duration

Location
Virtual

STAIRs is on the way. Get practical advice and legal guidance on everything you need to do. Make sure you’re fully up to speed and prepared.

  • Read more

    The Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) will introduce a new transparency framework for private registered providers with a phased approach:

    • From October 2026, providers will need a clear, accessible publication scheme
    • From April 2027, tenants will have a right to request information within the requirements scope.

    This updated session focuses on the practicalities – what, when and how.

    You’ll hear how housing providers are preparing for the changes including:

    • Developing their publication schemes
    • Designing request-handling efficient processes – triaging requests, internal SLAs, audit trails, redaction and decision making around withholding.

    You’ll also get a legal view on:

    • The implications of getting it wrong
    • What robust record keeping and governance looks like in practice.

    Plenty of time for discussion with a Q&A session for delegates to talk through their issues. You’ll leave with a clear plan of what to do next.

    What to expect

    • A clear overview of what STAIRs will require and the phased timetable
    • Legal insight on risk, non-compliance and defensible decision making
    • Two practical case studies on:
      • Developing a publication scheme that stays current and is easy to use
      • Handling information requests consistently, fairly and efficiently
      • Approaches to triage, time limits, exemptions, refusals, internal reviews and the realities of volume.
    • A Q&A at the end.

    What we’ll cover

    • STAIRs scope and key requirements
      • Publication scheme vs requests on demand.
    • What to do now: planning, resourcing and ownership
    • Publication scheme:
      • Content map and classes of information
      • Governance and approvals
      • Update cycle, version control and accessibility.
    • Handling requests:
      • Intake routes and triage
      • Withholding, exemptions and sign-off
      • Internal SLAs, logging and audit trails.
    • Redaction, third-party information and data protection overlap.
  • Our speakers

    Roger Jarman, Associate, HQN
    Roger Jarman is a long-standing HQN Associate. He provides consultancy services, leads training programmes and writes on housing regulation and other matters. He is the author of HQN’s toolkit on the new regulatory framework for social housing. Apart from his consultancy work, Roger runs a small housing charity in West London. In September 2024, he was appointed Chair of the Independent Housing Board for the London Borough of Ealing. He has held non-executive positions in three housing providers.

    He has worked in senior positions in both housing associations and local authorities. From 1991 to 1999, he was Head of Housing Management at the Housing Corporation and from 1999 to 2011, he was Head of Housing at the Audit Commission, overseeing the 1,400 housing inspections undertaken by the commission during that period. He was a member of the team that produced the Cave Review of social housing regulation in 2007.

    Hetal Ruparelia, Partner, Housing Management and Property Litigation Team, Devonshires
    Hetal advises on various aspects of property litigation and housing management including breach of lease issues, adverse possession, boundary disputes, lease variations, regeneration advice and service charge disputes. Hetal also provides non-contentious advice on housing and policy issues.

    Hetal is also head of Devonshires’ information team. She has particular expertise in advising clients on compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Hetal is a specialist in the area and her experience covers all aspects of information law and privacy including the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004, breach of privacy and breach of confidentiality.

    Thomas Dalton, Access to Information Requests Manager, Southern Housing
    Thomas Dalton is Access to Information Requests Manager at Southern Housing, where he leads work to prepare the organisation for the Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs). In this role, Thomas is focused on translating the developing requirements into day to day practice — including designing a workable approach to publication, building internal processes for handling requests and coordinating input across multiple teams.

    At this event, Thomas will share a practical, early-stage case study of Southern Housing’s approach so far: what they’ve put in place, the challenges and uncertainties they’re planning for (including request volumes) and how emerging factors such as AI may shape the way requests are made and responded to.

    Sian Green, Data And Regulatory Compliance Advisor, Yorkshire Housing
    Sian Green is a Data and Regulatory Compliance Advisor at Yorkshire Housing, a role she has held since August 2022. In this position, Sian has further developed and strengthened her expertise in data protection, governance, and regulatory compliance, supporting the organisation to meet its statutory and ethical obligations while promoting best practice in data handling.
  • Programme

    10:30am Welcome and introductions

    Roger Jarman, Associate, HQN

    10:40am STAIRs – overview of the requirements and expectations

    Roger Jarman, Associate, HQN
    • An overview of the STAIRs landscape, including the key legal and regulatory context
    • The latest developments and what they mean for housing providers preparing for implementation
    • Early considerations for organisations as they get ready for the new requirements.

    11:10am Legal implications of non-compliance

    Hetal Ruparelia, Partner, Housing Management and Property Litigation Team, Devonshires
    • The practical implications of STAIRs for registered providers and the steps they should be thinking about now
    • Common areas of uncertainty, including how STAIRs differs from other information rights regimes
    • Key legal and operational issues to keep in mind when reviewing processes, responsibilities and documentation.

    11:40am Break

    11:50am Handling requests: triage, exemptions/withholding, internal SLAs and audit trails

    Thomas Dalton, Access to Information Requests Manager, Southern Housing
    • Southern Housing’s real-world approach to implementing STAIRs: where preparation started, what’s in place now, and what’s next
    • The practical challenges of making STAIRs work day to day, from multi-team coordination to handling uncertainty around demand and evolving requirements
    • What AI-generated requests could mean in practice, and how housing providers can prepare for increased complexity and time spent assessing submissions.

    12:20pm Building a publication scheme that actually works (content map, governance, update cycle)

    Sian Green, Data And Regulatory Compliance Advisor, Yorkshire Housing
    • Yorkshire Housing’s approach to building a publication scheme that residents can understand and use with confidence
    • What it takes behind the scenes to map content, agree ownership, and keep publication scheme information accurate and up to date
    • The real-life pitfalls Yorkshire Housing has encountered so far, and the changes being made to improve clarity, tone and customer experience.

    12:50pm Q&A and wrap-up

    Roger Jarman, Associate, HQN

     

    1:30pm 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

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    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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