The RSH will also publish guidance and good practice examples to help landlords meet the standards and improve their services.

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Under the new Standards, Lumen Housing will:

· Ensure tenants are safe in their homes

· Listen to tenants’ complaints and act quickly to put things right

· Be accountable to tenants and treat them fairly and with respect

· Understand the condition of every home and the needs of our tenants

· Collect and use data to improve services across a range of areas