The DCN has responded to the a consultation by MHCLG relating to the future of social housing rent policy.

DCN members highlight that building safety works, planned maintenance programmes and regeneration schemes all require sustained investment over many years and the importance of stability in rent policy, with more ambitious timeframes needed to deliver the scale of investment required in both existing and new social housing.

“We believe that a longer fixed settlement period, properly protected and adequately funded, would provide greater stability. This would give providers the certainty needed to deliver sustained investment programmes while avoiding the potential complexity and uncertainty of annual policy reviews.”

“If a rolling settlement is pursued, it should be based on a longer initial period – for example, a 10-year settlement that rolls forward annually. However, the crucial factor remains the length of the guaranteed period rather than the rolling mechanism.”

You can read the full response here.