The Competence and Conduct Standard is now in force. Find out why it was introduced and what housing associations and councils must do to meet it.
On 1 October 2026, the Competence and Conduct Standard came into force for every registered provider of social housing in England. If you lead housing services in a housing association or local authority, it changes what the Regulator expects from you and your managers.
The good news is that you have time to plan. The risk is that three or four years goes quickly when you have 10, 20 or 50 managers to qualify alongside the day job.
This guide explains what the Standard is, why it was introduced and the practical steps your organisation needs to take now.
What is the Competence and Conduct Standard?
The Competence and Conduct Standard is a consumer standard set by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). It was made possible by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and sits alongside the existing consumer standards as a standard in its own right.
It has two parts:
- A broad standard for all housing staff. Everyone involved in managing social housing must have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours to deliver a good quality service. This includes the staff of contractors and other services providers.
- A qualification requirement for senior staff. Senior housing managers need a Level 4 housing management qualification. Senior housing executives need a Level 5 qualification or a foundation degree.
The qualification requirement gets most of the attention. But the broad standard covers your whole housing workforce, and it applies now.
Why the Standard is needed
The Standard comes directly from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The enquiry heard that key managers at the organisation running Grenfell Tower did not have adequate training or qualifications. Residents who raised fears about their safety were ignored.
The government’s consultations showed these were not isolated failings. Tenants across the country said they did not always feel treated with respect. The death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020, after long exposure to damp and mould in his family’s social home, reinforced the same lesson: when tenants are not listened to, the consequences can be fatal.
Culture change, led from the top
A government-led Professionalisation Review in 2022 concluded that the sector needed organisation-wide culture change. It recommended focusing qualifications on senior staff, because they are best placed to pass knowledge and expectations down through their teams.
In short, the Standard is about more than certificates. It is about making sure the people running housing services have the knowledge, professionalism and respect for tenants that residents should be able to expect.
Who the Standard applies to
Organisations
The Standard applies to every registered provider of social housing in England, including:
- housing associations
- local authorities that own social housing
- ALMOs and other services providers that deliver all or most housing management functions on a landlord’s behalf
If your council contracts out housing management to an ALMO or similar body, the qualification requirement passes to that organisation’s senior staff through terms implied into your management agreement. You still need to take steps to make sure they comply.
Roles
The qualification requirement covers staff with a substantive role in managing housing management services. Usually that means it takes up more than half their working time, or it is an important and substantial part of the job.
Roles likely to need a Level 4 qualification include:
- Neighbourhood and Tenancy Managers
- Voids and Lettings Managers
- Property, Asset and Repairs Managers
- Incomes Managers
- Resident Involvement Managers
- Supported and Sheltered Housing Managers
- Leasehold Managers
Roles likely to need a Level 5 qualification or foundation degree include Heads of Service, Directors and other executives with strategic accountability for housing services.
Usually out of scope
- back office roles such as finance and legal
- unpaid volunteers (who are still covered by the broad standard)
- council staff managing the housing register or making statutory homelessness decisions
- corporate roles spanning many council services, unless they have a substantive role in social housing
- roles focused on developing new homes
The final call sits with you. Government guidance gives worked examples, but it expects you to assess roles against your own structure.
Key dates and deadlines
The transition period depends on how many homes you own.
| Large providers (1,000 homes or more) | Small providers (under 1,000 homes) | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard in force | 1 October 2026 | 1 October 2026 |
| Transition period | Three years | Four years |
| In-scope staff must hold, or be working towards, a qualification by | October 2029 | October 2030 |
Most councils that own housing have more than 1,000 homes, so the three-year period will usually apply to them.
Three points are easy to miss:
- The deadline is about starting, not finishing. By the end of the transition period, staff must hold a qualification or be actively working towards one.
- There is no halfway target, but there is an expectation. An earlier proposal to enrol half of staff in the first year was dropped. The Regulator still expects you to use reasonable judgement and upskill staff as quickly as you can.
- New starters have 12 months. Anyone moving into an in-scope role has 12 months to enrol. If someone fails, they must retake or enrol on another course within six months.
What housing associations and local authorities need to do
Meeting the Standard is a workforce, budget and governance project, not just a training one. These eight steps will get you there.
1. Name who is in scope
Build a named list of in-scope staff, role by role, agreed with HR and service leads. Include the senior staff of any ALMO or services provider that runs your housing management. Every other decision depends on this list being right.
2. Check existing qualifications
Some of your managers may already comply. The Chartered Institute of Housing Professional Qualification, HNCs, HNDs, CertHE and DipHE in housing can count. So can a housing management apprenticeship that the learner has passed.
Older or partly relevant housing qualifications may only need a top-up module rather than a whole new qualification. This top-up route is now permanent.
3. Put your policy and code of conduct in place
The broad standard requires you to:
- have a written policy covering learning and development, appraisals and managing poor performance
- adopt and embed a code of conduct for housing staff
- give tenants meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise both
- make both accessible to tenants and keep them up to date
4. Build a phased plan and budget
Spread enrolment across your transition period in cohorts, rather than leaving it to the final year. Cost both the course fees and the staff time away from the job, which is often the bigger figure. Check whether apprenticeship funding could cover some of your learners.
5. Choose the right route for each person
Not everyone needs the same programme. A manager with 20 years’ experience should not have to repeat what they already do well. Government guidance actively encourages Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), so learners can be exempt from units they can already evidence.
6. Protect study time and track progress
Lack of time is one of the main reasons housing learners stall. Agree protected study time with line managers and make sure someone notices quickly if a learner falls behind.
7. Build your evidence trail
The Regulator takes an assurance-based approach, so you need to show that you meet the Standard, not simply say it. Keep records of competence, conduct and progress, not just certificates.
8. Hold your services providers to account
If you contract out housing management, check how your services provider plans to qualify its senior staff and how you will monitor it.
How ready is your organisation? Find out in 10 minutes
If you are not sure where your organisation stands, start with Aim Higher’s free readiness checklist, Are You Ready for the Competence and Conduct Standard?
It asks 10 quick questions covering:
- who is in scope and what they already hold
- your enrolment plan and budget
- funding routes
- support for experienced managers
- protected study time and learner progress
- the evidence you could show the Regulator
Your score tells you whether you are on track, exposed or at risk, and where to focus first.
Check out the free readiness checklist
Three routes to a Level 4 or Level 5 qualification
The right route depends on where each manager is starting from. The Aim Higher Housing Academy offers three:
- Full qualification: for managers who do not yet hold a relevant housing qualification.
- RPL and completion: for managers who started a housing qualification but did not finish, so we map their achievements and they only complete what is left.
- Compliance top-up: for managers with an older housing qualification. A skills scan pinpoints genuine gaps, and they complete only the units that close them.
All three are delivered through Ofqual-regulated qualifications approved by Innovate Awarding and delivered by Aim Higher Training, with one-to-one coaching and work-based assessment that fits around the job.
What you gain
- a clear, phased plan for every in-scope manager
- no wasted time or budget on learning people do not need
- learners who are supported to finish, not left to stall
- evidence you can show the Regulator
Ready to plan your route? Book a free readiness conversation to map your organisation’s timeline.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Competence and Conduct Standard come into force? On 1 October 2026. Providers with 1,000 homes or more have three years for in-scope staff to hold or be working towards a qualification. Smaller providers have four.
Does the Standard apply to local authorities? Yes. Councils that own social housing are registered providers, so the Standard applies to them. Where an ALMO or other services provider runs housing management, its senior staff are also covered.
What level of qualification is needed? Senior housing managers need a Level 4 housing management qualification. Senior housing executives need a Level 5 qualification or a foundation degree. Qualifications must be focused on housing management and include over 120 hours of total qualification time.
Do existing qualifications count? Often, yes. The CIH Professional Qualification, HNCs, HNDs, CertHE and DipHE in housing can count, as can a passed housing management apprenticeship. Partly relevant qualifications can be topped up with additional modules.
What does ‘working towards’ a qualification mean? The learner must be enrolled, actively making progress and on track to complete within the qualification’s time limit, or within two years if no limit is set.
Can experienced managers avoid starting from scratch? Yes. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) lets experienced managers evidence what they already know, through documents and a professional discussion, so they only complete the units they genuinely need.
What happens if a manager joins after the transition period? Anyone moving into an in-scope role has 12 months to enrol on a relevant qualification.
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