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 now closed.