Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs): What Housing Associations Need to Know

From October 2026, social housing providers in England will face a new statutory transparency framework known as the Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements, commonly referred to as STAIRs. The regime introduces formal rights for tenants of housing associations and other private registered providers to access information about how their homes and services are managed.

STAIRs represents a significant shift for the sector. While transparency has long been encouraged through good governance and tenant engagement, STAIRs makes information access a legal requirement, with defined timescales, oversight, and routes of escalation.

Housing providers now have a clear window to prepare. The decisions made over the next 12 to 18 months will shape how smoothly organisations adapt to this change.

What is STAIRs and why was it introduced?

STAIRs was created to address an imbalance in tenant information rights across the social housing sector.

Tenants renting from local authorities already benefit from the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This allows them to request recorded information about repairs, spending, decision making, policies, and service performance.

Most housing associations, however, are private registered providers and are not subject to FOIA. As a result, their tenants have historically relied on data subject access requests under data protection law, which only provide access to personal data, not wider operational or service information.

STAIRs closes this gap by introducing a sector specific transparency regime. Rather than extending FOIA to housing associations, it creates a tailored framework that focuses on the management of social housing while recognising the need to protect personal data, confidential material, and third party information.

As Catarina Santos, Data Protection Consultant Manager, explains:

“STAIRs is not about opening the floodgates to unrestricted disclosure. It is about giving tenants meaningful visibility of how their homes and services are managed, while ensuring information is handled lawfully, consistently, and with appropriate safeguards in place.”

Importantly, STAIRs does not replace or override existing data protection law. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 continue to apply in full. Providers must balance transparency with their ongoing legal obligations around privacy, confidentiality, and security.

How the STAIRs framework works

STAIRs is built around two core obligations, each with its own timeline and operational impact.

Chapter 1: Publication schemes

Deadline: 1 October 2026

By October 2026, all registered providers of social housing must have a compliant publication scheme in place. This is the first major milestone under STAIRs.

A publication scheme sets out what information a provider proactively makes available and how tenants can access it.

What information must be published?

STAIRs does not require providers to create new records. Instead, it focuses on publishing appropriate information that is already held, including:

• Governance and decision making, such as organisational structures, policies, consultation arrangements, and relevant meeting papers
• Spending and financial information, including grants and the use of service charge income
• Housing stock management, including maintenance programmes, planned works, and progress towards net zero commitments
• Performance information, such as Tenant Satisfaction Measures, complaints data, inspection outcomes, and regulatory ratings
• Housing services, including service descriptions and practical guidance for tenants
• Statutory lists and registers connected to social housing management

Accessibility and tenant awareness

Publication schemes must be easy to find and clearly communicated. Providers are expected to signpost them through websites, tenant handbooks, and regular communications.

Maintenance and redaction

Published information must be kept under review. Out of date material should be updated or replaced, and new information added where relevant.

Redactions are permitted where appropriate and reasonable, but decisions must be justifiable and applied consistently.

Complaints and escalation

If a tenant believes information has been wrongly withheld from the publication scheme, they can complain to the provider. Providers must respond within 30 calendar days. If the issue remains unresolved, tenants can escalate to the Housing Ombudsman.

Chapter 2: Requests for information

Effective from April 2027

From April 2027, tenants will have a legal right to request information relating to the management of social housing.

What information can be requested?

Requests may cover information about:

• Rent and service charges
• Repairs and maintenance
• Estate and communal area management
• Complaints handling and performance
• Health and safety
• Staffing and training
• Environmental and energy efficiency performance

Requests must relate to a provider’s social housing functions.

Who can make a request?

Requests can only be made by a tenant or a nominated representative acting on their behalf. Requests must be made in writing, and the applicant’s identity must be clear.

Response times and handling

Providers must respond promptly and no later than 30 calendar days after receiving a valid request. Extensions are only permitted in limited and exceptional circumstances.

Where information is already available via the publication scheme, providers may direct tenants to that material.

If relevant information is held by a managing agent or third party, providers are expected to make reasonable efforts to obtain and disclose it.

As Caine Clancy, Data Protection Support Manager, notes:

“One of the biggest practical challenges we see is distinguishing between what should already be published and what genuinely requires a bespoke response. Clear internal processes and staff confidence are essential to avoid delays and inconsistencies.”

Grounds for refusal

Requests may be refused where:

• Disclosure would be likely to cause harm, excluding reputational harm
• The requester’s identity cannot be verified
• The request is unclear, irrelevant, abusive, repeated, or coordinated
• Compliance would exceed 18 hours of staff time

Providers must publish a clear policy explaining how refusal decisions are assessed and recorded.

Data protection and STAIRs: Getting the balance right

STAIRs introduces enforceable transparency obligations, but it does not dilute data protection responsibilities.

Personal data, sensitive information, and third party material must still be handled lawfully, fairly, and securely. This makes governance, data classification, and redaction standards critical.

Housing providers that already have strong information governance frameworks will be better placed to adapt. For others, STAIRs highlights gaps that may not previously have been visible.

Learning from early adopters in the housing sector

Some housing associations have already begun preparing for STAIRs by mapping their information holdings, reviewing governance documentation, and trialling publication scheme structures.

At the upcoming STAIRs session on 5 February, practical insight will be shared by Sian Green from Yorkshire Housing, one of the organisations that moved early to understand the operational impact of the standard.

This perspective is particularly valuable for providers that are now starting their own STAIRs journey and want to understand what preparation looks like in practice rather than theory.

What housing providers should be doing now

Although the first formal deadline is October 2026, effective preparation takes time. Key early steps include:

• Building internal awareness of what STAIRs is and how it differs from data protection rights
• Identifying information that is likely to fall within the publication scheme
• Reviewing existing governance, complaints, and information handling processes
• Clarifying ownership for STAIRs compliance across teams
• Considering how tenants will be informed about their new rights

Early action reduces the risk of rushed implementation and helps embed transparency into day to day operations rather than treating STAIRs as a last minute compliance exercise.

Join the STAIRs discussion on 5 February

STAIRs raises practical questions that go beyond legislation, from handling complex requests to maintaining publication schemes over time.

On 5 February 2026, Data Protection People will be hosting a live STAIRs session featuring Catarina Santos, Caine Clancy, and special guest Sian Green from Yorkshire Housing. The session will explore real questions being raised by housing associations across the UK and how providers can prepare confidently and proportionately.

The session will be recorded, and access to the information shared by the speakers will be made available afterwards. However, those who join live will have the opportunity to hear the discussion as it happens and engage with the issues in real time.

For housing providers navigating STAIRs, this session offers a chance to deepen understanding, learn from peers, and stay ahead of the standard.

If you would like to join us live for this in-person session, you can secure your ticket here –The Next Step: Preparing for STAIRs