In the third of a series of blogs on new regulations in the homelessness sector, Homeless Link Associate Consultant Becky Elton explains how the Competence and Conduct Standard will shape how providers train, support and manage staff across housing management.

The Competence and Conduct Standard comes into force in October 2026, and it’s one of the biggest regulatory changes to follow the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. For our members delivering supported housing, it’s not just another compliance task: it will shape how you recruit, train, support and manage staff across housing management, and how you show that to the Regulator. That matters whether you’re the Registered Provider, or you deliver services as a managing agent on an RP’s behalf.

If you’re already juggling staffing pressures, service quality, complaints, repairs and resident relationships, this standard sits right in the middle of it. The earlier you get clear on who is in scope (based on what people do, not their job title), the easier it is to plan training, budgets and contract conversations.

The standard at a glance

  • October 2026: The standard comes into force. It is expected to become part of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability (TI&A) Consumer Standard. The Regulator of Social Housing will publish an updated standard and guidance before the implementation date.
  • Transition periods for qualifications: Large providers (1,000+ homes) have until October 2029. Small providers (under 1,000 homes) have until October 2030. New staff must enrol within 12 months of starting.
  • Who it covers: All staff involved in delivering housing management services — not just senior leaders. But the qualification requirements specifically apply to senior housing managers and senior housing executives.
  • Who it affects indirectly: If you're a managing agent or support provider delivering housing management on behalf of a Registered Provider, you'll need to meet the same expectations.

What's this actually about?

The standard grew directly out of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the evidence heard during the government's 2018 Social Housing Green Paper consultations. Residents described a breakdown of trust with their landlords, feeling ignored, a lack of accountability, and staff who didn't treat them with respect. The death of Awaab Ishak reinforced how much damage can come from poor service, inadequate training, and a failure to respond to residents' concerns.

The Competence & Conduct standard is the government's response to those concerns. It requires Registered Providers to make sure the people delivering housing services have the right skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours to do the job well and to treat residents properly. It's not just about getting qualifications. It's about whether your organisation takes professional competence and conduct seriously and can demonstrate that it does.

What does the standard require?

There are three main parts to it: skills and conduct for all staff, qualifications for senior staff, and written policies and codes of conduct.

Skills, knowledge and conduct for all relevant staff. Registered Providers must check that everyone involved in delivering housing management services has the skills they need. "Relevant staff" isn't defined by job title, in practice, it’s based on function. If someone is doing housing management work (tenancy management, repairs, lettings, complaints, ASB, income management, estates management, and so on), they're in scope.

Qualifications for senior staff. Senior housing managers and senior housing executives must hold, or be working towards, a recognised housing management qualification. "Senior housing manager" usually means someone managing direct service delivery to tenants. "Senior housing executive" usually means a Head of Service or Director with strategic accountability. Staff with partially compliant qualifications can top up with additional modules.

Written policies and codes of conduct. Providers must adopt a formal written policy for workforce development and performance management, alongside a code of conduct. The policy must be regularly updated, fit for purpose, and tailored to different roles. Tenants must also be given meaningful opportunities to influence these policies. Both policies and codes must be accessible to tenants.

What does "in scope" actually mean for supported housing?

This is where it really matters for Homeless Link members. The standard applies to anyone providing services connected with the management of social housing. In supported housing, that line between housing management and support delivery isn't always clear, particularly where one person is doing both for example, a support worker who also does sign-ups, rent accounts, repairs reporting, or liaises with contractors.

If your staff are doing housing management functions (handling tenancy issues, managing repairs, dealing with ASB, managing lettings), they're in scope for the competence and conduct requirements. If a senior member of your team spends the majority of their time managing housing management service delivery, or it's a substantial part of their role, the qualification requirement will apply to them.

This matters most in organisations where support workers also carry out housing management tasks. Depending on what your or your RP partner's policy requires, it could mean some or all of your team need specific levels of training or qualifications in housing management.

Scenario 1: You're a Registered Provider delivering supported housing

The duty sits with you. Even if you contract out delivery to a managing agent, you need to be able to show the Regulator that the standard is being met across your services.

What to think about now:

  • Audit your workforce. Map which roles involve housing management functions and identify who's in scope for qualifications. Don't rely on job titles, look at what people actually do.
  • Check existing qualifications. Some staff may already hold relevant qualifications or be close. Identify where top-up training would work and where full qualifications are needed.
  • Get your written policies in order. You need a workforce development and performance management policy, and a code of conduct. These need to be tailored to different roles, kept up to date, and accessible to tenants. Tenants should have meaningful input into both.
  • Talk to your managing agents. If you have management agreements in place, you'll need to know what their staffing and training picture looks like. The implied terms in management services agreements (under s217A of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008) mean your services providers are contractually obliged to meet the qualification requirements from October 2026.
  • Plan for the cost. There's no ringfenced government funding. Larger organisations may be able to use the Apprenticeship Levy, but smaller providers will likely need to budget for this directly or apply to an Apprenticeship Levy transfer scheme, see below.

Scenario 2: You're a managing agent or support provider working for a RP

The legal duty is on the Registered Provider, but you won't be able to ignore this. The standard makes clear that RPs must take appropriate steps to ensure their service providers' staff meet the same competence and conduct expectations. And from October 2026, qualification requirements are written into management services agreements as implied terms.

What that means for you:

  • Expect your RP partners to ask questions. They'll want to know which of your staff are in scope, what qualifications they hold, what your training plans look like, and how you manage conduct. Get ahead of this by reviewing it yourself first.
  • Look at your staffing model. If your staff carry out housing management functions alongside support, they're likely in scope. Work out where the line falls for your organisation and what that means for training and qualifications.
  • Review your own policies. Even if the formal duty is on the RP, having your own workforce development policy and code of conduct will put you in a much stronger position and your RP partner may require it.
  • Think about cost and capacity. Enrolling staff in qualifications takes time and money. If you're a smaller organisation without access to the Apprenticeship Levy, you need to plan how you'll fund this (see Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Scheme information below). Start conversations with your RP partners about how costs and responsibilities will be shared.

Apprenticeship Levy & Transfer Schemes

If you're a larger employer (pay bill over £3m), you already pay into the Apprenticeship Levy and can use that to fund qualifications. If you're not, there's still an option, some levy-paying organisations don't use all their funds and can transfer up to 50% to other employers, including smaller providers.

You can find details of the national scheme here and some Combined Authorities and local councils also run a scheme.

The Level 4 and 5 qualifications needed under the standard could be funded this way, along with lower-level housing management qualifications you might want staff to work towards.

How will this be regulated?

The Regulator of Social Housing will take an assurance-based approach, the same as for the other Consumer Standards. That means you need to be able to show you meet the standard, not just say you do. The Regulator won't hand you a checklist of required skills. You're expected to define what competence and conduct looks like for your organisation and your roles, and then demonstrate you're delivering it.

The kind of evidence the Regulator is likely to want includes records of training needs and qualification gaps, evidence that training is actually improving service quality, workforce development plans, and proof that your policies are being used and reviewed, not just sitting in a folder.

What should you be doing now?

October 2026 isn't far away. Even though the qualification transition periods give you some breathing room, the broader requirements around policies, conduct, and workforce competence apply from day one.

Start by reading the government's consultation response and direction. Map your workforce against the functions in Annex A of the policy statement to work out who's in scope, and identify where the qualification gaps are. Get your workforce development policy and code of conduct drafted or updated; with tenant involvement built in from the start. If you're a managing agent, now is the time to open those conversations with your RP partners about expectations and timescales."

There is a range of training available from different providers. You can find information on Homeless Link's accredited Level 4 qualification in Homelessness Services Management. The national homelessness skills framework is also a useful reference point.

The Chartered Institute of Housing also has a webpage with detailed information on the standard.

You can find more detail on the Competence and Conduct Standard, along with guidance on the other regulatory changes affecting supported housing, on our regulation of homelessness services page.