What is STAIRs?

STAIRs stands for Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements. It’s a new policy that gives people who live in social housing stronger rights to information about their home and landlord.

Why has STAIRs been introduced?

These new information requirements mean that all social housing organisations have to be more open, clear and transparent with their customers about how their homes and services are managed.

Sharing more information means that people living in social housing can see how decisions are made, how money is spent, and how services are run. This helps customers understand their landlord better and hold them to account.

What does it mean for customers?

1. Even more information will be published openly

From October 2026, social housing landlords must publish key information in an easy‑to‑find way. This includes things like:

• How the organisation is run and who makes decisions
• How money is spent
• How homes are managed and maintained
• How the landlord is performing
• How tenants can have their say

We already publish a lot of this information, but we’ll be pulling it all into one place on the website to make it easy as possible to access.

2. From 2027 you’ll be able to ask for more information directly

From April 2027, customers (or someone acting on their behalf) will be able to ask their landlord for information about how their home or services are managed.

For example, tenants could ask about:

• Repairs and maintenance policies
• Safety checks and inspections
• Complaints handling
• Service standards or performance

Landlords should normally respond within 30 days.

Are there any limits to what will be shared?

STAIRs is about transparency, but it doesn’t mean everything will be publicly shared.

For example, landlords can withhold information if sharing it would:

• Break data protection or privacy laws
• Put someone’s safety at risk
• Involve confidential or legally restricted information

This helps make sure information is shared fairly and responsibly.

In summary, what STAIRs means for you

We want to make sure you feel informed, respected and confident. The introduction of STAIRS will provide:

• Even more openness about how how we work
• Easier access to information about your home and services
• Clear timescales for responses
• Stronger rights to challenge poor information sharing