Neighbourhood and Community Standard
Landlords must keep shared spaces clean and safe, work with other agencies, and take a firm, fair approach to anti-social behaviour, hate incidents and domestic abuse.
- 4Areas the regulator looks at
- 1Overall consumer grade it feeds into
- 4Years between routine inspections
For residents, and for your organisation.
What residents can expect
- Clean, safe and well-kept communal areas
- Anti-social behaviour and hate incidents taken seriously
- Support for anyone affected by domestic abuse
- Landlords working with police, councils and others to improve the area
What your organisation must do
- Keep shared spaces safe and in good repair, working with tenants
- Work with partners to improve neighbourhoods
- Publish your ASB and hate incident policy and act on it
- Have a domestic abuse policy and support tenants affected
The areas inspectors look at.
Maintenance of shared spaces
Work with tenants and partners to keep communal areas clean and safe.
Local cooperation
Cooperate with relevant partners to promote social, environmental and economic wellbeing.
Safer neighbourhoods
Tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents, and publish how you do it.
Domestic abuse
Have a policy on how you respond to domestic abuse and support affected tenants.
What you’ll need to show.
Typical evidence inspectors ask for. Be Assured maps each one to the expectation it proves.
- Estate inspection records and communal area standards
- ASB and hate incident policy and case data
- Domestic abuse policy and staff training records
- Partnership agreements with police and councils
From problem to proof.
ASB cases sit in a separate system and estate inspections on paper, so there’s no single view of a neighbourhood.
Link estate inspection results, ASB case outcomes and partnership activity to the standard, by area.
A landlord spots two estates with repeat ASB and poor communal scores, agrees a joint plan with the police, and tracks progress quarterly.
Last reviewed 8 October 2026. Based on the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards, in force since 1 April 2024.
Neighbourhood and Community Standard: common questions
What does the Neighbourhood and Community Standard cover?
Keeping shared spaces clean and safe, working with partners such as the police and councils, tackling anti-social behaviour and hate incidents, and having a policy on domestic abuse.
Do landlords have to publish an anti-social behaviour policy?
Yes. Landlords must have a policy on how they tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents, make it available to tenants and work with other agencies to act on it.
How do inspectors test this standard?
They look at estate inspection records, how ASB cases are handled and resolved, partnership working and how people affected by domestic abuse are supported. They also ask tenants how safe their area feels.
Check your position on this standard.
See every expectation in the Neighbourhood and Community Standard as plain questions, with evidence linked.