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The Chartered Institute of Housing is the independent voice for housing and the home of professional standards

Introducing charters

CIH is the home of professional standards and has a key role in creating a framework to deliver great services. The operating environment in which we are currently working is changing rapidly and provides us with new challenges around working more efficiently and effectively. In response to this, and a clear demand from our members and the sector as a whole, CIH charters allow organisations to voluntarily sign up to a series of commitments, ensuring they are delivering excellent services in core areas of housing management.

Our charters

Our latest charter, launched in March 2017, covers shared ownership and reflects the improved recognition of the role of shared ownership in meeting housing need, and its increasing importance for many households to realise their aspiration to own their own home.

Other charters we have developed are:

What is a CIH charter?

A CIH charter is a flexible framework that helps to identify what outcomes a good quality service can deliver. The charters will focus on core areas of service delivery linked to our commitment to support organisations to get the basics right.

Each charter includes a set of commitments tailored to the core area covered. These commitments are underpinned by a range of outcomes that organisations should hope to achieve. Together, the commitments and outcomes provide a framework against which organisations can assess where they are now and where they aspire to be.

By signing up to a charter, organisations are making public their commitment to deliver high quality services which are clearly focused on outcomes for tenants. There are a set of fundamental principles that apply across all of the charters:

  • They have been developed using sector expertise
  • They are flexible and can be tailored to suit outcomes that matter to organisations and their tenants
  • They are focused on outcomes, not processes
  • They drive sector-led improvement
  • They intend to complement existing frameworks or initiatives.

Many housing organisations have used CIH charters to improve their services.  Read about what they have done and how your organisation can make best use of the charters in the new CIH publication How to improve your services with CIH charters.

See our frequently asked questions for more information.

 

Our latest charter

The income management charter is a flexible framework unique to CIH that helps organisations to challenge their income management services and identify the outcomes a good quality service can deliver.

Find out more >>
 

New housing apprenticeships

Read up on the latest government framework which focuses on targeting apprenticeships to specific job roles at different levels.
 

The new housing apprenticeships

With a century of experience equipping housing professionals with the skills they need to do the brilliant work they do, we can help you make the most of the new housing apprenticeships – whatever stage of the journey you are at.