Supporting housing providers to prepare for STAIRs (Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements)

• The client: Housing providers preparing for the Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs)
• The challenge: Getting ready for new transparency and information request duties ahead of implementation
• The outcome: Anthony Collins helped raise awareness and ensure housing providers were prepared for the rollout of STAIRS through practical insights, sector commentary and a joint guide with the National Housing Federation

As new STAIRs requirements move closer, housing providers need clear, practical guidance on what the changes mean in practice. Anthony Collins worked with the National Housing Federation to help the sector prepare early, raising awareness through expert content, operational guidance and wider sector visibility.

The challenge

STAIRs will require private registered providers to proactively publish, or otherwise routinely make available, key information from 1 October 2026 and respond to tenant information requests within a specified timeframe from April 2027. For many housing providers, that creates an operational challenge that goes beyond legal compliance, affecting how information is structured, published and maintained, governance, communications, tenant engagement, complaints handling procedures and internal processes. This made early, credible guidance important for a sector balancing regulation, tenant accountability and stretched resources.

The solution

Anthony Collins collaborated with the National Housing Federation to produce practical operational guidance to support STAIRs implementation. Alongside that, the firm helped raise awareness through a series of thought-leadership pieces and podcasts, positioning Anthony Collins as a leading voice on an important regulatory change for the housing sector. The new guide focused on practical steps to ensuring compliance with the new requirements, such as auditing data, organising web content, preparing request-handling processes and putting tenant understanding at the centre of decision-making.

The impact

This work is helping housing providers better understand both the scale of the change and the action needed before the implementation deadline is upon them. It also extended Anthony Collins’ reach across the sector, with media coverage in Inside Housing and Inside Housing Management, a joint podcast with National Housing Federation, and the publicised launch of the joint STAIRs guide, where added visibility was secured through NHF channels, social media and website promotion. The result was not just awareness, but stronger sector understanding of how to approach STAIRs in a way that supports transparency, trust and better outcomes for tenants.