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Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) consultation
We want to hear your views on changes we are making to the Housing Ombudsman Scheme
Please read our consultation document linked to on the right-hand side of this page before taking our survey.
The consultation is open to Private Registered Providers (typically, this means housing associations) and their tenants, and groups and individuals interested in social housing in England.
Local authorities and their residents are already covered by similar laws through the Freedom of Information Act, and so STAIRs will not apply to them.
STAIRs gives social housing tenants of Private Registered Providers (PRPs) the right to information about the management of social housing. It informs tells PRPs what information they must share with tenants.
The government published a the STAIRS policy statement for STAIRs on 30 September 2025. It named us as the official complaints body for STAIRs.
We have updated our Scheme to include this new area of work. In addition to the changes we've made to include our powers under STAIRs, we've also made some minor changes to other parts of the Scheme. These are to improve clarity and do not affect the way we work.
Now we want to hear from you on these updates, to make sure our plans are clear and fair.
Through the survey, we would like to hear what you think about:
whether it’s clear who can complain to us
whether the time limits for complaints seem fair
whether our planned approach to STAIRs investigations will provide fair outcomes
The consultation is open until Tuesday 17 March 2026.
How to take part
You can take part in the consultation online by completing our survey.
Other ways to take part
If you need help completing the online survey, please call us on 0300 111 3000.
Our phone line opening hours are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9am to 5pm
Thursday 9am to 3.30pm
Lines are closed for staff training every Thursday from 3.30pm to 5pm.
Calls are recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
Alternatively, you can download a copy of this consultation document and return to us by post at:
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 1484,
Unit D Preston,
PR2 0ET
We want to hear your views on changes we are making to the Housing Ombudsman Scheme
Please read our consultation document linked to on the right-hand side of this page before taking our survey.
The consultation is open to Private Registered Providers (typically, this means housing associations) and their tenants, and groups and individuals interested in social housing in England.
Local authorities and their residents are already covered by similar laws through the Freedom of Information Act, and so STAIRs will not apply to them.
STAIRs gives social housing tenants of Private Registered Providers (PRPs) the right to information about the management of social housing. It informs tells PRPs what information they must share with tenants.
The government published a the STAIRS policy statement for STAIRs on 30 September 2025. It named us as the official complaints body for STAIRs.
We have updated our Scheme to include this new area of work. In addition to the changes we've made to include our powers under STAIRs, we've also made some minor changes to other parts of the Scheme. These are to improve clarity and do not affect the way we work.
Now we want to hear from you on these updates, to make sure our plans are clear and fair.
Through the survey, we would like to hear what you think about:
whether it’s clear who can complain to us
whether the time limits for complaints seem fair
whether our planned approach to STAIRs investigations will provide fair outcomes
The consultation is open until Tuesday 17 March 2026.
How to take part
You can take part in the consultation online by completing our survey.
Other ways to take part
If you need help completing the online survey, please call us on 0300 111 3000.
Our phone line opening hours are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9am to 5pm
Thursday 9am to 3.30pm
Lines are closed for staff training every Thursday from 3.30pm to 5pm.
Calls are recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
Click here to play video
Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) consultation video
Lifecycle
Open
Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) consultation is currently at this stage
This consultation is open for contributions.
Under Review
this is an upcoming stage for Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) consultation
Contributions to this consultation are closed for evaluation and review. The project team will report back on key outcomes.
Final report
this is an upcoming stage for Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) consultation
The final outcomes of the consultation are documented here. This may include a summary of all contributions collected as well as recommendations for future action.
