Sustainability for Housing (SfH), the company responsible for the development, promotion and strategic direction of the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing (SRS), has launched its 2nd Annual Review of the SRS.

Since 2020, the SRS has provided the sector with a consistent, comparable, and transparent way of telling its ESG story, SfH says.

According to SfH, this year’s report demonstrates the value of the SRS to the sector, while “demonstrating how far we have already come together”.

The number of housing associations that have produced ESG reports during the year increased by 30%.

As of the 1st of June 2023, there were:

  • 94 housing provider adopters, accounting for 2.2 million homes across the UK, equivalent to 45% of England’s housing stock
  • 36 funder adopters who provide the vast majority of the c.£130bn of private finance to the sector
  • A further 30 endorsers of the SRS.

A poll, based on feedback from 84 organisations, found:

  • All funders believe the SRS has the potential to encourage more finance into the sector
  • 59% of housing providers said they were not asked for additional information from lenders beyond their SRS data
  • Two-thirds of funders said the SRS helped them support housing providers in achieving favourable financing terms
  • Almost a third of HAs believe the SRS helped them obtain ESG-linked finance
  • 84% of housing providers who reported against the SRS found it easier this year than the previous one
  • The SRS accelerated the implementation of planned ESG actions for 57% of respondents
  • 63% of funders using the framework believe it has strengthened their relationship with HAs, leading to more in-depth discussions on specific ESG measures and targets.

To read the full report, click here.