What is STAIRs?
STAIRs stands for Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements.
It’s a new requirement from the Regulator of Social Housing to give residents clearer access to information about their landlord. This includes information about how we manage your home, deliver services, spend money, make decisions and perform as a landlord.
STAIRs is being introduced in two stages:
Stage 1: Publication scheme
From 1 October 2026, we must publish information about how we manage homes and deliver services. This is known as our Publication Scheme.
Much of this information is already available on our website. We have brought it together on this page, under the official STAIRs publication categories, to make it easier for you to find.
Stage 2: Information requests
From 1 April 2027, you will also be able to ask us for certain information that is not already published.
This could include information about areas such as rents and service charges, repairs, moving home, complaints and how we are performing. The information must relate to how we manage social housing, your home or the services we provide.
We will explain how to make a request before this part of STAIRs comes into force.
What you can find on this page
Use the sections below to find information about:
Governance and decision-making: organisational information, and how we’re run, make decisions and involve residents
Spending: how we manage and spend money
Housing stock management: how we manage, maintain and invest in our homes
Performance: how we’re performing and improving our services
Housing services: the services and support we provide
Lists and registers: key safety and compliance information
Social housing management: the policies, strategies and standards that guide our work
About STAIRs and this publication scheme
Find out more about STAIRs, how our publication scheme works and what to do if you cannot find the information you need
This page is our STAIRs publication scheme. It brings together information we already publish about how we manage homes and deliver services.
The information is organised under the seven official STAIRs publication classes:
- Governance and decision-making
- Spending
- Housing stock management
- Performance
- Housing services
- Lists and registers
- Social housing management
We will review this page regularly and update it when new information becomes available.
Quick stats
There’s lots more detail in the sections below. Here are just a few figures to give you a quick snapshot of how we’re doing:
homes in total
overall customer satisfaction
satisfied that their home is well maintained
gas safety compliance
electrical safety compliance
repairs completed
of homes meet Decent Homes Standard
of homes have EPC C or above
satisfied with Customer Care Team
of complaints responded to within timescales
satisfied that we treat residents with respect
emergency repairs completed in target timescale
Governance and decision-making
How we’re run, who makes decisions and how residents influence our work
Find out more about who we are and what we do
Governance
NHF Code of Governance and how it operates
Our people
In this section you'll find information about how we're run, our governance, and how we make decisions
Our commitment to environmental, social and responsible governance
Spending
How we manage money, set rents and service charges, and buy goods and services
This section explains how the income we receive is used to manage, maintain, and improve our homes and services.
Annual financial statements and audited accounts
Value for money: See annual accounts
Our unit costs for the year are lower than the median of other housing associations in the peer group (Acuity Smaller Housing Benchmarking group), with a total social housing cost per unit of £4,245.
Rent collection information (see our Annual Report)
Service charge information (see our Annual Report)
Our procurement approach details how we collaborate with suppliers to create safe, warm, secure and affordable homes for our residents.
We choose to work with suppliers who share our values and approach, helping us make sure the way we do business reflects what’s important to us and the communities we serve.
We take a commercial approach to our decision-making, making sure we use our resources effectively and achieve good value for money.
We procure services through Midlands Rural Housing (MRH), helping us work efficiently and focus our resources on delivering our corporate objectives and planning for the longer term. Where appropriate, we also benefit from the procurement services available through emh and follow their procurement regulations and requirements. You can read more about these arrangements in emh’s procurement regulations.
Housing stock management
How we manage, maintain, improve and invest in our homes
In this section you'll find information about how we look after, maintain and invest in the homes we own and manage.
Planned improvements programme
We publish information on our website about the number of homes that will receive planned improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms, doors, windows, heating, roofs and external timber painting for the coming year. For the previous year, please take a look at our Annual Report.
Property condition information (see our Annual Report)
In our Annual report you will find details about number of homes that meet Decent Homes Standard.
In our Annual Report we publish details about:
- EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) ratings, including number of homes below EPC C
- Retrofit programmes to improve energy efficiency of homes
Energy efficiency and retrofit work (see our Annual Report)
Energy performance information (see our Annual Report)
Progress towards net zero (see our Annual Report)
We publish information about the number and types of homes we own, how many shared ownership homes we've sold and how many homes we've let in our Annual Report.
Information about the number and types of homes we own (see our Annual Report)
Lettings and sales information (see our Annual Report)
Properties bought, sold or transferred (see our Annual Report)
Performance
How we're performing, what residents tell us and what we're doing to improve
We’re committed to providing safe, high‑quality homes and excellent services for our residents.
To make sure we’re delivering on that commitment, we closely monitor our performance, benchmark ourselves against other housing providers, and follow robust regulatory standards.
The sections below explain how we’re assessed, how we measure success, and how we use this insight to keep improving.
Every two years we’re required to report on a set of Tenant Satisfaction Measures. These measures, created by The Regulator of Social Housing, look at how we're performing, and what customers think about us.
The measures are made up of a resident perception survey and monitoring through our internal management systems.
Our annual report and accounts look back at how we've performed and what we achieved over the past year.
This section provides information about how we're handling complaints and use feedback to improve our services.
Quarterly complaints information
Including the number of stage 1 and stage 2 formal complaints, the service area they relate to, and the action we've taken to improve
Quarterly service request information
Including the number service requests, the service area they relate to, and the action we've taken to improve
Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code self-assessment
Our annual self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code
Annual complaints performance and service improvement report
Including total number of formal complaints, total number of service requests and the categories/areas of dissatisfaction
Our Annual Report contains a range of performance information about the homes and services we provide.
This includes repairs and maintenance performance, customer service performance, health and safety compliance, rent collection performance, complaints, anti-social behaviour, resident satisfaction, investment in home improvements, and how we maintain and improve the quality and energy efficiency of our homes.
Repairs and maintenance performance
Including the number of repairs completed, how quickly emergency and routine repairs were carried out, resident satisfaction with repairs, building safety compliance, damp and mould performance, and investment in major improvements such as kitchens, bathrooms, boilers, windows and energy efficiency upgrades.
Including how satisfied residents are with how our Customer Care team deal with their enquiry.
Including how much rent and service charge we collect and how it is spent.
Resident feedback, from surveys, consultations, focus groups, Facebook comments, complaints and of course conversations with our housing, maintenance and customer care teams, help us continually improve our service.
Every two years we’re required to report on a set of Tenant Satisfaction Measures. These measures, created by The Regulator of Social Housing, look at how we're performing, and what customers think about us.
The measures are made up of a resident perception survey and monitoring through our internal management systems.
What residents have told us and what we have changed as a result
We call things we've changed and improved following resident feedback 'You said, We did'
This feedback comes from surveys, consultations, focus groups, Facebook comments, complaints and of course conversations with our housing, maintenance and customer care teams.
We really appreciate the time customers take to share their ideas and views.
We have successfully achieved re-certification of the ISO 45001:2018 standard
Housing services
Information about the services we provide and what residents can expect from us
In this section you can find information about the standards you can expect from us and our contractors.
Our Customer Promises let you know what service levels you should expect from us. Like how quickly we'll respond to you, how quickly repairs will be completed and how we'll keep you informed.
This code explains the standards we expect contractors to follow when working in residents’ homes. It helps ensure work is carried out safely, professionally and respectfully, with residents kept informed and their homes treated with care.
In this section you can find information about your tenancy, asking permission for changes and who your housing officer is.
Making changes to your tenancy or household
This section provides information about the services we deliver to help keep homes safe, well maintained and comfortable to live in.
Repairs, maintenance and upgrades
Repairs and maintenance guidance
Planned upgrades (i.e. kitchens, bathrooms, windows, heating)
Damp and mould
Damp, mould and condensation guidance
Annual safety checks
This section provides information about how and when to pay your rent and service charge, how we calculate the annual increases and how we can support you if you're worried about affording your rent.
Rent
Annual rent increase information
Support if you're worried about affording your rent
Service charges
How they're calculated and what they cover
This section provides information about the essential things you need to know about your home and your rights and responsibilities as a shared owner.
Rent and service charge guidance
Making alterations to your home
This section provides guidance on managing your finances, making your home safer and more accessible or protecting yourself and your loved ones from harm.
Money matters
Cost of living and financial support
Wellbeing
Anti-social behaviour guidance
Domestic abuse and safeguarding support
Complaints and feedback
This section provides information about how we keep your local neighbourhood clean and well maintained.
Grounds maintenance
What to expect from our grounds maintenance service
Keeping your neighbourhood clean and safe
Pest control
This section provides information about how residents and shared owners can have a say and influence how we deliver our service.
Lists and registers
Key lists, registers and safety information relating to the homes and services we manage
This section provides information on the registers we’re required to keep by law for the management of our housing services.
We carry out gas safety inspections at your home every year to check that any gas heating and hot water appliances, fittings and flues owned by us are safe.
Gas safety checks (see our Annual Report)
Gas safety checks information for residents
We carry out electrical inspections every five years.
Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) (see our Annual Report)
EICR inspection information for residents
We take a proactive approach to managing and preventing damp and mould issues. We do this through a mix of repairs, planned improvements and heating upgrades, and by providing advice on how to manage and prevent damp, mould and condensation.
Damp and mould case information (see our Annual Report)
Social housing management
The policies, strategies and standards that explain how we manage social housing, homes, tenancies and services
This section contains the policies and frameworks that explain how we deliver our housing services and support our residents.
Need help finding information?
If you need help finding, understanding or accessing any of this information, please contact us.
Email: enquiries@midlandsrural.org.uk
Phone: 0300 1234 009
If you think information is missing
If you think we hold information that should be included in our STAIRs Publication Scheme, but you cannot find it on this page, please contact us and tell us what you're looking for.
Email us at: enquiries@midlandsrural.org.uk or send us a message via MyHomeOnline
You can ask us to review whether the information should be published. We will normally complete our review within 30 calendar days of receiving your request. In some circumstances, we may need more time. If this happens, we will let you know.
If you're unhappy with the outcome of our review, you can refer the matter directly to the Housing Ombudsman.
Request information (from 1 April 2027)
From 1 April 2027, residents, or someone authorised to act on their behalf, will be able to request information relating to the management of their social housing.
Before making a request, please check the sections above, as the information you’re looking for may already be published on our website.
We’ll publish full details of how to submit a request before this part of STAIRs comes into force.