Chartered membership is the hallmark of your success in housing. It is a demonstration of your housing expertise, your commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards. It shows the recognition that you are a competent and committed housing professional.
Stand out from the crowd, enhance your status with colleagues and employers by showing that you are a trusted housing professional.
The right membership for you
Chartered membership is designed for experienced housing professionals who want to demonstrate their leadership, expertise, and commitment to the profession.
It’s ideal for:
- Senior managers leading teams or services
- Aspiring leaders preparing for the next step in their housing career
- Experienced professionals looking to achieve professional recognition.
Eligibility criteria
To apply for chartered membership, you must meet one of the following:
- Have achieved a CIH-recognised qualification at Level 5 or above, or
- Have completed a CIH-accredited executive route or experienced professional route
There are several ways to reach chartered status depending on your experience and career stage — from studying a recognised qualification to demonstrating your professional expertise through our executive or experienced professional routes. Read more about finding your route to chartered membership here.
Our membership fees
Chartered membership (CIHCM) is available to UK members for an annual fee of £406, which can be spread across 12 months by Direct Debit at no extra cost.
Ways to pay your £406 annual membership fee:
per month*
12-month Direct Debit plan
per year
One-off annual payment
*Equivalent to less than £34 a month based on a £406 annual fee
How to pay:
- Spread the cost over 12 months through Direct Debit at no extra cost
- Pay online through MyCIH
- If your employer is paying you can request an invoice online, over the phone or via email
- Pay over the phone with our friendly membership team by calling us on 024 7685 1700.
We understand that circumstances can vary, so we offer concessionary membership rates to make CIH membership more accessible.
Concessionary membership costs £80 per year for UK-based members. These rates do not affect your membership grade — they simply reduce your annual subscription fee.
You can select a concessionary rate when you apply for membership online. Your application will be reviewed by our team, and we’ll contact you if we need any supporting evidence.
Who can apply
You may be eligible for a concessionary rate if you fall into one of the following categories:
- Under 30s – housing professionals aged under 30 (proof of age required during application).
- HR and learning professionals – find out more.
- Tenants – involved tenants who are not in paid employment – find out more.
- Retired members or those on a career break.
- Learners – UK-based learners studying a housing qualification with our Housing Academy or an approved study centre may be eligible.
- Level 2, 3 or 4 qualification = one year’s membership
- Level 5 qualification = two years’ membership
- Each learner can access the learner concessionary rate once only.
If you’re unsure which concessionary rate applies to you, or need help with your application, please contact our membership team at customer@cih.org or call 024 7685 1700 — we’ll be happy to help.
Membership fees depend on your membership grade and whether you’re based in the UK or overseas.
Republic of Ireland
- Chartered CIHCM membership fee: £175 per year
International members
Fees for international members are based on the World Bank’s country income classification:
| Band | Country type | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| A | High-income economies | £175 |
| B | Upper-middle-income economies | £123 |
| C | Lower-middle and low-income economies | £53 |
You can view the full list of countries and their income classifications here.
If you’re unsure which band applies to you or need help with your international application, please contact our membership team at customer@cih.org or call +44 (0)24 7685 1700.
Benefits of CIH membership
As a member of CIH, you will receive a raft of benefits which will help you develop your career and future within the sector.
- Stay informed with the latest housing policy updates and sector news
- Access a vast library of resources, publications, and guides
- Attend exclusive member-only events and networking opportunities
- Be part of a community of over 20,000 housing professionals worldwide
- As a chartered member, you also become eligible to apply for the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) professionally qualified person card.
Find your route to chartered membership
There’s more than one way to become a chartered member — and whichever route you take, it reflects your experience, knowledge, and dedication to professional excellence. Explore the path that best fits your career stage and ambitions.
For aspiring professionals, supervisors and managers
The CIH Level 5 Diploma in Housing develops the knowledge, understanding and skills you need to deliver effective housing services at a strategic management and executive level. It’s the ideal route for professionals who want to build leadership capability and progress towards chartered membership.
For established housing professionals ready to prove their expertise
If you’ve built significant experience in housing and want to gain recognition for your professional knowledge, this route enables you to demonstrate that you have the skills and insight to lead people and manage change.
For senior leaders and directors in housing
This route is tailored for practitioners operating at director or senior management level. It’s your opportunity to showcase how your professional experience, strategic leadership, and ethical decision-making meet the highest standards of chartered membership.
For those pursuing academic qualifications recognised by CIH
Several undergraduate and postgraduate courses — both full and part-time — are recognised by CIH as meeting the requirements for chartered membership. Delivered by universities across the UK, these programmes combine academic learning with professional recognition.
Not sure which path to follow? Call 024 7685 1700 or email customer@cih.org.
Ready to become a chartered CIHCM member?
You can apply online by following the link below. You’ll need to create a My CIH account and verify your email address before completing your application. Alternatively, you can call us on 024 7685 1700 to apply by phone.
Your application is subject to approval, and a member of our team will contact you once it has been reviewed. If you’d like to check your eligibility or talk to us before applying, you can find our contact information here.
If this is the first time you have tried to login on to CIH's website, please follow the instructions below.
- Click ‘Log in’ top right of our website or click this link to take you to the log in page.
- Click ‘Sign up now’ under the big blue sign in button – don’t complete any fields at this stage.
- Enter your email address, ensuring it’s the email we would have on our system for you.
- Click 'Send verification code'.
- Check your email inbox for an email with your verification code (check your spam/junk email just in case).
- Copy the verification code in the email.
- Head back to our website, and enter or paste the verification code into the box.
- Click the 'Verify code' button.
- Once the verification code has been complete, you can continue to create a password and complete the rest of the form including 'First Name', 'Last Name' and 'Preferred Name' fields.
- Click the 'Create' button.
- You will then be able to access your account.
If you are having issues logging in, call us on 024 7685 1700 or email membership.services@cih.org and our team will help you get logged in.
Have a question about CIH membership?
Whether you’re joining, renewing, or managing your membership, we’re here to help. Find out how to contact us and get the support you need.
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