As part of the action plan arising from the Better Social Housing Review (BSHR) action plan a cross-sector working group led by the Chartered Institute of Housing has launched  12 guiding principles for rethinking repairs and maintenance services.

The best practice group, established by CIH, and including ARCH, was formed of representatives from registered social landlords, tenant representative bodies, equality and diversity bodies, and procurement and contracting experts. Based on research with residents, social landlords, and wider stakeholders, the group initially shared examples and case studies of how landlords can consult with their residents, staff, and contractors. The project has now progressed, with the publication of twelve guiding principles that social landlords should use to inform and improve the co-design and delivery of repairs and maintenance services with their residents and staff.

The principles are grouped into six themes, covering:

• Improving cultures and behaviours
• Inclusivity and tackling discrimination
• Structuring your engagement
• Involving colleagues
• Understanding your performance
• Closing the loop.

The guidance has been designed to be used in two ways. Landlords looking to implement the BSHR recommendation can follow the principles from beginning to end, starting with a re-examination of their culture and how inclusive their engagement and scrutiny processes are. Alternatively, landlords that are already undertaking reviews of their repairs and maintenance services can self-assess against the principles to understand which parts of the guidance are most helpful to their ongoing work. Throughout the guidance, there are examples of good practice and case studies from across the social housing sector that landlords can adopt.