duration

Location
Virtual

Get up to speed with the flurry of rent policy announcements from MHCLG and the Regulator of Social Housing at this timely event, with analysis, advice and guidance from our expert speakers. Plus a copy of our step by step guide.

  • Read more

    “The government remains committed to providing a stable rent policy for social and affordable housing that supports investment in new and existing homes, with the right protections for existing and future tenants and for public spending” MHCLG, January 2026

    At the end of January, the government finally announced its long-awaited decision on the rent convergence rate for social housing properties.

    It also directed the Regulator of Social Housing to publish a new Rent Standard, effective from this April, taking into account a wave of changes to rent policy, including the government’s 10-year rent settlement.

    Alongside the announcements, a new social rent policy statement and rent standard guidance have been published so there’s a lot of information for housing finance and rent compliance professionals to take in.

    This timely event provides practical help and advice to get delegates across the detail, understand the changes and ensure rents are set accurately and in line with regulatory requirements.

    Communicating rent convergence and other changes to residents is expected to be one of the biggest challenges for housing providers due to the complexity of the subject and the sensitivities involved. We’ll explore how to go about it.

    You will:

    • Get clear, practical guidance on what the rent convergence policy means in practice – who it applies to, when it applies from and how the calculation works, with time for questions and real-world examples
    • Get a full update on the new Rent Standard and guidance on how to approach its implementation
    • Get advice on how to communicate rent convergence and other changes to residents in a sensitive, timely and easy-to-understand way
    • Hear from Samantha Grix from Devonshires about the legal issues you need to consider
    • Get expert advice and guidance from HQN’s rent specialists. Ian Parker and Mark Henderson will cover the key issues you need to address to ensure rents are set correctly and tenants are supported in order to pay the rent.

    Delegates attending this session will receive a complimentary copy of HQN’s ‘Rent convergence step by step guide’.

  • Our speakers

    Lewis Kinch, Housing Engagement Lead, HQN
    Lewis is a co-creation and engagement specialist driven by a belief that the people closest to challenges hold the answers to solving them. With 15 years experience across housing and community work, he champions power-sharing and genuine partnership between organisations and the communities they serve.Lewis has led the development of innovative frameworks and strategies that give residents meaningful influence in decision-making, always centring seldom-heard voices and challenging traditional top-down approaches.

    He combines systems thinking with participatory design methodologies to tackle complex challenges, committed to embedding person-centred cultures where residents, staff, and stakeholders work as equals.

    Ian Parker, Housing Finance Network Associate, HQN
    Ian has worked in the public sector for 40 years. During his career he has worked in senior positions in local government and has been the Finance Director at four RPs.  Ian has worked as a consultant for the last eight years and during that period has:

    • Developed HQN’s VfM metric model
    • Provided advice to clients about the sector’s VfM agenda
    • Undertaken in excess of 60+ mock In Depth Assessments (IDAs)
    • Developed HQN’s merger model.

    Ian is HQN’s Lead Finance Associate and in that role he provides advice to members of the Housing Finance Network and also ensures that they receive relevant news and technical updates.

    Mark Henderson, Associate, HQN
    Mark has a long and distinguished career in social housing with over 40 years’ housing-related experience. He works as an associate with HQN, undertaking consultancy and research in a variety of areas for members across the UK.

    He was previously Director of Housing at Wolverhampton Homes, where he was influential in taking the ALMO to a three-star excellent rating.

    His major interests are income collection and arrears recovery. He’s passionate about tenant involvement and engagement, tenant management organisations, anti-social behaviour, and all general housing management issues.

    Samantha Grix, Partner, Devonshires
    Samantha is a Partner in the Housing Management and Property Litigation team at Devonshires and has worked in the sector for almost 15 years. She was called to the Bar before cross qualifying as a solicitor and has worked at Devonshires throughout her career.

    Samantha deals with all areas of housing management and specialises in rent regulation and the consumer standards. She regularly advises clients on compliance and forms part of their team when an issue is discovered to the point of resolution.
  • Programme

    2:00pm Welcome and introduction

    Lewis Kinch, Housing Engagement Lead, HQN

    2:10pm Policy & regulatory changes

    Samantha Grix, Partner, Devonshires
    • Key changes within the updated Rent Standard and policy framework
    • Rent convergence: what’s new and what it means in practice
    • How recent announcements interact across the wider rent regime
    • Compliance risks, timelines and issues providers need to be aware of.

     

    2:50pm Practical implementation & governance

    Ian Parker, Housing Finance Network Associate, HQN and Mark Henderson, Associate, HQN
    • Governance, assurance and policy updates
    • Planning for implementation and managing organisational impact
    • Systems readiness and operational risks
    • Communicating changes effectively with residents and stakeholders.

     

    3:50pm Wrap-up and key takeaways

    Lewis Kinch, Housing Engagement Lead, HQN

    4:00pm Close

  • Cancellations and substitutions

    If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected]

    Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable.

    If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance.

    Cancellations must be made in writing and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited.

  • Price and booking

    Bookings are closed for this event.

    If you experience any issues when submitting your booking, please email [email protected] with the name and date of the session along with the delegate name(s), email address(es) and job title(s) and we'll process the booking for you.

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