Housing management in practice: six challenges shaping the sector

Housing management today demands a delicate balance between empathy and enforcement. As social and legal pressures evolve, housing professionals are finding that issues once handled procedurally now require deeper judgment, and a clearer understanding of human impact.

Our work with housing providers across the UK reveals six areas that continue to challenge, and in many cases redefine, modern housing management.

Proportionality and vulnerability in ASB cases

Anti-social behaviour (ASB) remains one of the most complex aspects of housing management. Landlords must protect communities while ensuring that vulnerable tenants are treated fairly under the Equality Act and Article 8 of the Human Rights Act.

Courts are increasingly examining whether landlords have properly considered tenants’ mental health and support needs before pursuing enforcement. Issues such as hoarding, lifestyle differences or cannabis use often fall into legal grey areas, and decisions are now scrutinised not just for legality, but proportionality.

This shift, while demanding, is ultimately positive. It encourages a more rounded approach that balances community safety with wellbeing, requiring collaboration between housing, social care and legal teams.

Key takeaway: Proportionality assessments and thorough record-keeping are no longer best practice, they are essential evidence.

Housing disrepair

Housing disrepair claims continue to surge across the UK. According to a 2023 survey, 48 % of tenants report living with at least one issue of disrepair, most commonly damp, mould or leaks (Hodge Jones & Allen, 2023).

For housing managers, issues relating to property condition cannot just be left to repairs or property teams. It is essential that all staff have an awareness of what the landlord obligations in relation to repairs and fitness is.

The focus on fitness for habitation has strengthened the sector’s accountability. Proactive inspection programmes and data-led repairs are helping many landlords reduce claims while improving tenant trust.

Key takeaway: Proactive and effective inter-departmental working is key to meeting repair responsibilities and defending disrepair claims.

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016

The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, fully implemented in 2022, promised simplicity. In practice, it has required a complete rethink of tenancy management.

After two years of adjustment, many benefits are emerging: clearer rights and obligations, standardised agreements, and improved transparency between landlords and tenants. The Act has also driven investment in staff training and record-keeping systems — improvements that will outlast the initial learning curve.

All aspects of tenancy management have been impacted by the Act and landlords are still getting to grips with the processes and procedures.

Key takeaway: Landlords are still getting to grips with decision making and processes under the Act.

Domestic abuse

Domestic abuse affects households across every tenure type. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 placed stronger duties on local authorities and reinforced the expectation that housing providers act as safeguarding partners, not bystanders.

For housing managers, the practical challenges are significant: sharing information safely, supporting victims while managing tenancy obligations, and responding effectively to perpetrators. Yet the shift towards proactive involvement is reshaping the sector for the better.

Landlords who build trust, train staff to recognise warning signs, and establish clear internal protocols are helping to prevent escalation, often before formal interventions become necessary.

Key takeaway: Housing providers are becoming key partners in safeguarding, and training frontline teams is central to that role.

Tackling social housing fraud

Tenancy fraud undermines fairness and drains much-needed resources. The Tenancy Fraud Forum estimates that around 148,000 social homes in England and 7,000 in Wales are subject to some form of tenancy fraud, costing the sector hundreds of millions annually.

Fraud can take many forms — unlawful sub-letting, false succession claims or misrepresentation at allocation. In Wales, the right to add joint contract-holders and for joint contract-holders to withdraw from contracts adds another potential avenue for fraud.

A significant hurdle is not only identifying the fact that fraud has occurred or is occurring, but building up a sufficient body of evidence to be able to tackle cases in court. Fraud represents a significant resourcing challenge.

New data-matching tools and inter-agency cooperation are proving effective, enabling landlords to recover properties and reallocate them to those in genuine need.

Key takeaway: Fraud prevention is not only about saving money, it’s about restoring confidence and fairness across social housing.

Youth injunctions

Anti-social behaviour involving young people can be especially difficult to manage. Traditional enforcement routes are often too slow or punitive.

Youth injunctions, available under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, offer an alternative. They provide early, proportionate intervention that focuses on behaviour change rather than punishment.

The need for such tools is clear: the proven re-offending rate among children in the youth justice system was 32.5 % in 2023–24, according to the Ministry of Justice (UK Government, 2024). Effective injunction use can divert young people away from that cycle while protecting communities.

Key takeaway: Youth injunctions combine accountability with rehabilitation, and deserve greater recognition as a housing management tool.

Evolving through challenge

Taken together, these issues highlight the transformation under way across social housing. Legal frameworks are tightening, expectations are rising, and the role of housing managers is broadening from enforcement to prevention, from policy to people.

The sector’s strength lies in its adaptability, and in the professionals who continue to balance compassion with compliance, even in the most complex circumstances.

Rebecca Rees is a Partner in Dispute Resolution at Hugh James.

To explore these challenges in more depth, join us on Day 3 of Hugh James Housing Week for an in-person event focusing on Housing management in practice. Our expert panel will discuss the real-world implications of issues such as ASB, disrepair, and tenancy fraud – and share practical guidance on how housing teams can balance compassion with compliance in an ever-changing landscape.

Click to find out more or to register your interest