Equality and diversity: CIH charter for housing

We believe that striving for greater equality means the sector is working towards a better balance of opportunities, resources and decision making processes for staff, customers and employees. Striving for greater diversity will ensure that the housing sector provides the right services and meets the right needs and aspirations of their customers in their diversity.

Why do we need an equality and diversity charter?

• Housing and human rights: Britain is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, which gives people protection for a range of human rights, several of which are relevant to housing providers
• Equality Act 2010: brings together anti-discrimination and equality legislation to protect employees and service users across nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation
• Public Sector Equality Duty: new duties require housing providers to give “due regard” to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations where they exercise a public function
• Regulation: changes to the regulatory and inspection framework in the social housing sector will mean the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) adopting a more reactive approach to consumer protection with fewer codes of guidance to support the development and sharing of best practice
• Localism: more flexible approaches to allocations and lettings means that housing providers will need to make sure their priorities reflect the needs and aspirations of their communities in their diversity to ensure fair and accessible housing for all.

The charter

• Download the charter
• Sign up to the charter
• List of current signatories to the charter
• Frequently asked questions
• The equality and diversity charter, a presentation
• Equality and diversity charter groups
• Equality & diversity network - for staff of organisations signed up to the charter. If you would like to sign up to the network, please email us

Supporting you to deliver the charter

Many housing organisations have used CIH charters to improve their services.  Read about what they have done and how your organisation can make best use of the charters in the CIH publication How to improve your services with CIH charters.

CIH provides a range of services that can help you to deliver against the charter:

• Leading diversity by 2020: CIH's Presidential Commission on Leadership and Diversity
• Practical implications of immigration checks on new lettings
• Webinar video: Equality and diversity - breaking down barriers and mainstreaming diversity
• How to... mainstream equality and reflect diversity
• How to... undertake an equality analysis
• How to... tackle disability related harassment