Housing professionals play a vital role in helping people find secure, quality homes. CIH’s professional standards are designed to support this mission, fostering a commitment to excellence that aligns with UK regulatory expectations and the Social Housing White Paper in England.
Our self assessment tool
Understanding your professional behaviours
Complete our self-assessment to see how you compare and get a personalised report on your own professional profile. Take some time to reflect honestly on your professional journey and think about your development needs.
Once you've completed the questionnaire, you'll see how you compare to the professional standards; assessing the gaps in your knowledge and behaviours is the first step in the CIH CPD cycle.
The professional standards
Seven characteristics
Built on seven core characteristics, these standards provide a framework for your professional growth and help you identify development needs. By applying these principles, you enhance trust, credibility, and positive outcomes—both within your organisation and across the housing sector.
These standards unite us under a shared identity and purpose, defining our values and goals as housing professionals. Explore each of the seven characteristics below or download a pdf version of the professional standards here.
A housing professional has a clear understanding of their values and acts in accordance with them – they will do the right thing, for the right reasons, based on the best evidence and without partiality.
Responsibility
Recognise and take responsibility for your actions and mistakes and contribute to putting things right
Role-model
Visibly and consistently be a role-model for professional principles and values
Challenge behaviour
Challenge behaviours and attitudes that are inconsistent with your professional values
Honesty
Demonstrate transparency and honesty in your decision-making and communication
Know your limits
Acknowledge your own emotional and professional limits and ask for support or help when necessary
Attitude
Strive to treat everyone fairly, promptly, effectively and sensitively
In practice, this means:
- Delivering on your commitments within agreed/appropriate timeframes
- Acting in a way that does not compromise your personal or professional values
- Showing professional respect for others in all circumstances
- Building and extending trust with tenants and residents
- Working out the most effective way to raise concerns if you are worried about others’ professional behaviour
- Providing information and advice based on evidence and accurately presenting the options and facts
- Exercising professional judgment and acting with discretion and autonomy
- Recognising conflicts of interest and take action to reduce and/or remove the presence of such actions where feasible
- Recognising the impact that failure to deliver will have on service users
- Looking critically at your mistakes and working to ensure they are not repeated
- Understanding and acting in the best interest of your tenants, colleagues and partners
- Being open, honest and transparent in your dealing with tenants, colleagues and partners
Self-reflection
- Am I clear on what my values are both personally and professionally?
- Would I be happy if my actions were made public in the press or on social media?
- Is my behaviour in the workplace respected by my colleagues?
- Do I ever gossip about my colleagues?
- Do people trust my professional judgment?
- Do I own up to my mistakes and learn from them?
- Do I do what I say I am going to do?
- If I can’t meet a commitment, do I take corrective action?
- Do I always understand and act in the best interest of tenants/customers/partners?
- Do I provide information and advice based on evidence and facts?
A housing professional acts transparently and fairly; builds good relationships; and works collaboratively with partners, customers and communities to achieve better outcomes.
Unconscious bias
Address your own behaviours and assumptions (unconscious bias) in how you work
Perspective
Recognise, value and draw on a wide range of perspectives to ensure that you deliver the best service
Inclusive
Demonstrate sensitivity to the customs, cultures and beliefs of others
Collaboration
Build collaborative relationships across organisation boundaries, cultures and other disciplines
Challenge
Have a zero-tolerance approach towards inappropriate, offensive or discriminatory behaviour
Holistic
Promote diversity of views and experiences, ensuring you understand variations and listen to all relevant voices
In practice, this means:
- Understanding and valuing the diversity of your tenants, customers, clients and stakeholders and making sure the delivery of services meets their requirements
- Understanding and valuing the diversity of colleagues within your own organisation
- Recognising the causes and sources of discrimination and unequal treatment
- Being impartial in your treatment of others
- Challenging inappropriate, offensive or discriminatory behaviour
- Taking the time to understand the context of the situation and the needs of those involved
- Selecting the right communication channels to meet the needs of a diverse audience
- Recognising the challenges and influences that drive and affect the behaviour of others
- Understanding the multiple and intersecting oppressions and disadvantages that impact people, families and communities
- Seeking to adopt an open mind and continually challenging personal assumptions held to promote and maximise benefits of diverse groups
Self-reflection
- Can I see things from another person’s perspective/step into their shoes?
- Do my personal preferences or views influence my behaviour or decisions?
- Do I create unnecessary obstacles by not considering circumstances or needs?
- Am I confident that I don’t have any unconscious biases? How would I know if I do?
- Am I comfortable asking what may be perceived as awkward or difficult questions in the interest of inclusion?
- How would I ensure that I did this with sensitivity to the person/situation?
- Do I know what unacceptable behaviour looks like in practice?
- Am I comfortable challenging inappropriate, offensive, or discriminatory behaviour?
- Do I have access to equality, diversity and inclusion training?
A housing professional acts fairly and makes choices and decisions by applying principles and values consistently. They understand the impact that poor decisions can have both on people’s lives and the reputation of their organisation and they challenge unethical practice in a fair and considered way.
Professional boundaries
Understand the importance of setting and keeping healthy professional boundaries
Ethical working practices
Understand what ethical working practice means in the context of both your role and your organisation
Ethical perspectives
Make responsible decisions by considering different ethical perspectives and finding the best possible way forward
Role model
Be a role model and promote ethical leadership and professional principles and values across your organisation and the wider housing profession
Conflict of interest
Ensure that your private, personal, political and financial interests do not conflict with your professional duties
Professional judgement
Use your professional reasoning and judgment to make decisions
In practice, this means:
- Understanding and applying CIH’s codes of ethics and practice and understanding what this means in practice for you and your role
- Understanding of the differences between personal and professional relationships
- Being clear on “grey areas” of crossings professional boundaries and knowing how to deal with pressure to cross ‘the line’
- Understanding your own values as a service provider and how to recognise when these values are not being met
- Adopting a tenure neutral perspective, challenging negative stereotypes and promoting positive role models
- Seeing beyond the rules to do what is right
Self-reflection
- Can I clearly identify what an ethical dilemma might be in the context of my role? In the context of the wider organisation?
- Do I use the CIH ethical framework when faced with an ethical dilemma?
- Am I prepared to raise concerns when I feel practices, policies or activities are inconsistent with the values and practices of my organisation?
- Do I understand what a conflict of interest would be in my role or organisation? Who would I talk to if I felt a conflict of interest had arisen?
- Do my personal preferences or views influence my behaviour or decisions?
- Do I challenge false assumptions made about people who live in rented housing (both inside and outside of work)?
- Do I know and uphold the values of my organisation?
- Do I know what professional boundaries mean within the context of my role?
A housing professional has relevant and up-to-date practical and specialist knowledge as required by their job role, understands the bigger picture and has a passion for continuous learning.
Breadth and depth
Understand the breadth and depth of knowledge and skills you need to do your job
Contextual understanding
Understand the bigger picture to set your role in context
Currency
Keep up to date, stay aware of current issues, trends and changes in best practice
Self-aware
Demonstrate awareness of your own strengths, areas for development and the limits of your ability and expertise
Reflection
Assess and commit to your continuing professional development and reflective learning
Sharing
Share your knowledge, skills and expertise freely with others
In practice, this means:
- Being clear on the general and specialist knowledge and skills that you need to do your job – this includes the relevant regulation, legislation, and practice
- Understanding the role, purpose and function of your organisation
- Acting within the scope of your knowledge and skills and your role
- Understanding your personal limitations (e.g., when to seek advice from others)
- Not acting beyond the limits of your competence
- Continually assessing the breadth and depth of knowledge required to do your job
- Having a structured plan to enable you to stay up to date and address knowledge and skills gaps
- Developing contacts and networks through facilitated events, online networks, social media avenues
- Taking responsibility for your development and not waiting for others to direct you
- Sharing your knowledge with others to create a learning environment among your colleagues
- Continuing your professional development to build, maintain and learn new skills and knowledge
- Recognising how your role connects with the bigger picture
- Using knowledge, research and data to make evidence-based decisions
- Being clear about the skills required beyond technical knowledge
- Sharing good practice
Self-reflection
- Do I stay up to date with the latest policy and practice developments in housing?
- Do I regularly review my own development and progress, how am I doing, what do I need to do more of?
- Am I clear about the knowledge I need to effectively do my job?
- Am I aware of all my legal and professional obligations?
- Am I clear about personal limitations (e.g. when to seek advice from others)?
- Do I share my knowledge with others to create a learning environment among my colleagues?
- Do I use my knowledge, research and data to make evidence-based decisions?
A housing professional equips themselves with the relevant skills to deliver effective services to tenants, customers, colleagues, and partners.
Customer service
Pioneer and champion excellent customer service
Resilience
Understand what factors affect resilience in yourself and others
Change
Create change and actively support others to embrace and take the opportunities that change presents
Technology
Make the best use of technology where this enhances the quality and effectiveness of services provided
Influence
Be able to influence and negotiate to achieve positive outcomes
Problem-solving
Solve problems, be flexible, adaptable and respond to situations creatively, in the moment
In practice, this means:
- Using customer insight intelligence to shape your actions and prepare for future challenges
- Understanding what challenges or triggers your ability to be resilient and to ensure you are supported
- Scanning the horizon to predict future challenges and preparing effectively
- Responding according to the situation (situational decision-making)
- Taking pre-emptive action and proactively problem solving
- Finding solutions, even if they lie outside of ‘normal’ activity
- Making a positive contribution to team culture
- Recognising the need to balance commercial awareness with social purpose
- Developing effective listening and communication skills, and an ability to demonstrate empathy in respect of the circumstances of others
- Being adept and influential in virtual communication
- Being digitally savvy and skilled in multi-platform and communication tools
Self-reflection
- Do I stay up to date with developments in my profession?
- Do I regularly review the skills I need and plan how to address the gaps I identify?
- Do I take advantage of networks to support my development?
- Do I actively listen and really hear what people are saying?
- Do I understand what challenges or triggers impact on my ability to be resilient?
- Do I make a positive contribution to team culture?
- Do I embrace current and future technologies and digital working?
- Do I adapt to change well?
- Do I respond quickly according to the situation (situational decision-making)?
A housing professional acts as an ambassador for the wider housing sector and an advocate for the housing profession.
Reputation
Enhance the reputation of the housing profession
Stigma
Understand the impact of your language, behaviour, and conduct on the broader image of rented housing, negative stereotyping and stigma
Public pride
Generate a sense of public pride in the importance and value of rented housing as a positive housing choice
Ambassador
Act as an ambassador for the wider profession by maximising the positive impact you make on individuals and communities
Community
Create a sense of community with a clear set of values and social purpose
In practice, this means:
- Speaking up when faced with attitudes and behaviour that stereotype and stigmatise rented housing and people who live in rented housing
- Contributing to the profession, sharing experience, and supporting innovation
- Getting involved with CIH networks, influencing, public affairs and policy work
- Creating sense of loyalty and cohesion among fellow housing professionals
- Challenging the behaviours of colleagues and organisations that undermine the reputation of the profession
- Challenging organisational practices that contribute to tenants’ experience of stigma
- Championing the role that good quality, affordable homes play in the wider socio-economic context
- Building a network of relationships with current and future influencers and stakeholders
- Encouraging and welcoming others into the profession
- Creating and contributing to a sense of community
Self-reflection
- Am I a publicly positive representative of my organisation and the wider profession?
- How do I contribute to the profession, sharing experience, and supporting innovation?
- How would I describe the profession to somebody from outside?
- Do I call out unprofessional behaviour in my colleagues?
- How do I support others to be advocates for the housing profession?
- How do I respond when I hear criticism by others about the sector?
- Do I ever use inappropriate language or behaviour which might undermine the aims and objectives of the sector or my organisation?
- Do I challenge the behaviours of colleagues and organisations that undermine the reputation of the profession?
- Do I actively contribute to the profession, sharing experience, and supporting innovation?
Housing professionals at all levels should demonstrate leadership, be forward thinking and create opportunities. They find solutions to improve outcomes for their organisation, tenants and communities and demonstrate their ability to adapt to the latest ideas, situations, and change.
Achievement
Drive positive outcomes for people, organisations and communities
Innovation
Pursue opportunities to test insight, develop new approaches and innovate
Vision
Take a broader external view, forecast trends and issues, have a future focus
Authenticity
Be self-aware and critically reflective and have a desire to keep learning
Collaboration
Work effectively with others inside and outside your organisation
Ownership
Take responsibility for your mistakes, learn from them and demonstrate ownership for the actions to put things right
In practice, this means:
- Reflecting on the outcomes of your decisions and learning from them to improve your skills in the future
- Reflecting on experiences, seeking feedback and actively applying lessons learnt
- Giving and receiving feedback constructively in a co-operative manner
- Not being precious about rank or job boundaries, but being prepared to take responsibility and get things done
- Having a ‘can do’ improvement-focused attitude
- Having a strong virtual presence
- Driving leadership in the new virtual working environment
- Being able to identify practices that are no longer relevant
- Understand your own and team well-being needs
- Being able to unlearn and re-learn at pace to succeed in a continually evolving operating environment
Self-reflection
- Do I give feedback constructively in a co-operative manner?
- Do I receive constructive feedback well?
- Have I changed how I work because of feedback I have received?
- What kind of leader am I? Where have I made a change/impact? Where could I suggest improvement?
- How can I further develop my leadership skills?
- Who are my leadership role models? How can I learn from them?
- Am I confident in being a critical friend and am able to raise issues and concerns?
- How do I react when things don’t go to plan?
- How do I support my colleagues to be leaders in their roles?
- Am I prepared to champion new ways of working
- Am I prepared to take responsibility and get things done?
Why professional standards are important?
Every day, housing professionals create opportunities for people to find a home from which they can build the rest of their lives. The work we do is so important, that we want you to have the ability to demonstrate your professionalism and dedication to the sector.
You have the ability to showcase your professionalism and commitment to the housing sector using professional standards. The standards underpin the exemplary conduct and competence expected of the modern day housing professionals.
The professional standards also underpins the spirit of the housing regulation regimes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, ensuring that the sector adheres to consistent and recognised practices.
By applying recognised and valued characteristics and standards into your daily roles, you help build trust and credibility for the entire profession.
Professionalism is embedded throughout the Social Housing White Paper in England. Your commitment to this will soon become the expected norm and something residents will anticipate.
The benefits of the professional standards
The professional standards offer significant advantages for you, your organisation and the sector:
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Purpose: Define your role as a positive force for change, adding value, and supporting a future where everyone has a secure, quality home.
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Behaviours: Promote positive behaviours, challenge stigmas, and encourage a proactive response to a changing environment, with a commitment to doing the right thing.
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Recognition: Gain equal credibility and respect alongside other professions. The standards highlight the importance of knowledge, skills, and behaviours, helping build public pride in social housing as both a place to live and a career
The standards empower housing professionals to:
- Act with confidence and professionalism, making ethical decisions that drive positive change.
- Progress in their careers through development opportunities and networking.
- Stay up to date with best practice, fostering innovative and effective ways of working.
- Champion professionalism by challenging bias and discrimination.
Investing in professional standards helps organisations to:
- Build a reputation for excellence and provide a high-quality service to residents.
- Equip staff with the right skills, knowledge, and behaviours to meet changing regulatory requirements.
- Increase employee engagement and satisfaction, which enhances productivity and retention.
- Ensure decision-making is clear and accountable, reducing risks and improving outcomes.
For residents, the standards set clear expectations for professional behaviour and service:
- Establish benchmarks for respectful, responsive, and ethical conduct.
- Enable residents to challenge unprofessional behaviour, enhancing trust and accountability.
- Strengthen resident engagement and satisfaction by supporting improved service standards.
How to use the professional standards
The CIH professional standards are flexible tools that can be adapted to align with your organisation’s values and support your personal development. Here are some practical ways to integrate these standards into your daily work and professional growth:
- Identify standards of professional excellence across your organisation
- Identify the desired and existing skills, knowledge and behaviours across the business to make change happen
- Identify team and organisational capability
- Build your competency frameworks
- Map against organisational values
- Focus on behaviours needed for success
- Develop role profiles, job descriptions and personal specifications
- Identify areas for development across the business
- Build a resident’s charter
- Prepare for the expectations in the Social Housing White Paper.
- Apply self-refection to support personal growth
- Practically embed standards into your everyday role
- Help you to make decisions
- Understand the wider context/ operating environment to inform your work
- Identify meaningful CPD activities
- Build a case for your professional development
- Support interview preparation
- Help you to prepare for an appraisal or review
- Develop your external/public profile
- Demonstrate your commitment to being professional.
Case studies: How organisations have embedded our professional standards
Abri
Abri
Abri has recently developed a framework to provide their colleagues with career direction and a wide variety of development routes, all intended to create housing professionals of the future in every discipline.
With many new entrants to the sector joining us, they needed a way to help them become housing professionals first. This framework supports every colleague to develop expertise in their own areas whilst ensuring the context of our sector is front and foremost for us all.
settle
settle
The launch of the CIH professional standards came at a great time for settle. They recently introduced a new behavioural framework, 'the settle way', which helps identify their culture and working methods.
There is a clear alignment with the seven characteristics of the professional standards and 'the settle way' behaviours. Their plans for 2021 include weaving both 'the settle way' and its alignment to our professional standards into everything they do, creating a complete end-to-end cultural experience for all settle colleagues.
Succour Haven CIC
Succour Haven CIC
Succour Haven CIC serve the community through a combination of housing and person centred based empowerment and support, including the accessibility of local community support and wellbeing themed provision and public services.
They have adopted the professional standards by embedding them into the proactive delivery of their 'five steps of supported living' engagement and strategy themes with their tenants, along with the professional relationships with the clientele and partner agencies, including their operational and strategic planning activities and a reflection of the core values and beliefs.
Paul Powell | Director of Succour Haven CIC - "Our adopted Professional Standards are embedded in the proactive delivery of our ‘five Steps of Supported Living’ engagement and strategy themes with our tenants, alongside the professional relationships with our clienteles and our partner agencies, including our operational and strategic planning activities, and a reflection of our core values and beliefs."
Elim Housing Association
Elim Housing Association
"It struck me that there was a coherence between the CIH professional standards and Elim Housing’s ‘CARES’ Values. I decided to map the standards against our values.
It helped to demonstrate the importance of CIH qualifications to the organisation and to sense check Elim’s values against the wider standard. We are certainly planning for more of our colleagues to access CIH qualifications as a result of this synergy."
Paul Smith | Chief executive of Elim Housing Association
