The government has released its social housing white paper, in which it lays out a seven-point charter that it says will improve the quality of social housing.

Revolving mainly around the boosting of housing ombudsman power as well as making it more accessible and strengthening the social housing regulator, the white paper lays out the following charter aims for residents:

• To be safe in your home
• To know how your landlord is performing
• To have your complaints dealt with promptly and fairly
• To be treated with respect
• To have your voice heard by your landlord
• To have a good quality home and neighbourhood to live in
• To be supported to take your first step to ownership

The government says that in reforming the regulator of social housing, landlords will be required to be transparent over performance and decision making, to “put things right when they go wrong” and to listen to tenants.

To help with this, the government will charge the regulator with developing tenant satisfaction measures that will be published on an annual basis “as a minimum”.

In its rethinking of the housing ombudsman, the government wants it and the regulator to work more closely together, to review its powers with the intention of improving them, and run an awareness campaign so that tenants know what their rights are and how to pursue them.

It adds that the ombudsman will engage with residents directly and continue to host events (currently virtually) designed for residents to provide feedback and share their experiences of the service.

Alongside this, the housing secretary has announced a consultation on the mandating of all rental homes having to include smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick says: “We are delivering on the commitment we made to the Grenfell community that, never again, would the voices of residents go unheard. This white paper will bring transformational change for social housing residents, giving them a much stronger voice and, in doing so, re-focusing the sector on its social mission.

“I want to see social housing tenants empowered by a regulatory regime and a culture of transparency, accountability, decency and service befitting of the best intentions and deep roots of social housing in this country.

“The new approach and regulatory changes we set out in this white paper will make a measurable difference to the lived experiences of those living in England’s four million social homes in the years ahead.”

Riverside Group chief executive Carol Matthews adds: “The white paper contains a number of very sensible proposals around consumer regulation, complaint handling, sector accountability and buildings. The review of the decent homes standard is most welcome.

“I am relieved that the existing social housing regulator will be expanded to fulfil the responsibilities of a proactive consumer regulator. It is right and proper that landlords should be accountable to and transparent with their customers and stakeholders.”