Preparing for STAIRs: the operational challenges for housing associations

New information rights for social housing tenants will require housing associations to make transparency part of their everyday operations. Under the Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs), private registered providers must publish specified information from 1 October 2026 and respond to written requests for information about social housing management from 1 April 2027. The hardest work will be finding reliable records, coordinating the people who hold them and making disclosure decisions within the required timescales.

Turning records into a publication scheme

The first deadline is a test of how well an association knows its own information. The publication scheme spans governance and decisions, spending, housing stock, performance, services, registers and management policies. Records may sit in different systems, shared drives, emails and local spreadsheets. Staff must establish what is already held, identify the version fit for publication, check whether any part needs redaction and make the material easy for tenants to find. The policy does not require providers to create new records, but locating and preparing existing ones can still be substantial work.

This is also an ongoing duty. Without named owners, review dates and version control, information can quickly become inconsistent or out of date. Housing associations will need a plan for updating content when policies, charges and services change.

Building a reliable request process

From April 2027, a tenant or their designated representative can make a written request without mentioning STAIRs by name. Staff will need to recognise the request, clarify it if necessary and direct it to the appropriate person or department promptly. A central log should record the date received, what is being requested, the responsible team, any third-party involvement and the response deadline. Requests must be acknowledged promptly and responded to within 30 calendar days, although additional time will be permitted in specified exceptional circumstances. That timetable leaves little room for requests to sit in individual inboxes.

The scope can cover repairs, rents, service charges, safety, complaints, staffing, privacy and energy efficiency. Answering requests may require several teams to search different systems and agree which records fall within the request.

If responding to a request is estimated to take more than 18 hours of staff time, the provider may refuse it. Housing associations should, however, be able to demonstrate how the estimate was reached and communicate the reasons for refusal clearly.

Reaching information held by contractors

Repairs firms, managing agents and other bodies may hold relevant information on a provider’s behalf. STAIRs requires the provider to use all reasonable endeavours to obtain it. In practice, that means checking whether the housing association has access to records and information and agreeing how information will be retained, searched and provided when needed. A 30-day response becomes difficult if a contractor’s records are incomplete or its response time is undefined.

Providers should therefore review key operational contracts to understand what information-sharing, record-keeping, reporting and cooperation provisions are already in place, and consider how future contracts should support STAIRs requirements.  The policy does not require existing third-party contracts to be renegotiated, but providers will need to be able to demonstrate the reasonable endeavors made to obtain information held on their behalf.

This may also bring greater scrutiny of contractor performance information, including repair completion times, compliance data and other service delivery measures.  Providers will need confidence not only that this information can be retrieved, but that it is reliable and can be explained to tenants.

Making careful disclosure decisions

Transparency must be balanced with privacy and other legal protections. A repair file, complaint record or safety report may contain information about neighbours, staff or contractors alongside material the tenant can receive. Reviewing and redacting such records takes time and judgment. The policy requires providers to publish their approach to withholding information and to consider the likely harm of disclosure. Damage to the housing association’s reputation alone is not a valid reason to refuse. Decisions should be consistent and recorded so a reviewer can understand what was released, withheld or redacted and why.

Accessibility, reviews and capacity

Information must be accessible in practice, including for tenants who need an alternative format or cannot easily use digital channels. That may require additional staff time and coordination. Tenants who dispute a publication or request outcome can seek an internal review, normally within a further 30 calendar days, and may then approach the Housing Ombudsman. A review process needs someone able to reassess the original decision and an audit trail that preserves the request, searches, correspondence and reasons. Records must not be destroyed or altered to prevent disclosure.

The resource pressure will differ by provider: a larger association may face high volumes across many systems, while a smaller one may lack dedicated information-governance staff to handle such requests.  The practical response is to assign ownership now, map the records most likely to be requested, test contractor access and information-sharing arrangements, and train staff to recognise and handle requests.

The transition is likely to create a temporary staffing peak. Ahead of the October 2026 publication deadline, teams must locate, check, redact and upload information while continuing their usual work. As written requests begin in April 2027, staff may also need to triage requests, coordinate searches across departments and contractors, track response dates and prepare accessible replies. Housing associations should plan for short-term additional capacity during these set-up and early operating periods, then review the level of support as volumes and processes become clearer.

What can SAY do to help?

STAIRs creates an immediate need for providers to know what information exists, where it sits and who owns it. The requirements align closely with SAY’s existing mixed-use, service-charge and operational management capabilities.

Readiness reviews

SAY can assist with a readiness review followed by targeted implementation support and independent assurance. We can review what records exist, where they sit, who owns them, and which publication or request requirements they support.  This can include reviewing information flows with managing agents, contractors and other third parties to identify potential gaps before the request regime takes effect.

Implementation Support

We can identify gaps, assign owners and deadlines, and help develop the scheme and its update process. We can also help providers map third-party information requirements and establish practical processes for obtaining information from managing agents and contractors within the required timescales.

Temporary Staffing Support

STAIRs will bring a short-term increase in work as housing associations prepare information for publication and begin handling requests. SAY can provide temporary support to gather and check records, coordinate information from housing, finance, assets and contractors, prepare material for publication and keep request logs and deadlines on track. This gives existing teams capacity to maintain day-to-day services while the new process is established, with the level of support reviewed as volumes and processes become clearer.