National Housing Federation Business Strategy 2025-30

At the NHF, we exist to support our housing association members to deliver their social purpose: providing good quality housing that people can afford.

Our ambitious new business strategy sets out what we want to achieve over the next five years in partnership with our members and other key stakeholders, leading to better outcomes for everyone, not least the millions of residents who live in our homes.

Lots of collaborative work has gone into this document, including the strategic review consultation, which gave us a renewed understanding of social housing’s challenges, strengths and vulnerabilities. From these conversations, we developed three overarching sector ambitions, which the NHF will support its members to achieve by working towards five of its own strategic objectives, each with practical, measurable outcomes.

By 2030, the NHF will have enabled housing associations to deliver on their three key ambitions.

To support our members to achieve those ambitions, the NHF will:

• Housing associations, the government, residents and wider stakeholders share a clear vision for the future of social housing rent policy and how it works effectively with the welfare system to ensure social homes are affordable and adequately funded.
• There is a clear framework for new models of investment in affordable housing, which recognises and protects the value of the not-for-profit housing association model as long-term stewards of social homes.
• Housing associations are building more accessible and adaptable homes for older people and disabled people of all ages.
• Housing associations in all geographies know the types and tenures of homes, including supported housing, they should be building to meet housing need.
• Supported housing is financially sustainable, with more new schemes in development and recognition of its role and value at a national level.
• Housing associations are key partners in local and national efforts to end homelessness.
• Welfare policy is designed alongside housing associations and meaningfully supports residents to sustain their tenancies.
• Housing associations have been enabled to either start or complete all remedial works on buildings affected by the building safety crisis.
• Regulation is clear, effective and deliverable.
• Housing associations are leading the drive to decarbonise England’s homes and helping to reduce fuel poverty.
• We better understand housing associations’ challenges of climate adaptation, environmental sustainability and embodied carbon.
• We have a better understanding of residents and how homes and services need to adapt to meet their needs, both now and in the future.
• Housing associations can continue offering low-cost home ownership options to people.
• Housing associations are working as key strategic partners with every Mayor and Combined or Strategic Authority and have influence over devolved funding and policies with risks and barriers minimised.

• Political stakeholders across national, regional and local government have an increased understanding of the housing association model and the positive work of our members.
• Our sector’s culture is inclusive, and our equality, diversity and inclusivity data collections show that people in leadership positions and on boards are increasingly diverse.
• The learnings from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Better Social Housing Review, including those around structural inequalities, are embedded within the sector.
• Housing associations are getting the support they need from local partners, such as the police and social services.