Reducing No-Access Rates in a New Era for Legislation: A Whitepaper Summary

Gaining first-time access to complete essential gas, electrical and maintenance checks has long been a historic challenge for the social housing sector. But in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy, Awaab’s Law, and the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, that challenge has intensified considerably and legislation has changed.

Amidst these new government regulations, the onus falls firmly on the landlord, to gain access under increased pressure, or face the consequences. That means going to new lengths to remain compliant, often while budgets and resources are already stretched by competing priorities.

In this blog, we share a summary of our whitepaper, exploring:

• Why no-access is one of the biggest compliance risks in social housing, among other competing priorities
• What the real cost of no-access looks like
• And how automation is helping the sector to reduce no-access by driving better tenant engagement

What has changed in the legislative landscape?

From safety and maintenance to accessibility, energy efficiency and tenant rights, the essence of social housing compliance remains constant. But the legislation is evolving rapidly.

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023

The Act strengthens tenants’ rights while giving the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) significantly stronger powers to act should things go wrong, including:

• Regular inspections of the largest social housing providers
• Unlimited fines for gas safety non-compliance (up from the previous £5,000 maximum)
• A right to enter properties with just 48 hours’ notice, instead of 28 days
• Strict time limits for resolving damp, mould and condensation under Awaab’s Law (from October 2025)

Unannounced inspections and tougher enforcement measures now mean rising expectations around speed, communication, transparency and service delivery.

What other legislation is increasing compliance pressure?

Alongside the Social Housing Act, social landlords are also navigating:

• Revised regulatory consumer standards, which require landlords to use data to truly understand customers and design services around them
• The Electrical Safety Standards (Private Rented Sector) Regulations 2025, which now require five-yearly electrical checks into the social rented sector

Why is no-access a direct compliance risk?

Quite simply, no access means no safety checks, which can lead to a compliance risk.

Missed access prevents landlords from completing essential maintenance and statutory inspections for the “Big Six,” including gas safety inspections, electrical checks, fire safety inspections, lift and stair lift servicing, and damp, mould, and condensation investigations.

With unlimited fines now on the table, no-access is no longer an inconvenience. It is a regulatory, financial and reputational risk.

What is the real cost of no-access in social housing?

The exact  cost of no-access is undetermined but known to be significant and varies from organisation to organisation. What is clear is that it can trigger an unwanted domino effect – from money spent and time wasted to an inability to go above and beyond for your tenants. Instead, we need to look at how to reduce no-access rates – starting with the process we carry out before compliance visits. 

The hidden impacts include:

• £75 average cost per missed visit (fuel, labour and admin)
• Up to £1 million per year in lost productivity for some landlords
• Rising CO₂ emissions from wasted journeys
• Manual rebooking time consuming officer capacity and causing frustration
• Missed opportunities to identify vulnerable tenants or emerging hazards

Discover the solution in our whitepaper

Discover how automation is transforming tenant engagement and dramatically reducing no-access across the sector with Voicescape Compliance. By replacing guesswork with two-way, tenant-first communication at scale, landlords are enabling residents to confirm, decline, or rearrange appointments in advance—giving engineers far greater confidence of access, cutting out manual chasing, and significantly reducing admin burden.

Our customers results are measurable and compelling: fewer wasted visits, fewer missed appointments, lower fuel usage, reduced rework, and stronger regulatory assurance. Some landlords have already achieved:

• 1,100 missed appointments avoided in six months
• £34,000+ in direct savings
• 150% increase in appointment booking productivity

You’ll also learn how automation supports compliance with Awaab’s Law to strengthen DMC response, through proactive updates, real-time visibility, personalised communication, and smarter escalation. This allows landlords to prioritise the most vulnerable residents, resolve hazards faster, and reduce staff workload. Read our latest piece in Housing Digital, where we explore this topic more.

For a full review of how our customers are experiencing these successes, whilst navigating these regulatory challenges - Download the free whitepaper here.