UK Housing Compliance 2025: 5 Risks for Housing Providers

Ecosafe
Oct 7
4 min read

2025 is turning out to be a challenging year for housing providers. Rules are tightening, tenants expect more, and the margin for error is shrinking fast.

The Building Safety Act requires tougher inspections, the Procurement Act blocks late payers from frameworks, and schemes like the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund push retrofit deadlines.

For housing associations, councils, and ALMOs, it’s a legal, financial, and reputational risk. Miss the mark, and you’ll face fines, delays, and angry tenants. Get it right, and you’ll deliver safer homes, secure funding, and strengthen trust with your residents.

This blog breaks down the five most significant compliance risks in 2025 and what you can do about them.

Building Safety Act 2025: Fire Safety Compliance for Housing Providers

What does the Building Safety Act need from housing providers in 2025?

Housing providers must maintain up to date fire risk assessments, create PEEPs for vulnerable tenants, keep a golden thread of safety data and resolve defects like cladding or fire doors without delay.

The Building Safety Act 2022, introduced after Grenfell, is now fully enforceable. The Building Safety Regulator prioritises higher-risk buildings (18m+/7+ storeys) with strict inspections and holds responsible persons legally responsible for resident safety.

The risks are enforcement action, emergency remediation, fines, and reputational harm if ignored.

Local Authority Fire Safety Upgrades:

Ecosafe partnered with a local authority in Dorset to deliver fire safety improvements across two high-rise blocks. We replaced fire doors and strengthened compartmentation to align with the latest compliance standards. The works were completed on schedule, giving residents greater confidence and ensuring the buildings met regulator expectations.

Read more: Building Safety Act 2025: What Housing Associations Must Do, and grab our FRA & PEEP checklist and see where the gaps are before regulators do.

Procurement Act 2025: Prompt-Payment Rules

How does the Procurement Act affect housing providers in 2025?

Providers must vet contractors payment performance. Suppliers must pay 95% of invoices within 60 days or risk exclusion from frameworks.

Procurement teams reject the cheapest bid if the supplier can’t prove compliance.

The risk if ignored: failed tenders, delayed mobilisation, and reputational fallout.

South London ALMO restructure example:

In effect, ALMO restructures often put pressure on mobilisation. Clearing 40 voids within 10 days would give procurement teams the confidence to move forward, and this is precisely the type of rapid mobilisation Ecosafe delivers.

Read more: Procurement Act 2025: What Housing Providers Need to Know

Need to prove you’re framework-ready? Ask us for our mobilisation pack.

Retrofit and Net-Zero: Balancing Cost and Delivery

Why is retrofit compliance so challenging in 2025?

Retrofit costs have surged 30% since 2022, while tenant demand for warmer homes and net-zero targets outpace available funding.

Rising costs and expectations are pressuring retrofit. The Warm Homes Fund (WHF) and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) provide capital, but delivery deadlines are tight.

The risks if ignored: Escalating tenant complaints, missed decarbonisation targets, and higher long-term costs.

Ridgewater Energy Partnership:

We worked with Ridgewater Energy to deliver insulation, ventilation and compliance upgrades as part of the Dorset Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme. This reduced tenant bills, cut emissions, and met funding requirements. - Department for Energy Security and Net Zero fund the Warm Homes: Local Grant.

Book a retrofit audit and benchmark your stock against SHDF funding criteria.

Accessible Housing: From Expectation to Requirement

What are accessibility requirements for housing providers in 2025?

Providers must integrate inclusive design in new developments and retrofit existing stock to support residents with mobility or independent living needs.

Accessibility is rapidly moving from aspiration to regulation. In Scotland, the Scottish Federation Of Housing Associations (SFHA) is lobbying to make accessibility mandatory in all new homes. Across the UK, major landlords are pledging inclusive design as part of their affordable housing commitments.

If ignored, the risks are longer voids, poor tenant satisfaction, and scrutiny of asset strategies.

Accessibility upgrades like wet rooms, widened doorways, and better lighting can transform resident satisfaction. In similar bungalow schemes, satisfaction has risen dramatically after work, including the adaptations Ecosafe specialises in.

Empowering Independence Project:

In Bournemouth, we undertook a major home adaptation for BCP Council to support a wheelchair-user. The project delivered a fully accessible extension, a wet room, a hoist system, and step-free access, all while maintaining regulatory compliance. Resident gained independence and a safer, more functional home environment despite site challenges.

Are you unsure if your homes are accessible? Book a review, and we’ll flag priority adaptations.

Tenant Satisfaction and Consumer Standards

How are tenant satisfaction and compliance related in 2025?

Boards are now directly accountable for treating damp, mould and repair turnaround times as strict compliance measures rather than mere service issues.

Under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, accountability is direct. Complaints, delays, and poor handovers are now likely triggers for regulator intervention.

If ignored, the risk is more complaints, reputational damage, and potential enforcement action.

Magna Housing Void Refurbishments:

We refurbished voids for Magna Housing, bringing kitchens, bathrooms, and compliance up to standard, cutting a backlog of complaints and allowing faster re-lets.

Are you having trouble with complaints? Our 48-hour repair promise has already helped landlords reduce issues by a third.

Ultimately: 2025 Demands Action Now

Housing compliance in 2025 is about delivery, not preparation. From fire safety to procurement, retrofit to tenant standards, providers must act now to reduce risk and build resident trust.

The risks are significant, but so are the opportunities. Providers who anticipate change, partner with experienced contractors, and focus on compliance and tenant outcomes will emerge stronger.

At Ecosafe, our mission, Safer Homes, Brighter Futures, drives every project. From fire safety upgrades to retrofit and void refurbishments, we help housing providers reduce risk, protect residents, and strengthen compliance.

Visit www.ecosafegroup.co.uk to explore how we can support your housing compliance strategy across London, the South West, Sussex and the wider UK.