The regulator of social housing’s four revised consumer standards came into effect on 1 April, as did its powers to proactively regulate housing providers against the requirements.

Jonathan Walters, deputy chief executive at the Regulator of Social Housing, referred to the new consumer standards as “an evolution not a revolution”, adding that “they take a lot of similar themes” from the previous consumer standards introduced in 2010, and move them on.

The Social Housing Regulation Act, passed in July 2023, has reintroduced a proactive approach to regulating social landlords and has granted the regulator new enforcement powers.