The National Audit Office (NAO) is planning a study into the quality of social housing in England, with publication scheduled for winter 2026/27.

The work will examine the quality of existing social housing and consider whether recent reforms to the sector, and to the way it is regulated, are financially sustainable and likely to meet the government’s aims for improving the quality of social homes.

Social housing provides around 4.5 million homes in England, housing around one in six households, or approximately 9 million to 10 million people.

The NAO said around 60% of social housing tenants rent from housing associations, with the remainder renting from local authorities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has policy responsibility for the sector, while the Regulator of Social Housing regulates registered providers.

Social landlords have a legal duty to ensure their homes meet the Decent Homes Standard. The NAO said homes must be in a reasonable state of repair, have modern facilities, provide thermal comfort and be free from hazards that pose a serious threat to health and safety, such as damp and mould.

As of 2023, an estimated 10% of social homes did not meet the current standard, according to the NAO.

The watchdog said the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020, following prolonged exposure to mould in his home, exposed systemic failures to protect residents in the social housing system.

MHCLG has since introduced a series of measures intended to improve the safety, quality and oversight of social housing in England. These include Awaab’s Law, a new Decent Homes Standard and new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, alongside wider reforms to how the sector is regulated. The NAO said its study will consider MHCLG’s understanding of the quality of social housing, its vision and plans for reforming the sector, and the effectiveness of the system, funding mechanisms and regulatory frameworks in ensuring homes are safe and decent.

The study will also look at the pace and scale of change, as well as outcomes for tenants.

The NAO is inviting evidence for the study. Submissions can be sent to [email protected], with the study title included in the subject line.