This week the Regulator of Social Housing has launched its consultation on proposed updates to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. The proposals introduce the government’s new competence and conduct requirements and the Social Tenant Access to Information Regulations into the consumer standards framework. They also include a small number of changes to the Tenant Satisfaction Measures, including a proposed new measure on electrical safety checks.
Each part of the consultation matters individually, but together they reflect a continued movement towards greater openness, stronger resident influence and clearer expectations of professional behaviour in the social housing sector. This is the regulatory direction of travel, and it is unlikely to shift once the consultation period closes.
Why this matters for organisational readiness
For registered providers, the consultation raises expectations around how information is shared, how residents are meaningfully involved and how organisations evidence transparent and accountable decision making. Much of this is operational rather than strategic. It lives in real time interactions between residents and frontline colleagues.
Housing officers, ASB practitioners and customer facing teams are already responsible for demonstrating proportionality, communication quality, learning and resident influence within day to day casework. If the proposals move forward as anticipated, these responsibilities will become even more central to compliance. This is why the consultation should sit high on the radar for anyone responsible for workforce planning.
Beginning early creates space for teams to adjust and for organisations to embed the capability needed to operate confidently within the evolving framework.
How the Competence and Conduct Standard reinforces the shift
The consultation also sits alongside a significant piece of the regulatory picture. The forthcoming Competence and Conduct Standard sets out clearer expectations of capability and professional behaviour across the sector. It positions competence as a requirement that must be evidenced consistently, not a desirable extra.
This creates a strong connection between the new standard and the proposed TI&A updates. The Competence and Conduct Standard outlines what professionalism should look like. The TI&A proposals show where and how these behaviours will need to be demonstrated. Communication, record keeping, decision making and respectful engagement with residents are the practical expressions of competence that will underpin compliance.
This reinforces the need for workforce development to be considered strategically. Organisations will not meet these expectations through policy alone. They will meet them through the confidence, clarity and consistency of their people.
The rising importance of competence and conduct
Across the sector there is already recognition that communication gaps, unclear decision making and inconsistent record keeping create risk. The Housing Ombudsman’s findings continue to highlight these themes. The increasing emphasis on learning cultures encourages organisations to reflect on how practice evolves and improves over time. Professional boundaries and psychological safety are now recognised as influential factors in performance and wellbeing.
All of this points to the same conclusion. Competence and conduct form the bedrock of safe, accountable and resident focused services.
The frontline reality
To meet the expectations outlined in the TI&A consultation and in the new Competence and Conduct Standard, frontline colleagues need more than technical knowledge. They need structured communication skills, clarity in decision making, confidence in proportionality and record keeping that withstands scrutiny. They also need the ability to explain decisions openly and involve residents in ways that are meaningful rather than procedural.
Organisations that invest in these foundations often see operational pressure reduce, because issues are handled earlier, more clearly and with fewer misunderstandings. Workforce capability is not an abstract concept. It shapes the resident experience, the defensibility of decisions and the quality of organisational learning.
How Kingdom Academy supports preparedness
At Kingdom Academy we work with organisations across the sector that are preparing for these changes. Our qualifications and short courses strengthen communication, ethical judgement, record keeping, professional conduct and reflective habits. These are the building blocks of competence and the skills that frontline teams need in order to meet regulatory expectations with confidence.
We are also supporting providers to embed these competencies consistently across roles. This creates a coherent approach to professionalism rather than pockets of individual development. It is this consistency that will matter most as the regulatory framework continues to evolve.
Although the consultation remains open, the narrative is clear. Workforce competence is becoming a defining feature of compliance, resident trust and organisational performance. Providers that begin reviewing their capability needs now will be better positioned when the final TI&A Standard and the Competence and Conduct Standard are in place.
The consultation is open until 6.30pm on 6 March 2026. It is an important opportunity for providers to shape the final requirements and reflect on what their teams will need in order to meet them well. You can read and respond to the consultation here.
To help you explore what the competence and conduct requirements mean for your organisation, Kingdom Academy’s exclusive Employer Toolkit provides a practical, strengths based assessment you can use immediately. You can find out more and download the toolkit with instant access…