Housing Service Standards

Housing Service Code of Conduct

1. Purpose

This Code of Conduct sets out the professional standards expected of all staff, managers, and partners working in Sandwell Council’s Housing Service. It provides a clear framework for ethical, professional, and accountable behaviour in the delivery of housing services, tenancy management, repairs, allocations, and resident engagement.
It aligns with regulatory requirements, including the Regulator of Social Housing Competence and Conduct Standards (2026), ensuring that housing professionals have the skills, knowledge, and behaviours required to deliver safe, high-quality, and resident-focused services.
This Code complements Council policies, statutory duties, and service procedures and applies to all professional interactions with residents, colleagues, and partners.
It also outlines to residents, colleagues and partners the standards they can expect, including excellent customer service, accessibility, clear communication, responsiveness, and transparency in all housing interactions.

2. Living Our Housing Service Values in Practice

Sandwell Council’s values guide behaviour in housing services. All Housing Service staff, managers, and partners are expected to demonstrate these values through professional, ethical, and accountable behaviour in day-to-day practice.

Customer Focused

Housing professionals must prioritise the needs of residents by delivering responsive, respectful, and reliable services.
•   Listen carefully and respectfully to enquiries, concerns, or complaints and provide a prompt and clear response.
•   Treat residents, colleagues, and partners with dignity, empathy, and fairness.
•   Be honest about what can be delivered, managing expectations regarding repairs, housing allocations, and tenancy issues.
•   Follow through on commitments, keeping residents informed about progress on issues such as rent, repairs, or complaints.
•   Promote a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for residents, colleagues, and partners.
•   Engage constructively with residents, recognising the importance of clear communication, transparency, and opportunities to share feedback and influence housing services.
•   Communicate clearly using language that is easy to understand and provide helpful guidance.
•   Provide interpreters and translated documents where required.
•   Make reasonable adjustments to meet individual needs, including alternative formats or assistance with online forms.
•   Aim to answer enquiries at the first point of contact.
•   Make services and information accessible online where possible.
•   Make it easy to update personal information, contact details, and communication preferences.

Inclusive

Housing services must be delivered fairly and in a way that recognises and supports diverse communities.
•   Recognise and respect diverse backgrounds, cultures, and needs.
•   Make reasonable adjustments to ensure services are accessible.
•   Promote equality and challenge discrimination, harassment, or exclusionary behaviour.
•   Ensure fairness in housing allocations, tenancy management, and resident engagement.
•   Support inclusive engagement so that a wide range of voices and experiences can inform housing service improvements.
•   Comply with legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, Worker Protection Act 2023, and relevant safeguarding and online safety legislation.

Accountable

Housing professionals must act with integrity, transparency, and responsibility in all decisions and actions.
•   Act honestly, fairly, and transparently in all housing interactions.
•   Take responsibility for actions, decisions, and outcomes
•   Embed learning from mistakes, complaints, and feedback to drive service improvement and accountability.
•   Be transparent and explain the reasons for decisions, including tenancy management, allocations, repairs, or enforcement action.
•   Safeguard personal, sensitive, or confidential information.
•   Maintain professional boundaries and avoid conflicts of interest or misuse of position.
•   Apply impartial, informed, and responsible judgement in housing decisions.
•   Avoid allowing personal, financial, or political interests to influence housing duties.
•   Consider social, environmental, and community impact when making housing decisions.
•   Comply with statutory obligations, housing regulations, and Council procedures consistently.
•   Respond in line with legal and service-specific requirements.

One Team

Delivering effective housing services requires collaboration, communication, and mutual support.
•   Work collaboratively across housing teams, repairs services, tenancy enforcement, and partner agencies.
•   Share relevant information appropriately to provide coordinated support for residents.
•   Build trust through professional, respectful, and constructive communication.
•   Support colleagues and residents who raise concerns in good faith.
•   Share knowledge and expertise to strengthen team performance.
•   Work collaboratively with tenant and leaseholder groups, panels, and engagement activities that support the ongoing improvement of housing services.
•   Promote a positive and inclusive workplace culture within the Housing Service.

Ambitious

Housing professionals should continually strive to improve services and outcomes for residents and communities.
•   Maintain up-to-date knowledge of housing law, tenancy regulations, repairs, safeguarding, and health and safety.
•   Undertake continuous professional development and reflective learning.
•   Deliver housing services that meet statutory, regulatory, and organisational standards.
•   Seek creative solutions to housing challenges, such as homelessness prevention or improving property standards.
•   Embrace opportunities to innovate and enhance housing services.
•   Use insight, feedback, and engagement activities to identify opportunities for service improvement.
•   Act professionally and constructively in challenging situations involving residents or partner organisations.
•   Seek opportunities to improve housing services and outcomes for residents and communities.
•   Aim to resolve residents enquiries promptly and provide guidance in an accessible, clear, and supportive way.

Professional Conduct and Accountability

All housing professionals share responsibility for maintaining high professional standards and public trust. These include:

•   Speaking up about conduct that breaches this Code.
•   Supporting colleagues and residents raising concerns in good faith and challenge retaliation.
•   Understanding that failing to challenge unethical, unsafe, or non-compliant behaviour may itself be a breach.
•   Cooperating fully with investigations and follow Council procedures for complaints, whistleblowing, and professional accountability.
•   Using digital tools and social media responsibly when communicating with residents, colleagues, or the wider public.
•   Acting as ambassadors for the Housing Service and the Council, demonstrating ethical, competent, and values-driven conduct.

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

•   Bullying, harassment, or victimisation of residents, colleagues, or partners.
•   Discrimination based on age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any protected characteristic.
•   Dishonesty, abuse of authority, or misuse of Council housing resources.
•   Behaviour that undermines public trust or the reputation of the Housing Service.
•   Failures to provide professional, courteous, and respectful services.

Ethical Decision-Making

Housing professionals must make decisions that are fair, transparent, and consistent with professional and organisational standards.
•   Apply impartial, informed, and responsible judgement in decisions affecting repairs, allocations, or enforcement.
•   Be transparent and clear when explaining the rationale behind decisions.
•   Where appropriate, staff may use recognised professional guidance, such as the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Ethical Decision-Making Tool, to support reflection and ensure decisions align with professional standards and organisational values.
•   Consider resident circumstances, feedback, and engagement outcomes when making decisions.

3. Implementation, Training and Review

•   This Code will be included in Housing Service induction and reinforced through training, supervision, and performance development.
•   Managers are expected to role-model behaviours and values consistently.
•   The Code will be reviewed regularly to reflect changes in regulatory requirements, professional standards, and organisational values.
•   Staff will respond to enquiries within service-specific timeframes.
•   Residents are encouraged to provide feedback, compliments, complaints, and updates to their circumstances to support accurate and responsive service delivery.

4. Concluding Statement

This Code establishes the standards of professional, ethical, and competent behaviour required of all Housing Service staff and partners. It ensures that all actions, decisions, and interactions are guided by integrity, accountability, respect, and professionalism, supporting safe, high-quality, and resident-focused housing services in Sandwell.
By embedding these standards into daily practice, staff are committed to excellent customer service, accessibility, clear communication, responsiveness, and transparency, ensuring high-quality housing services for all residents, colleagues and partners.