New HQN research published today shines a light on two connected challenges facing the social housing sector – responding to Awaab’s Law and gaining access to tenants’ properties.

The research has been commissioned by five partners in the council housing sector – the Local Government Association, the National Federation of ALMOs, the Councils with ALMOs group and the Association of Retained Council Housing – and the sector’s professional body, the Chartered Institute of Housing. Together we represent all local authorities across England.

The research comprises two complementary studies conducted by HQN associate Janis Bright:

1. Opening the door – the first systematic examination of the causes of ‘no access’, exploring why access is becoming more challenging and the solutions emerging across the sector.
2. Preparing for Awaab’s Law: Progress by social housing providers – an assessment of how councils and ALMOs have readied themselves for phase one of Awaab’s Law, introduced in October 2025 and the pressures they anticipate as further phases come into force.