Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing

The conversation around professionalism in social housing has been shaped by powerful evidence - most notably from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the government’s consultation that informed the 2018 Social Housing Green Paper. Residents shared a number of serious concerns, including:

• A breakdown of trust between tenants and landlords
• Feeling ignored or excluded from decisions that affect their lives
• A lack of accountability and transparency from housing providers
• Complaints being handled slowly or ineffectively
• Gaps in the skills and knowledge of housing staff
• Poor behaviour, including a lack of respect and courtesy towards residents.

The tragic death of Awaab Ishak further reinforced the urgent need for change, highlighting how poor service, insufficient staff training, and dismissive attitudes can impact the health, safety and wellbeing of residents.

The Social Housing White Paper announced a full professionalisation review, which helped shape the Competence and Conduct Standard. 

The review concluded that real change requires more than just technical skills - it demands a cultural shift across the sector. Respect, accountability, and high-quality service must be at the heart of social housing. While early recommendations stopped short of mandating specific qualifications, new rules were later introduced for senior leaders. This reflects the belief that executives and senior managers are key to leading cultural change and ensuring professional, high-quality services.

These new requirements were introduced through the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, which gives the Regulator of Social Housing the power to set standards relating to the competence and conduct of housing professionals.

In February 2024, the then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), now Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), launched a consultation on the direction to the regulator to set a Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing. This was one of a series of government consultations on the implementation of the Social Housing Regulation Act. 

CIH responded to the consultation and produced a member briefing on the standard as proposed. 

In July 2025 the Labour government confirmed in a written ministerial statement that the new Competence and Conduct Standard will come into force in October 2026. It noted: “There will be a transition period after this date giving providers additional time to comply with qualification requirements for senior housing managers and executives. Larger registered providers that own 1,000 or more units of social housing will have three years, and smaller providers that own less than 1,000 units will have four years.”

On 30 September 2025, the government published its final direction to the Regulator of Social Housing, requiring it to set a Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing providers, to commence in October 2026.

Job titles alone don’t determine whether a role is in scope. It’s based on job responsibilities, organisational size, structure, and hierarchy. For example:

• A housing manager in a large organisation may focus on operations and be out of scope.
• A housing manager in a small organisation may make strategic decisions and be accountable for service delivery - putting them in scope.

The guidance focuses on functions, not titles. A senior housing executive who is in scope typically:

• Sets strategic direction and ensures service quality.
• Embeds organisational culture.
• Oversees performance strategies and customer-focused policies.

A senior housing manager usually reports to an executive and manages teams - but responsibilities can vary.

Yes. To be in scope, a person must have a substantive role in delivering housing management services, meaning this forms a significant part of their job (roughly 50 per cent or more).

Roles that are typically out of scope include:

• Corporate services (e.g. HR, finance, legal).
• Strategic housing and enabling roles.
• Most care and support management roles.
• Volunteers.
• Those in roles for less than 12 months.

Often, yes. Asset management, repairs, and maintenance fall under housing management functions. If someone at a senior or executive level spends a substantive part of their time managing these services, they are likely to be in scope.

If repairs are outsourced, contractor managers may also be in scope if they play a substantial role in overseeing service delivery.

Service providers are organisations that deliver housing management services on behalf of a registered provider. They include:

• Arm’s Length Management Organisations (ALMOs)
• Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs)
• Private contractors

Senior staff at these organisations may be in scope if they are substantively involved in service delivery.

For example, a contractor managing the entire repairs process (planning to quality assurance) would be in scope. A tradesperson carrying out the repairs would not. To find out if you are in scope of requiring a Level 4 or 5 qualification as a service provider or contractor there is more information in the government’s policy document.

If you are a service provider or contractor, you can also follow all processes as outlined on this page for housing professionals.

You can complete a Level 4 or 5 qualification or top up units as a contractor or service provider to gain compliance if required. 

CIH try to create our qualifications in a way that allows you to contextualise your own working practices in assignments or assessments. However, as some of the qualifications are aimed at the social housing sector there may be certain assessment criteria where this isn’t possible. In this situation a case study or scenario can be used to help you to complete and achieve the assessment requirements. 

This is so the managers of those companies who are carrying out works on behalf the social housing organisations still understand the rules, regulatory requirements and professional standards that should be upheld when they are providing services to tenants in social housing.

In the standard there are three role subtypes specified in the scope. Below we break down what content requirements are needed depending on which role and seniority.

Role Subtype A: General housing management e.g customer service, complaints management, ASB, tenancies or lettings, tenant involvement

• Level 4 (managers) qualification content requirements: 
  
  • Professional practice skills for housing management such as collaborative working, exercising professional judgement and ethical practices
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion, and awareness of a range of needs and vulnerabilities (for example, disabilities)
  • Customer service in housing including effective engagement with tenants and delivering respectful and professional housing services
  • National housing policy (including its historical context), and law and regulation relevant to housing management in social housing.
• Level 5 (executives) qualification content requirements: 
  • All of Level 4 content requirements
  • Stakeholder engagement and managing relationships in housing management
  • Leadership and management in the context of social housing.

Role Subtype B: Technical housing management e.g. asset, repairs, maintenance, building roles

• Level 4 (managers) and Level 5 (executives) qualification content requirements: 
  
  • A qualification that meets the level and content requirements set out for Role Subtype A
    
    or 
  • A technical qualification* at the correct level in one of the below that is relevant to your role:
    
    • quantity or building surveying
    • building management / maintenance, or building studies
    • construction
    • building safety or fire safety
    • estate management
    • facilities management
    • property management. 

Role Subtype C: Cross-tenure roles e.g. social housing and leasehold management

• Level 4 (managers) and Level 5 (executives) qualification content requirements:
  
  • A qualification that meets the level and content requirements set out for Role Subtype A or B
    
    or
    
    
  • A qualification in leasehold or residential property management* at the correct level that is relevant to your role.

*The technical/ leasehold qualification must also include the following content to be fully compliant:

• Customer service in housing including effective engagement with tenants and delivering respectful and professional housing services
• Equality, diversity and inclusion, and awareness of a range of needs and vulnerabilities (for example, disabilities).

If you hold a technical or residential management qualification which does not include EDI and customer service elements, we have top-up units available that cover these topics.

Current CIH Level 4 and 5 qualifications meet the Competence and Conduct Standard requirements set out in Role Subtype A. For historic qualifications please check the relevant FAQ which includes a table with full guidance.

If you studied with CIH in the past you can find our historic qualification specifications here. These specifications are available to support housing professionals identify whether their achieved qualification meets the standard requirements.  

Housing organisations must make the final decision about if they feel achievement of any historic qualifications sufficiently meet the competence and conduct standard or if further study should take place. 

If you cannot find yours on the list, or are unsure on which qualification you studied, read more below about how to find out.

If you’re unsure which CIH qualification you completed or if your qualification does not appear on this list

You can submit an enquiry, providing as much information as you can regarding your studies.

Replacement certificates 

You can submit a replacement certificate request if you need a copy of your certificate. There is a charge for this service. 

If you completed a degree with a university or a qualification with another awarding organisation, you would need to contact the organisation directly for a replacement certificate.

Recognition of prior learning

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) can be used to gain exemption from learning or assessment where you can provide evidence of previous achievement of similar learning and assessment at the required level.

How RPL works:

• Discuss your evidence of prior learning with your centre on enrolment.
• Submit documented evidence to the centre for review. 
• Centre maps evidence to the learning outcomes of the relevant unit(s), 
• Where evidence maps sufficiently learning or assessment may not be required.

RPL helps ensure your existing achievement is recognised, allowing you to streamline your learning journey and focus on new knowledge skills and assessment.

Section 3.3 of the policy statement states that a person that has an equivalent or higher level apprenticeship or qualification such as a certificate of higher education (CertHE), HNC, DipHE, HND and the Chartered Institute of Housing Professional Qualification (PQ) is not required to also undertake a specified qualification, providing it is at the correct level, and contains the required content for the role.

Please note that these qualifications are not automatically recognised as fully compliant with the Competence and Conduct Standard.  They can be mapped against the content requirements of the standard and if any gaps in knowledge are identified additional training modules of an appropriate volume, quality and level, that cover the missing content can be completed to achieve compliance.

Any additional training must be completed within the allowed time frames:

• For those who gain a partially compliant qualification during the transition period, ‘top-up’ training must be completed by the end of the transition period, or within 12 months of completing the qualification where that date is later.  
• Those who complete a partially compliant qualification after the transition period will have 12 months to complete additional training after being awarded their qualification. 

You should contact the university where you studied to obtain a certificate/transcript of modules completed for your qualification (if you do not have them already and need them); you can also ask if a copy of their programme syllabus is still available for you to see.

If your degree is old and the university doesn’t have the syllabus on file, please email ProfessionalStandards@cih.org so that we can check our archive to see if we have any information that can help you.  

CIH AO offer top up units at level 4 and 5 in relevant topics which can help you to cover any content missing from your qualification. 

The Institute of Housing Professional Qualification (PQ) ran from 1978 to the early 1990s. This was designed as a three year course studied part time by day release, correspondence course or private study.  It was divided into 3 parts, each one year of study with exams at the end of each year. All exams had to be passed to progress to the next year. This was graded as a degree equivalent course. The academic syllabus included: 

Part I:

• Housing Studies I: History and Administration
• Housing Finance
• Social Structure and Social Change
• Legal Studies I: The Principles of Law
• Building Studies I: The Principles of Construction 

Part II:

• Housing Studies II: Theory and Practice of Management
• Social Policy and Administration
• Management Studies 1: Organisations, Management and
• Information Technology
• Legal Studies II: Landlord and Tenant
• Building Studies II: Construction, Services and Housing Maintenance Management

Part III (Final):

• Housing III: Policies and Problems
• Management Studies II: Personnel Management
• Legal Studies III: Applications and Solutions
• Planning and Development

Optional Subjects:

• Housing research
• Housing Associations
• Urban Economics
• Urban Sociology 

In addition to this academic requirement to get full membership candidates also had to complete:

• A project which was a piece of independent research 5,000 – 7,000 words
• A Management Block Course – this was a one week course organised by the colleges teaching the PQ course.  Students undertook management and housing-related exercises
• The Practical Experience Requirement (PER) – this was a log book of work objectives candidates had to undertake and it was signed by a supervisor.
• A copy of the syllabus will be available soon from ProfessionalStandards@cih.org to help you map to the content requirements of the Competence and Conduct standard.
• CIH AO offer top up units at level 4 and 5 in relevant topics which can help you to cover any content missing from your qualification. 

From 1991 the Professional Qualification was replaced with validated undergraduate and postgraduate courses that were studied full time, part time or by distance learning.

View CIH validated programmes

Please note that these qualifications are not automatically recognised as fully compliant with the Competence and Conduct Standard. They can be mapped against the content requirements of the standard and if any gaps in knowledge are identified additional training modules of an appropriate volume, quality and level, that cover the missing content can be completed to achieve compliance.

If you have  a housing qualification that is not listed here please contact us at ProfessionalStandards@cih.org

For more information on partially compliant programmes please see the policy statement. 

If you have a CIH qualification or validated degree see those sections as there is more information there to support you. If you studied a qualification with another awarding organisation you can check on the register.

You can check on the register; Ofqual holds this for England and Northern Ireland, Qualifications Wales for Wales, and SQA for Scotland. You can also contact your university if you studied a degree or foundation degree.

Alternatively, you can check a learner’s certificate to see if they have the regulators logo along with a qualification number which is assigned by the regulator. For example, the CIH Level 4 Certificate in Housing qualification number 601/8136/9.

• Ofqual and CCEA – register of qualifications Register of qualifications (England and Northern Ireland)
• Qualifications Wales - Qualifications in Wales (QiW) (Wales)
• SQA - SQA (Scotland)
• Foundation degrees, degrees or post graduate qualifications - contact your higher education provider

If you have a partially compliant qualification that is relevant to your role subsection we offer top up units that can help you to fill learning gaps so that you don’t need to complete another full qualification.

More information on these can be found here

The Social Housing Skills Report and Toolkit, produced by CIH and Bailes Partners Consulting, provides a practical framework to help organisations assess and develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required across their workforce.

While knowledge and technical skills are often easier to define and evidence, identifying the right professional behaviours can be more complex. These behaviours should be rooted in your organisation’s values and culture.

Some key questions to consider:

• Are your values clearly embedded across your organisation?
• Do staff consistently demonstrate them in their day-to-day work?
• Can you measure or evidence this?
• Are residents aware of these values — and do they reflect their expectations?

The CIH professional standards offer a strong starting point for defining the behaviours housing professionals should consistently uphold.

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) will adopt an assurance-based approach, meaning landlords must be able to show they meet the standard - just like the other consumer standards.

Key points:

• The RSH will not provide a single framework of key skills and behaviours. 
• Organisations must determine what competence and conduct looks like for them.
• The regulator won’t necessarily want to see certificates — it’s about systems and outcomes.
• You must assess your own workforce and roles in scope.
• The emphasis will be on how you ensure staff competence and professional conduct.

To meet the standard you’ll need to show that your organisation takes professional competence and behaviour seriously. Potential evidence includes:

• Records of training needs, qualifications, and plans to close gaps.
• Impact assessments of your training and development programmes.
• Resident feedback (e.g. complaints, compliments, tenant satisfaction).
• Engagement with residents about expected behaviours.
• A clear, embedded code of conduct or professional behaviours.
• Memberships of relevant professional bodies.
• A workforce development strategy covering training, appraisals, and performance.
• Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD).

Boards, committees or cabinets will be the first point of contact for the regulator, so make sure they have the right information to demonstrate compliance.

The chartered member status alone is only applicable to CIH as a professional body and does not equate to a qualification.

The 'experienced professional' and 'executive' routes to CIH chartered membership are not regulated qualifications and therefore are not compliant with the standard requirements. You will need to complete a regulated compliant qualification.

Being a CIH member will go some way in the longer term to help your organisation provide evidence to the regulator that you are committed to the overall standard and professionalism in the sector.

Exemption available for chartered members – Level 4 Professionalism in Housing unit

If you gained CIH chartered membership status through the experienced professional route and need to complete a level 4 or 5 CIH housing qualification you could gain an exemption for the Level 4 Professionalism in Housing unit (H424).

This exemption recognises your existing achievement so that you can focus on the rest of your qualification without repeating what you’ve already demonstrated.

You are eligible for the unit exemption if:

• You enrol onto to a full CIH level 4 or 5 qualification
• You became a CIHCM via the experienced professional route
• You applied to the experienced professional programme before 1 April 2025
• If you became a CIHCM more than five years prior to the date of enrolment on your course, you may need to provide evidence of CPD.

What to do:

• Let your centre know you’d like to apply for the exemption when you enrol
• Provide the centre with your confirmation from the CIH membership team that you achieved chartered status via the experienced professional route
• If you no longer have this, contact the CIH membership team for a copy
• If you gained CIH chartered membership more than five years prior to enrolling onto your course, we will liaise with your centre to confirm if any additional CPD evidence is required
• The centre will send your evidence to CIH awarding organisation when they register you to the qualification
• CIH will check the evidence and apply the exemption when your centre registers you to the qualification.

Included qualifications:

• CIH Level 4 Certificate in Housing
• CIH Level 4 Certificate in Managing housing Maintenance
• CIH Level 4 Certificate in Housing Management and Service Delivery
• CIH Level 5 Diploma in Housing.