Your tenants are getting a new right to ask.
Every request needs an answer within 30 days.

Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) gives tenants of housing associations and other private registered providers a Freedom of Information–style right to request information about how their homes are managed.

  1. Now

    Get ready

    Find where your information lives, fill the gaps, and build the channels, workflows and training to handle requests.

  2. You are here
    1 October 2026

    Publication scheme

    Proactively publish information on governance, decision-making, tenant engagement, complaints and performance, in a way tenants can easily find.

    Starts in  
  3. 1 April 2027

    Requests begin

    Tenants and their representatives can request information. Unresolved cases can go to the Housing Ombudsman.

    30
    calendar days to respondto every request
    Starts in  

Becoming STAIRs compliant isn’t without its challenges:

Information is spread across the business

Repairs, rents, complaints, board papers and contractor records sit in different systems, inboxes and spreadsheets. Finding the right information quickly is hard when it hasn’t been mapped.

STAIRs requests won’t arrive clearly labelled

A STAIRs request can come in by email, phone, letter or social media, to any member of staff, and in a variety of formats, If it isn’t recognised by front-line teams, the 30-day clock will already be ticking before anyone acts.

STAIRs, DSAR, or both?

Many requests will mix information about the tenant’s own data with information about how their home is managed. Each part follows different rules, exemptions and timescales, and getting it wrong risks a data breach or a complaint.

Volume is unknown

Nobody yet knows how many requests to expect, but there is likely to be an initial surge and around events such as disputes and repairs. Will you be able to manage this additional demand with already stretched data protection and governance teams?

Late or poorly handled responses lead to Housing Ombudsman escalations, regulatory scrutiny and a loss of tenant trust.

We’ve got you

We can get you ready for STAIRs, whether that’s setting up your systems and processes or managing the new, and likely numerous, requests. We can be involved as little or as much as you need; our services are flexible to meet your requirements.

Our services fall under two categories:

STAIRs preparation

Get ready before 1st April 2027. We will:

  • Run a gap analysis, map where your STAIRs information is held and fix any data gaps

  • Set up inboxes, channels and workflows for STAIRs, DSAR and mixed requests

  • Build case management with time stamps, tracking, reminders and an audit trail

  • Train staff by role and create clear guidance for tenants

  • Test run everything with your team ahead of the deadline

Pricing depends on the size and governance maturity of your housing association.

STAIRs management

Keeping you compliant from 1st April 2027. Fully or partly outsourced, we will:

  • Manage your STAIRs inboxes and triage every request, including STAIRs, DSARs or both

  • Run full case management with time stamps, tracking and audit trail (tool agnostic)

  • Handle all tenant communication, refusals, redactions and vexatious requests

  • Manage Housing Ombudsman escalations

  • Provide monthly reporting and regular refresher training

Pricing depends on the size and governance maturity of your housing association.

Benefits of our service

Full active case management

Improved Governance score

Seamless extension to virtual DPO services

Flexible service, tailored to requirements

Capacity to manage surge, holiday and sickness periods

12+ years of experience in Cyber Security, Governance and Digital Resilience

Take the burden of STAIRs off your plate.

Get in touch using the form and find out more about how we can help.