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How the housing Code of Conduct has changed
Resident influence has helped to shape a revised code which aims to help housing associations meet their regulatory obligations
GOVERNANCE
Catherine Little
Director, Campbell Tickell
Catherine Little
Director, Campbell Tickell
Issue 85 | September 2026
The updated National Housing Federation (NHF) Code of Conduct was launched at the start of the summer and we were delighted to have been commissioned to review and update the document.
Since the last review of the Code in 2022, the regulatory and operating context for social landlords in England has moved on significantly, including through stronger expectations on professionalism, accountability and listening to the resident voice. The pending publication of the new Competence and Conduct expectations as we drafted the Code, reinforced our view that residents needed meaningful opportunities to influence both its shape and its content.
A Code of Conduct is now required by the housing sector’s main Code of Governance, by the For Profits Code of Governance and, for staff, by the Regulator of Social Housing’s Competence and Conduct standard.
How we approached the review
One of the main challenges in reviewing the Code was to stick to its central purpose. Simply put, a Code of Conduct sets out acceptable behaviours for people within a certain group. In this case, it’s aimed at board members, staff, and residents involved in formal groups at their housing association.
We heard from a number of people involved – particularly those from smaller housing associations and residents – that situating the Code alongside the raft of sector changes would be helpful. To keep the Code up to date and relevant, that just wasn’t possible, but the NHF and Campbell Tickell both recognise this need and plan to follow up with future blogs to inform this.
“Residents felt particularly strongly about the need for the transparency that is enabled by seeing the conduct expected of all involved with their housing association.”
Responding to feedback
An almost unanimous message we heard was a preference for one code that could be accessed by the range of audiences. Residents felt particularly strongly about the need for the transparency that is enabled by seeing the conduct expected of all involved with their housing association. We used a simple colour and initial coding system to denote who each section applies to.
We had some robust discussions around how to define ‘involved residents’ (spoiler alert: it’s to agree locally between housing association and residents). As a result, we strengthened some of the text setting out that the Code must not be used in any way to stop residents speaking up or making complaints – in fact supporting this is a behaviour expected of the Code.
Resident influence
Resident influence was built into the review through several routes: a survey, follow-up discussion groups and a readers’ panel. Some residents’ groups also submitted joint responses, reflecting discussion within their own groups. We are particularly grateful to members of the NHF Tenants’ Panel, the G15 Residents’ Group, the Stop Social Housing Stigma committee and the Community Homes Partnership residents who joined a focus group, as well as to the other residents who gave their time to contribute.
The process was fast-paced, but it allowed time to discuss, test and revise the Code in response to feedback. Some discussions focused on areas of disagreement, in particular, what should sit within a Code of Conduct and what belongs elsewhere, for example in organisational policy or a Code of Governance. Many other discussions led directly to stronger wording.
As a result, the final Code places greater emphasis on residents, with every section considering the impact on them. It recognises the particular responsibilities of housing association staff who may need to enter people’s homes. The Code includes expectations around empathy and accountability, and also addresses the need to tackle social housing stigma alongside wider expectations of equity, fairness and respect.
What's next?
The Code is now available in PDF and Word format and is free to access from the NHF website. The intention (and a requirement from the RSH) is that landlords consult locally and create opportunities to agree the content with residents – particularly in relation to expectations for involved residents and staff. We are not suggesting every landlord should replicate our process, but a multi-level, iterative approach has clear value where the aim is meaningful influence rather than one-off consultation.
The NHF is clear that it wants the Code to be available to any social landlord – including housing associations that are not NHF members – for-profit providers, local authorities and others. For housing organisations, the opportunity now is to use the Code as more than a compliance document, making sure that it is accessible and meaningful as a prompt for better local conversations about culture and conduct. It is available on the NHF website here: National Housing Federation - Code of Conduct 2026.
“The opportunity now is to use the Code as more than a compliance document, making sure that it is accessible and meaningful as a prompt for better local conversations about culture and conduct.”
