Racism in social housing
“Racism in social housing is not only about individual behaviour. It shows up in outcomes, decision-making, waiting times, allocations, repairs, complaints, ASB responses, staff culture and whether residents feel believed. The current challenge for SHARP organisations is to move from anti-racist statements to evidence: what do our records show, how do we respond when race is a factor, and can we prove that Black and minoritised residents receive fair outcomes?”
Heriot-Watt University’s I-SPHERE research found that only 10% of Black families gained social housing through the statutory homelessness system, compared with 24% of White families, using analysis of 750,000 household outcome records in England.
Key issue 1: Race inequality in access to social housing
The latest evidence points to a serious access problem. Heriot-Watt’s 2025 research says Black families accepted as statutorily homeless were less than half as likely to gain social housing as White families, and similar low outcomes were identified for other minoritised families. The same research reported that Black families are six times more likely to live in overcrowded conditions than White households, while Pakistani and Bangladeshi households face overcrowding rates over seven times the White average.
Your organisation should be asking itself:-
“Are our allocations, banding, refusals, direct lets, transfers and homelessness nominations being monitored by ethnicity — and are we prepared to act if the outcomes are unequal?”
Action to propose:
Create a quarterly race equity dashboard covering waiting times, allocations, refusals, offers withdrawn, temporary accommodation length, overcrowding, medical priority, homelessness nominations and complaints.
Key issue 2: Anti-racism risks being diluted into generic EDI
The new Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing in England is due to come into force in October 2026, with transition periods for senior housing managers and executives to have, or be working towards, relevant qualifications. The government response says course content for general housing management roles includes equality, diversity and inclusion and awareness of needs and vulnerabilities, but Shelter argues that EDI alone is not enough and is campaigning for anti-racism to be an explicit part of the standard.
Your organisation should be asking itself:-
“Will our staff training explicitly cover anti-racism, structural racism, racialised assumptions, hate incidents and culturally competent service delivery — or will it stop at generic EDI?”
Action to propose:
Audit all housing management, repairs, ASB and complaints training. Add a mandatory anti-racism module with resident case studies, decision-making scenarios and manager sign-off.
Key issue 3: Racist ASB and hate incidents are still being mishandled
The Housing Ombudsman’s July 2025 severe maladministration learning report says hate crime and harassment can have significant consequences and that landlords should specifically record hate incidents, take early and firm action, monitor patterns across homes, and treat reports with seriousness and sensitivity.
A recent Ombudsman case involving Orbit Housing showed the practical risk. A resident reported racism, abuse and malicious complaints, but the landlord failed to follow its ASB and hate incident procedures, did not complete further actions under its policy, failed to consider support or risk assessment, and had poor record keeping. The Ombudsman found maladministration for ASB handling and severe maladministration for complaint handling.
Your organisation should be asking itself:-
“When a resident says an incident is racist, do we record it as a hate incident because of the resident’s perception — or do staff wait until they personally agree racism occurred?”
Action to propose:
Review the last 10 ASB cases where race, nationality, religion, language, immigration status or cultural identity may have been a factor. Check whether each case has: hate incident flag, risk assessment, support offer, action plan, police/council referral where needed, follow-up contact and closure review.
Key issue 4: Repairs, damp, mould and unsafe homes must be viewed through a race equity lens
Awaab’s Law came into force on 27 October 2025, requiring social landlords to fix reported damp, mould and emergency repairs within strict timeframes, with further hazards being covered from 2026. Shelter’s campaign notes that discrimination can continue after people secure a home, particularly when they raise concerns about unsafe or unsuitable housing.
Your organisation should be asking itself:-
“Do we know whether Black and minoritised residents wait longer for damp, mould, leaks, overcrowding remedies or medical adaptations?”
Action to propose:
Run a race equity audit of damp and mould cases: report date, inspection date, repair completion, repeat visits, vulnerability flags, complaint escalation, decant decisions and compensation.
Key issue 5: Complaint handling is a trust and racism issue
The latest Tenant Satisfaction Measures for large social landlords in England show a major trust gap: median satisfaction with complaint handling among low-cost rental tenants was 35.5%, while satisfaction that landlords listen to tenant views and act on them was 61.6%. Satisfaction with landlords’ approach to ASB was 59.5%.
Your organisation should be asking itself:-
“If a resident already feels dismissed because of race, how does a slow, defensive or confusing complaint process compound the harm?”
Action to propose:
Disaggregate complaint outcomes by ethnicity: response times, escalation rates, upheld rates, remedies, compensation, repeat complaints and Ombudsman referrals.
Key issue 6: Staff culture remains a live risk
In Wales, Tai Pawb’s 2025 sector work found progress — including 94% of surveyed organisations having anti-racism action plans — but also reported that one in six people of colour experienced racism from colleagues in 2025, with racism from tenants and service users also increasing since 2023.
Your organisation should be asking itself:-
“Do our Black and minoritised colleagues experience the organisation differently from our policy says they should?”
Action to propose:
Introduce a confidential race-at-work pulse survey, plus clear reporting routes for staff experiencing racism from colleagues, contractors, residents or service users.
Key issue 7: This is UK-wide, but the regulatory levers differ by nation
Much of the current regulatory activity above applies to England, but the issue is UK-wide. Shelter Scotland and CRER’s December 2025 report examines how Scotland’s housing emergency disproportionately affects Black and Minority Ethnic groups. Wales has its Anti-racist Wales housing agenda and Tai Pawb’s Deeds Not Words work, while Northern Ireland’s Housing Executive race relations work focuses on access to housing services, tackling racial inequalities, eradicating racism and hate crime, and promoting cohesion.
Your organisation should be asking itself:-
“What can we learn across the UK, even where the regulator, legislation and terminology differ?”