Are You Ready for the New Housing Competence and Conduct Standard?
Updated: Oct 6
Understanding the new requirements and assessing your professional readiness
The new Competence and Conduct Standard represents an important development for social housing in England.
But the Standard is about more than qualifications.
It is part of a wider drive to strengthen professional standards across social housing and to ensure that people working in the sector have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours needed to deliver good-quality services to residents.
For housing professionals, the question is therefore not simply:
“What qualification do I have?”
It is also:
“How do my existing qualifications, professional experience and continuing professional development align with the new professional standards?”
Why has the focus on professionalisation increased?
The drive to strengthen professional standards in social housing followed significant events and concerns across the sector, including the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017 and the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020.
These events brought wider concerns about the quality, safety and accountability of social housing services into sharp focus.
The Government's consultation on the Competence and Conduct Standard states that the proposals were developed in response to evidence from the Grenfell Inquiry and a subsequent review of professional training and development in social housing.
The Government's Professionalisation Review identified four broad outcomes associated with professionalisation:
residents are treated with respect and trust their landlord;
frontline staff are empathetic and skilled in listening to residents;
landlords deliver a consistently high-quality service; and
internal systems and processes function effectively.
This demonstrates why professionalisation cannot simply be reduced to obtaining a qualification.
From qualifications to competence and conduct
The Government's approach recognises that qualifications have an important role to play, particularly for senior housing managers and senior housing executives.
However, the Government's consultation also stated that qualifications alone would not fully address inappropriate behaviours and attitudes experienced by some tenants.
The wider objective is therefore organisational and cultural change, supported by appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and conduct.
The Government's current position is that the Competence and Conduct Standard will come into force in October 2026. There will then be a transition period during which relevant senior housing managers and executives will need to have, or be working towards, an appropriate qualification.
This makes it important for housing professionals and organisations to understand where they currently stand. The new code applies to registered providers in England.
Those affected are: front line staff and contractors, senior housing managers, housing executives, and organisations.
A Chartered Institute of Housing action plan.
October 2026 - A workplace plan and policy to be in place.
October 2026 - Organisational code of conduct in place.
October 2026 - Staff development plan in place.
October 2029 - All professionals needing to meet mandatory qualifications measure in larger organisations (over 1,000 homes) to be completed or working towards their relevant level.
October 2030 - All professionals needing to meet mandatory qualifications measures in smaller organisations (under 1,000 homes) to be completed or working towards their relevant level.
Understanding your current position
Not every housing professional will be in the same position.
Some may already hold a relevant housing qualification.
Others may have substantial professional experience but hold a qualification from another area of property, surveying, construction, management or another discipline.
Some may have undertaken significant continuing professional development but need to identify whether there are particular areas of knowledge or qualification content that require further development.
There may also be experienced professionals who are considering a new qualification or professional pathway as their role develops.
The starting point should therefore be an assessment of the individual's actual position.
Our Competence & Qualification Readiness Assessment
We have developed a Competence & Qualification Readiness Assessment to help housing professionals and organisations understand their current position and identify potential development needs.
The assessment considers:
Role and scope
Understanding the individual's role and whether the relevant requirements may apply.
Qualifications
Reviewing existing qualifications and considering their relevance to the individual's role.
Qualification gap analysis
Identifying potential gaps between existing qualification content and the knowledge or subject areas relevant to the role.
Knowledge, skills and experience
Considering professional knowledge, practical skills and workplace experience alongside formal qualifications.
Evidence
Looking at the evidence an individual can provide to demonstrate their professional knowledge, skills and experience.
Individual report
Providing a clear assessment of the individual's current position and potential development needs.
The assessment is therefore intended to look beyond the qualification certificate and consider the wider professional picture.
Professional development rather than simply compliance
Our approach is deliberately focused on readiness and professional development.
The purpose is to help individuals understand where they are now, identify potential gaps and consider practical routes for further development.
This might involve targeted CPD, additional learning, further qualification, or a broader professional development pathway.
For organisations, the assessment can also provide a structured way of considering the development needs of housing professionals across a team.
About the Assessment Developer
Sarah Chaudhry MBA FRICS is a real estate and construction management consultant with over 30 years of knowledge and experience across the affordable housing sector.
Drawing on extensive experience across housing, real estate, construction and professional development, Sarah has developed this assessment to help housing professionals understand how their existing qualifications, experience and professional development align with the new professional standards.
Are you ready?
The Competence and Conduct Standard represents a significant shift towards a more professionalised social housing sector.
For individuals, this is an opportunity to understand how their existing qualifications, knowledge, skills, experience and continuing professional development fit within the changing professional landscape.
For organisations, it provides an opportunity to consider how they are supporting their people to develop and demonstrate the competence and conduct required for their roles.
You don't have to wait until the requirements are fully embedded to start understanding your position.
Contact us to discuss an assessment
This assessment is a professional development and readiness tool. It is not a determination of regulatory compliance and should not be treated as legal or regulatory advice. Individuals and organisations should refer to the relevant legislation, regulatory requirements and official guidance when determining their obligations.
Consulting by Sarah
A Surveyor Store Ltd initiative
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