This update includes the following:
Burnham Government – Early Housing Policy Indications
The arrival of Andy Burnham in Downing Street signals both continuity and change for housing policy. Whilst the detail is yet to fully emerge, Burnham’s record as Mayor of Greater Manchester and his early statements as Prime Minister set a new tone and give some strong indications of his policy intentions and priorities.
Ministerial Appointments
The return of Angela Rayner as Secretary of State at MHCLG signals continuity in housing policy and a commitment to key manifesto commitments on housebuilding, planning reform, devolution and local government reform.
Matthew Pennycook remains in post as Minister of State for Housing and Planning and will now also attend cabinet meetings giving housing and planning a stronger voice around the Cabinet table.
Miatta Fahnbulleh replaces Ed Miliband as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. The appointment of John Healey as Chancellor is also regarded as positive for the sector given his background as a housing association board member.
Rough sleeping and homelessness
Burnham built much of his mayoral reputation on tackling rough sleeping and homelessness. In his first speech as PM, he described ending rough sleeping as his first priority, arguing that this is a problem that can be solved if government chooses to prioritise it.
On tackling rough sleeping, Burnham announced an additional £340 million of funding, the first phase of investment in a wider five-year programme that will provide homes and support. It is anticipated that there will be increased focus on prevention and Housing First approaches. Further detail on delivery mechanisms will be set through MHCLG policy announcements and spending decisions.
Devolution
A central theme of Burnham’s premiership is transferring power away from Westminster and towards local areas. He has promised to “take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land”. The recent announcement of the governments intention to allow Mayors to keep a share of income tax and business rates revenues is likely to translate into stronger regional decision-making and less reliance on Whitehall. This is likely to translate into more housing powers for Mayors and combined authorities, including more opportunities for devolved authorities and councils to directly commission housing.
Council housing
Burnham explicitly committed in his first speech as Prime Minister to “build more council homes”. He has long argued that the market alone cannot solve affordability problems and was a strong advocate of social housing investment in Greater Manchester.
For the housing sector this raises the possibility of increased funding for social housing and specifically council house building. There have also been renewed calls for local authorities to be granted access to cheaper borrowing rates to boost scheme viability.
Regeneration and “reindustrialisation”
Burnham’s first speech as Prime Minister linked housing to a wider programme of economic renewal and reindustrialisation. He is expected to focus on regional investment and regeneration rather than concentrating growth in London and the South East.
Affordability
Burnham’s statements on affordability have tended to be framed around ‘help with the cost of living’ and giving people ‘some breathing space now’. He also argued that “life’s essentials” should be brought back under stronger public control to make them affordable. His statements around building more council and social homes fit within this wider affordability theme.
As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham supported a larger social housing sector and greater public intervention in housing markets. There are some early suggestions that this government may eventually frame affordability less around helping people buy homes and more around increasing the supply of social and council housing. Moves to devolve more powers over housing delivery to mayors and councils are likely to favour programmes that deliver affordable rented homes, and reduce homelessness and housing insecurity.
Reform of Social Care
The new Prime Minister has also signalled his determination to address the long-standing policy and funding stalemate around social care. In a speech on the issue he indicated that his preferred approach is to treat social care as a national public service on a par with the NHS. He pledged to accelerate reform by bringing forward Baroness Casey’s review, improving pay and career progression for care workers, and seeking cross-party agreement on long-term reform.
Private Sector housing
Although Burnham has not announced new measures as PM, he has historically supported stronger protections for renters and criticised housing insecurity.
Since the change in Prime Minister, MHCLG has continued to promote reforms aimed at improving protections for leaseholders and renters. Recent announcements include stronger transparency requirements around service charges and hidden fees for leaseholders.
Awaab’s Law Update
MHCLG has published a series of updates on Awaab’s Law in preparation for Phase 2 which will be rolled out from 30th November 2026 and increase the number of the hazards covered under the regulations
Awaab’s Law Phase 1 – Test and Learn Report (July 2026)
MHCLG commissioned Verian to undertake a ‘test and learn’ exercise in respect of the implementation of Awaab’s Law Phase 1 in October 2025. The research involved interviews and focus groups with social housing tenants and landlords across England and has been used to inform the approach on implementation of the second phase of Awaab’s Law.
Key findings – Phase 1 implementation:
- Awaab’s Law is starting to change behaviour across the sector, with landlords giving greater priority to serious hazards, particularly damp and mould.
- There is evidence of increased landlord accountability and strengthened organisational oversight of housing hazards. However, implementation has been uneven, with varying levels of preparedness, resources and operational capability evident among landlords.
- Tenants have generally welcomed the introduction of Awaab’s Law and felt it provided stronger rights and leverage when reporting hazards. However, awareness of the legislation among tenants was found to be relatively low, and often limited to damp and mould rather than hazards more generally.
- Tenants reported mixed experiences. Whilst emergency hazards were often addressed quickly, damp and mould cases frequently took weeks or months to resolve. Tenants were most dissatisfied when landlords appeared focused on meeting deadlines rather than delivering a lasting solution.
- The researchers noted that most landlords demonstrated a strong understanding of the overall aims of Awaab’s Law and had introduced new processes, governance arrangements and monitoring systems to comply with the regulations.
- Landlords highlighted implementation challenges including contractor capacity issues, difficulty obtaining specialist damp and mould expertise financial constraints and problems achieving compliance timescales on more complex cases.
- Overall Awaab’s Law is driving positive cultural and operational change, but the sector is still adapting. The greatest challenge is moving from rapid compliance responses to consistently delivering permanent solutions to hazards, particularly damp and mould, while managing resource and capacity pressures.
Linked Resources and Publications
Awaab’s Law Phase 2: Guidance
Updated guidance on implementation of the second phase of Awaab’s Law, has now been published to allow landlords time to prepare for the changes ahead of the implementation on 30 November 2026. The new requirements build on the measures introduced for Phase 1 in October 2025.
Phase 2 marks a major expansion of Awaab’s Law, increasing both the range of hazards covered and the importance of effective systems for early identification, tenant engagement and timely action /remediation.
From November 2026, Awaab’s Law will apply to additional hazards where they present a significant risk of harm, including:
- Excess cold
- Excess heat
- Falls hazards (including stairs and level changes)
- Structural collapse
- Fire and explosion risks
- Electrical hazards
- Domestic hygiene issues, including food safety and personal hygiene concerns.
The updated guidance reflects lessons learned from the first phase and introduces additional advice on hazard triage, access arrangements, written investigation summaries, fire safety considerations and practical implementation scenarios.
Key issues – Phase 2 Guidance
- Statutory response times introduced for damp and mould are being extended to a much wider range of housing hazards from 30 November 2026. Landlords therefore need robust systems for identifying, triaging, investigating and resolving hazards within prescribed timescales. If hazards cannot be made safe within the required timescales, landlords must provide suitable alternative accommodation at their own expense.
- Better hazard triage is essential to assess risk quickly and distinguish between significant and emergency hazards. The guidance places significant emphasis on staff training and having a structured triage process with clear escalation routes to ensure hazards are correctly categorised from first contact. The issue of triaging is dealt with separately within the guidance – see below.
- A new section in the guidance focusses on tenant communication. Landlords are expected to ensure residents understand their rights under Awaab’s Law and receive clear, accessible information throughout the investigation and repair process. The guidance emphasises transparent communication, accurate record keeping and effective escalation procedures.
- The guidance reinforces that landlords must not dismiss hazards on the basis of assumed tenant behaviour or “lifestyle”. The focus is on property-related defects or conditions that create hygiene, sanitation, or food safety risks. The key point is that carrying out everyday activities such as cooking, bathing and drying clothes are not considered a breach of tenancy and should not prevent landlord action.
MHCLG is running a series of summer webinars on Awaab’s Law covering Learning from Phase 1 ‘test and learn’ and Phase 2 implementation requirements
Learning from ‘Test and Learn’ (Phase 1)
This session will focus on lessons emerging from our test-and-learn activity and how these can support implementation planning.
Topics will include:
- Key insights from test-and-learn activity and lessons learned for implementation
- What does this mean for landlords
- Landlord case study
- Q&A
Learning from Test and Learn – Sign Up Links
Preparing for Phase 2
This session will focus on the Phase 2 requirements and the practical steps landlords can take now to prepare for implementation.
Topics will include:
- Overview of the Phase 2 requirements and landlord responsibilities
- Overview of guidance
- Landlord case study
- Q&A
Preparing for Phase 2 – Sign Up Links
Housing Sector Calls on P.M. to increase resources for Social and Affordable Homes Programme
CWAG joined 8 social housing representative bodies to call for urgent government action to safeguard and accelerate the delivery of new social and affordable homes. In a joint statement published by Inside Housing, sector leaders have highlighted two immediate priorities:
- Sign off current bids to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme to prevent disruption to development pipelines and maintain delivery momentum.
- Increase overall funding for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, including additional investment in its early years, to match the sector’s ambition, accelerate delivery and support the construction of much-needed homes.
A letter was also written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the same, copying in Secretary of State, Angela Rayner and Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook.
Recent Publications
Regulatory Casework Review 2026 – Regulator of Social Housing
This annual report covers key themes from the Regulator’s economic and consumer regulation over the past year. The overarching message is that good governance is fundamental to tenant safety, financial resilience, value for money and service quality.
Right to Buy Sales 2025/26
MHCLG has published the official outturn for Right to Buy sales in 2025/26. Local authorities reported 14,275 eligible sales in the year, an increase of 90% compared to 2024-25. The total number of property sales to tenants through the Right to Buy scheme since 1980 is 2,052,813.
Home Truths: Housing-led approaches to homelessness – IPPR North
IPPR researchers investigated three regions in England that have used devolved powers to develop housing-led approaches to tackle homelessness. The report makes a number of recommendations around strategic planning powers, tackling long-term empty properties and strengthening obligations on RPs to work with councils to house people experiencing homelessness.
More than Just Bricks and Mortar – Shelter
This report presents findings from longitudinal research into the impact of moving into a social rent home. It follows more than 1,000 social tenants, many of whom previously experienced homelessness, temporary accommodation, or insecure private renting. The report reinforces the wider social, health and economic benefits of access to social housing.
No home to go to: how frozen Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are causing homelessness
In this briefing, a range of homelessness, housing and older people’s charities, landlords, health organisations and advice organisations have come together on the issue of failure to uplift the Local Housing Allowance. LHA rates now only covering the rent on around 2% of privately advertised homes leaving many households struggling to cover their housing costs and increasing the risk of homelessness and poverty. The impacts are being felt throughout the housing system, including in higher demand for temporary accommodation, challenges moving on from supported housing, and greater pressure on local authorities and homelessness services.
Diary Dates
Annual General Meeting
This year the CWAG AGM will be held on Teams on Thursday 1st October 2026 (10.00 – 12.00)
As well as the formal business of the AGM to review the general operating arrangements, work-plan, and financial affairs of the group, there are some important decisions for members on the future structure and direction of the group.
Our speaker this year will be Guy Marshall, Director of Fuza Ltd who will be discussing the challenges, risks and opportunities of AI for the social housing sector.
Save the Date – Monday 19th October 2026
We are currently planning a joint webinar with the National Federation of ALMOs on Strategic AI awareness. The session aims to bring together councils and ALMOs to consider the implications of AI and governance for this sector. The session will focus on:
- Understanding AI risks, strategic opportunities, and the path to effective implementation.
- Focusing on strategic-level governance rather than technical complexities, empowering leaders to ask the right questions.
- Aligning strategic thinking between ALMOs and parent councils to foster a unified approach to AI adoption.