History of the Chartered Institute of Housing

Our Purpose: To promote the science and art of housing, its standards and ideals and the training and education of those engaged in the profession of housing practice.

The history of housing management, and the Chartered Institute of Housing, can be traced back to the stirrings of public conscience over poor housing conditions in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The report of the Royal Commission on the Housing of Working Classes in 1884-1885 detailed with shocking clarity the appalling conditions under which many citizens were forced to live. By the time the Royal Commission's report was published, reform was well under way through the efforts of pioneers like Octavia Hill (1838-1912), the Victorian socialist, philanthropist and educationalist.

Octavia Hill recognised the need for improved housing for the poor and managed two small groups of dilapidated houses in Marylebone in 1865 and 1866. She initiated the profession of housing management and established a method of managing property let on weekly or short-term tenancies. The tenancies were based on the personal collection of rents by trained women housing managers, competent to deal with repairs, welfare issues and rent accounting.

This pioneering work was developed throughout the rest of her life and carried on by the Association of Women Housing Workers, which was founded in 1916, and changed its name to the Society of Housing Managers in 1948. Operating in tandem with the Society was the Institute of Housing, founded in 1931 by a group of local government officers from municipal housing departments in the West Midlands. The CIH developed its own qualifying examination and published the first 'Housing' magazine in 1938. The Association of Women Housing Workers merged with the Institute of Housing on 24 February 1965, forming the Institute of Housing Managers, marking the start of the modern era for the organisation.

In 1974 the organisation was renamed the Institute of Housing to reflect the wider role being undertaken by housing professionals. The Institute received its Royal Charter in 1984 and reflected this in its name in 1994. In February 1999, the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) merged with the former Institute of Rent Officers and launched 'HouseMark' - a benchmarking service now jointly owned with the National Housing Federation - later that year. On 2 January 2007, CIH established a new wholly-owned subsidiary, called ConsultCIH Limited, to provide a new UK-wide housing and regeneration consultancy service to voluntary, public and private organisations involved in the development of successful communities.

As the CIH has evolved, so has its influence on housing policy and practice. In 1997 the government implemented the CIH's idea to release capital receipts from council house sales. The CIH promoted the idea of 'local housing companies' which form the basis for most new organisations set up when housing is transferred out of council control. The CIH's lobbying helped councils gain the power to set up arm's length management organisations.

The CIH has continued to respond to the devolution agenda and diverging policy by firstly creating new boards as sub-committees of Council in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and more recently establishing National Business Units in each country from 1 January 2006.

The Chartered Institute of Housing's Annual Conference and Exhibition in Harrogate is the largest event of its kind in Europe. Speakers have included the Duke of Edinburgh, former Prime Minister Edward Heath and the Archbishop of Canterbury. A long list of post-war housing ministers who have addressed the annual conference began with Lewis Silkin in 1946.

CIH membership overseas grew steadily throughout the 1990s with significant growth in the Asian Pacific Region, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2006. Relationships with other professional bodies overseas have also strengthened in recent times. The CIH now enjoys close links with the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) in the USA and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA). The CIH has also established formal links with housing professionals in South Africa and in Australasia, where the CIH was represented at the inauguration of the Australasian Housing Institute. A new grade of international membership was introduced on 1 January 2007 to meet the growing interest in the housing profession worldwide.

Today, over 20,000 people are members of the CIH, working predominantly for local authorities, housing associations, Arms Length Management Organisations, the Rent Service, educational establishments and the private sector. Together we strive to adhere to our organisational values and achieve the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.