Competence and Conduct Standard comes into effect in England

Today, 1 October 2026, the long-awaited Competence and Conduct Standard comes into effect for all registered providers in England.

It’s an important moment for the profession in England and a significant step towards recognising and strengthening professionalism across the sector, helping to ensure residents receive safe, effective and accountable services.

The standard, introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing, requires all registered providers in England to ensure their teams have the appropriate skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to deliver good-quality services to tenants. It also introduces qualification requirements, with senior housing managers and executives required to hold, or be working towards, a relevant housing management qualification. 

There is a transition period to enable organisations to implement the new standard effectively and ensure all relevant staff have the necessary qualifications and skills. From 1 October 2026, large registered providers (over 1,000 homes) have a three-year transition period and small registered providers (under 1,000 homes) have four-years.

The new requirements represent a significant opportunity for organisations to strengthen workforce capability, to build trust, improve services and ultimately deliver better outcomes for residents.

As the professional body for people who work in housing, CIH is here to support with the qualifications, skills and knowledge needed to meet the expectations set out in the Competence and Conduct Standard. 

CIH has developed a dedicated toolkit for the Competence and Conduct Standard, setting out what the requirements mean in practice and the steps organisations can take. Alongside our qualifications, training and wider membership offer, CIH can support organisations and individuals to examine how they think about and assess competence, identify gaps and create development pathways for their teams to ensure compliance.