Explaining Stock Transfer

Decent Home Standards

In July 2000 the Government set an ambitious target that all social housing should be of a “decent standard” by the end of the decade.

In order for a home to be classed as “decent”, high standards of insulation, weatherproofing and modern facilities would have to be met by 2010.

Transferring properties

Many councils that owned a lot of social housing realised they would not have the money to upgrade all their homes to meet these standards. One of the options open to them has been to transfer some of their properties to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), also known as housing associations.

RSLs that can guarantee the necessary investment to make social housing “decent” work with councils to ballot residents and see if they are happy for the ownership and management of their homes to be transferred from the council to the chosen housing association.

Residents are in the centre of this process, and they ultimately decide whether they would like to transfer or not. If the residents vote in favour of the transfer, and it is agreed by the Housing Corporation, which regulates RSLs, the “stock transfer” is complete.

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