Session overview

Ahead of a consultation paper in 2027, the Regulator of Social Housing has produced a discussion paper on how it can support delivering 'more and better social homes' and is keen to have conversations with the sector to understand some of the questions to ask and it's proposed direction of travel.

In this session hosted by Julia Mixter, Associate Director, DIN we will hear from Jim Bennett, Assistant Director, Policy, Strategy, Impact, Regulator of Social Housing who is leading on the discussion for the Regulator and will be looking to answer some of the key points in the discussion paper.

What the session will explore

The discussion will include:

• How the Regulator should define the essential characteristics of a social landlord, ensuring social housing remains central, landlords retain appropriate independence and autonomy, and governance is strong enough to protect tenants and homes when things go wrong
• What expectations should be placed on financial sustainability and resilience, including minimum metrics, liquidity, stress testing, available flexibilities and mitigation plans
• How far the Regulator should go in requiring landlords to plan for and demonstrate the delivery of more and better homes, including business plans, SMART targets, development capacity assessments and accountability for performance
• How regulation can protect the long-term value of social housing when landlords dispose of homes, use different funding models or introduce new structures and entrants
• What a more targeted, risk-based regulatory approach should look like, including stronger use of data, more active intervention where necessary, regulation below landlord level and support for collaborative innovation

About the speaker

Jim Bennett – Assistant Director of Policy, Strategy and Impact, Regulator of Social Housing

Jim is leading the Regulator’s work on the More and Better Social Homes call for evidence and will share insight into its early thinking, the questions being considered and the proposed direction of travel.

Who should attend?

This session is for anyone interested in the Regulator’s future thinking and plans, particularly:

• Chief executives and directors
• Board members
• Policy and governance teams
• Risk and assurance professionals
• Development and finance teams
• Anyone involved in shaping organisational strategy or responding to regulatory change

Other information

This session is free to attend as part of your DIN membership.

The Regulator’s More and Better Social Homes call for evidence is available on GOV.UK.

Discussion paper - https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/more-and-better-homes

Please note: This session relates specifically to the regulation of social housing in England and is therefore intended for organisations operating within England.