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Guide · Stock condition

Know the condition of every home, and prove it.

The Regulator expects an accurate, up-to-date and evidenced understanding of the condition of every home. The new Decent Homes Standard will judge components on their condition, not their age. This guide covers survey coverage, the data that should feed each property record, how to keep it current and how to give your board assurance.

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By Peter Chase, Enterprise Account ManagerLast reviewed 11th November 20269 minute read

75%of homes surveyed by the average landlord in the five years to March 2024Regulator of Social Housing, July 2025.
3 in 4relevant C3 and C4 judgements cited low survey coverage or poor understanding of homesNearly three quarters, Regulator of Social Housing.
2035when the new Decent Homes Standard applies to social and private rented homesMinisterial statement, 28th January 2026.

00The standard

What does the Regulator expect you to know about your homes?

An individual record of the condition of every home, based on a physical assessment and kept up to date. Boards are expected to make sure that understanding is accurate, current and evidenced.

3 in 4relevant C3 and C4 judgements cited low survey coverage or poor understanding of homes

The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to have an accurate record of the condition of each home, based on a physical assessment of all homes, and to keep it up to date (Regulator of Social Housing).

It matters in practice. In nearly three quarters of relevant C3 and C4 judgements, the issues included low stock condition survey coverage or a failure to demonstrate an understanding of tenants' homes. The Regulator also says weaknesses in data quality have been an important theme in governance downgrades (Regulator of Social Housing).

The better news: the average landlord had surveyed 75% of its homes in the five years to 31st March 2024, up from 68% the year before. Stronger landlords also triangulate data from several sources rather than relying on surveys alone.

01Measuring coverage

How do you measure stock condition survey coverage?

Start with one clear definition and apply it everywhere: the share of homes with a physical survey in a set period. Then break it down, because an average hides the homes nobody has visited.

75%average coverage in the five years to March 2024
MeasureHow to define itCommon trap
Survey coverageHomes with a physical survey in the last five years, divided by all homesCounting desktop or cloned surveys as physical
Coverage by patch and archetypeThe same measure split by estate, archetype and age bandA good average hiding whole estates with no recent survey
Survey ageYears since each home's last physical surveySurvey dates stored at block level only
Component evidenceShare of key components with a recorded condition, not just an install dateLifecycle dates carried over from stock transfer with no inspection
Homes never surveyedHomes with no physical survey on recordNew acquisitions and transfers missing from the survey programme

Five years is a common cycle, used in the Regulator's own analysis. Agree your own definition with your board, write it down and use it the same way every year.

Questions to ask your team
  • How many of our homes have had a physical survey in the last five years?
  • Which estates, archetypes or blocks have the lowest coverage?
  • Do we count a block survey as covering every flat in it?

02Beyond the survey

Which data should feed each property record?

A survey is a snapshot. Every visit, certificate and completed job afterwards tells you something about the home. Joining them keeps the record current between surveys.

SourceWhat it addsUsually held in
Stock condition surveyComponent condition and remaining life, HHSRS hazardsAsset management system
Compliance checksGas, electrical, fire, asbestos, water and lift safety, with dates and outcomesCompliance system, contractor portals
Repairs historyRepeat repairs that show a component is failingRepairs system, contractor portals
Planned works completionsComponents replaced, so the record shows the new conditionAsset system, contractor handover files
Void inspectionsA full look inside a home between tenanciesVoids system, surveyor notes
Energy performanceEPC rating and the measures behind itEPC register, asset system
Resident reportsDamp, disrepair and complaints raised between visitsContact centre, complaints system

Each source needs the same property reference, and the record needs a rule for which source wins when two disagree. Usually the most recent physical evidence should take priority.

03What is changing

What does the new Decent Homes Standard mean for your data?

Condition, not age, will decide whether a component passes. That makes component-level condition evidence the core of your data, not a nice-to-have.

2035the new Decent Homes Standard applies to social and private rented homes

The government has confirmed the new Decent Homes Standard will apply to social and private rented homes from 2035. For components such as windows and roofs, compliance will depend on "condition as the primary factor" rather than age, with guidance to follow (written ministerial statement, 28th January 2026).

The same statement sets the minimum energy efficiency standard: all social rented homes need EPC C by 1st April 2030, using one of three metrics, and the equivalent of C in a second metric by 1st April 2039.

For your data, that means three things:

  • Record condition, not just dates. An install date tells you when a component should fail; a recorded condition tells you whether it has.
  • Join energy and condition. Retrofit plans need EPC, fabric and component data on the same property record.
  • Plan the gap. In 2024, 10% of social rented homes were non-decent under the current standard (English Housing Survey). Knowing which homes, and why, is the start of a costed plan.

04Data quality

How do you keep the property record accurate and up to date?

Treat it as a product with an owner, rules and a refresh cycle. A record that is only updated by the next survey is out of date the day after the surveyor leaves.

  1. One property hierarchy. Estate, block and home, so shared components such as roofs and lifts sit at the right level and link to every home they serve.
  2. Update on every event. Planned works completions, compliance checks and void inspections should update the record automatically, not wait for the next survey.
  3. Data quality rules with owners. For example, every home must have a survey date, archetype and EPC, with a named person responsible for each rule.
  4. Validate survey data on arrival. Check new surveys for missing components, impossible values and cloned results before they load.
  5. Report the gaps. Show missing and out-of-date data alongside the condition figures, so nobody mistakes a gap for a pass.
Questions to ask your team
  • Who owns the property record, and is that written down?
  • Is the record updated automatically when planned works complete?
  • How many homes have components with no recorded condition?

05Assurance

How do you give your board assurance on stock condition?

Give them coverage, evidence and gaps as well as the headline. A board that sees only a percentage of decent homes cannot judge how much to trust it.

  • Coverage first. Survey coverage by year, patch and archetype, against your agreed definition.
  • Traceable figures. Every condition and compliance figure should open to the homes and records behind it.
  • Known gaps. Homes never surveyed, components with no recorded condition and data quality rules that are failing.
  • The plan. How and when the gaps will close, with progress reported each quarter.

Our board data assurance checklist sets out the questions to ask about any headline figure.

06First steps

Where should a housing association start?

With an honest picture of coverage, built from the data you already hold. It shows where to send surveyors next and where the record needs fixing first.

  1. Agree the definitions. What counts as a physical survey, the cycle, and the components that matter most.
  2. Build the coverage view. Join survey dates to your property list and split by patch, archetype and age.
  3. Add the other sources. Compliance, repairs, planned works and voids, on the same property reference.
  4. Find the gaps. Homes never surveyed, old surveys and components with no condition recorded.
  5. Target the programme. Send surveyors to the biggest gaps first, and use voids and repairs visits to fill others.
  6. Report it. Give the board coverage, evidence and gaps every quarter.

The same property record supports your Decent Homes, retrofit, damp and mould and repairs decisions.

FAQs

Questions about stock condition data.

Not covered here? Ask us directly.

What does the Safety and Quality Standard require on stock condition?

Landlords must have an accurate record of the condition of each home, based on a physical assessment of all homes, and keep it up to date. The Regulator also expects boards to make sure the organisation's understanding of stock condition is accurate, current and evidenced.

What is good stock condition survey coverage?

The Regulator found the average landlord had surveyed 75% of its homes in the five years to 31st March 2024. Agree your own definition and cycle with your board, then report coverage by patch and archetype so gaps are not hidden by the average.

When does the new Decent Homes Standard apply to social housing?

The government has said the new Decent Homes Standard will apply to social and private rented homes from 2035, with condition as the primary factor for components such as windows and roofs. Guidance is due to follow.

Can repairs and compliance data replace stock condition surveys?

No. The standard requires a physical assessment of all homes. Repairs, compliance, planned works and void data keep the record current between surveys and show where to survey next, but they do not replace the survey itself.

How should stock condition be reported to the board?

Report survey coverage, the evidence behind each figure and the known gaps, alongside the headline. Every figure should open to the homes and records behind it, with a plan and quarterly progress for closing the gaps.

Sources

Every date and figure on this page comes from the sources below, checked on 11th November 2026.

  1. Regulator of Social Housing, Safety and Quality StandardIn force from 1st April 2024. Requirement for an accurate, up-to-date record of each home's condition.
  2. Regulator of Social Housing, RSH highlights the importance of landlords understanding tenants' homes17th July 2025. Survey coverage, C3 and C4 judgements and data quality.
  3. UK Parliament, Social and Affordable Housing Renewal: progress updateWritten ministerial statement, 28th January 2026. New Decent Homes Standard from 2035; EPC C by 1st April 2030.
  4. MHCLG, English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025: housing quality29th January 2026. Share of non-decent homes in the social rented sector in 2024.

This guide explains the data side of stock condition. Check how the standards apply to your organisation against the Regulator's published requirements.

Start with an honest picture.

Pick one estate or archetype. We'll start by understanding your use case and the data you hold today, then come back with where the gaps are and a solution that fits how you work.

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Also for housing data teamsRepairs and contractor performance guide →Damp and mould risk guide →