Our commitment to equality
Tenants, people who are experiencing homelessness and Gypsy/Travellers who use social landlords’ services are at the heart of our work.
Everyone has protected characteristics but within this we know that many tenants and other service users have some which mean that particular consideration must be given to their needs or specific services put in place. They may also have multiple needs which intersect each other.
For example, Scottish Government data show that a disproportionate number of people experiencing homelessness are aged 16-24, more likely to be care-experienced young adults and have other intersecting characteristics such as mental health and LGBT identity. Single men are the largest group experiencing homelessness and women, particularly single mothers, are over-represented relative to the general population when households with children are included. People experiencing homelessness are around twice as likely to be disabled, and nearly three times as likely to report mental health problems.
In addition, according to the Scottish Household Survey disabled people (self-reported) are roughly twice as likely to be living in social housing than other housing tenures. The Equality and Human Rights Commission shows that the proportions living in social housing are higher by all impairment types. For example, it is three times higher for those with a mental health condition and more than twice as high for long term health conditions. It is also materially higher for those who are hearing or vision impaired.
Gypsy/Traveller is a recognised ethnic group under the Equality Act 2010. The term covers a number of distinct communities with differing histories and cultural traditions. Census data show that a higher proportion of Gypsy/Travellers are children or young adults and that fewer people live into older age compared with the national average. Gypsy/Travellers also have higher prevalence of mental health conditions, earlier onset of long term health conditions and lower access to preventative health services. Overall, despite being a very small population numerically, Gypsy/Travellers experience some of the most severe and persistent inequalities across multiple protected characteristics—particularly race, disability, and age—when compared with the general population.
These examples demonstrate how social landlords must firstly have good data to help them understand their tenants and other service users and then shape how and what services are provided. Social landlords must meet the obligations placed upon them by relevant equalities and human rights legislation.
These examples, and our broader understanding of the tenants and other service users whose interests we aim to safeguard and promote, also helped us to prioritise, plan and shape our work in the last three years. We say more further below about the work we did.
We are committed to ensuring equality within all levels of our own organisation. This means we treat our own people equally without discrimination because of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age. As a Corporate Parent, we also consider ‘Care Experience’ as a protected characteristic.
We draw exclusively on Scottish Government Human Resources services and adopt its progressive policies to help us meet our commitments.
Charter expectations for social landlords
The Scottish Government’s Scottish Social Housing Charter sets standards and outcomes that all social landlords should aim to achieve when performing their housing activities. Outcome one requires social landlords to perform all aspects of their housing services so that:
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they support the right to adequate housing; and
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every tenant and other service user has their individual needs and rights recognised, is treated fairly and with respect, and receives fair access to housing and housing services.
This outcome describes what social landlords, by meeting their statutory duties on equalities should achieve for all tenants and other service users. It includes landlords' responsibility for finding ways of understanding the rights and needs of different service users, for example survivors of domestic abuse and vulnerable children, and delivering services that recognise and meet these.
The Charter also sets standards and outcomes that social landlords must deliver for people who are experiencing homelessness and Gypsy/Travellers. We regulate services to them through an equality lens. More broadly, the principal of treating tenants, people who are experiencing homelessness and Gypsy/Travellers equally and fairly is a theme that runs throughout all of the 16 Charter standards and outcomes.
How we regulate for equality
We use our regulatory powers to drive better equality outcomes for tenants and other service users. We listen to people with lived experience of social housing and use it to shape our approach. For example through our:
Housing (Scotland) Act 2010
The Act requires us to perform our functions in a way which encourages equality and in particular the observance of the requirements of the law relating to equal opportunities.
Equality Act 2010
The Act requires us, as a public authority, in the exercise of our functions, to have due regard to the need to:
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eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act 2010;
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advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not; and
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foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
In 2018, the Fairer Scotland duty was introduced. The duty places a legal responsibility on listed bodies in Scotland to actively consider how they can reduce inequalities of outcome, caused by economic disadvantage. We are not a listed body, but we aim to act in the spirit of the duties in a way that is relevant and proportionate to our role, status and activities.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 (UNCRC Act)
The UNCRC Act requires us to take proactive steps to ensure the protection of children’s rights in our decision making and service delivery. As part of this we will publish a Children’s Rights Report every three years. Social landlords must consider what the Act requires of them and when.
What social landlords must do
Scottish social landlords are covered by:
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aspects of the Equality Act 2010,
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the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010;
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in some cases the Human Rights Act 1998;
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in some cases the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024;
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in some cases the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (Corporate Parenting); and
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our relevant regulatory requirements.
Social landlords should make use of available guidance and practical support materials on complying with equalities legislation and can seek advice where appropriate.
Our regulatory requirements
Social landlords must understand the needs of tenants and service users and deliver services that meet those needs. They must collect equalities information and use it to inform decisions.
Social landlords must take equalities impacts into account when taking decisions that affect their tenants and other service users. As part of this, we further expect landlords to facilitate joint working with tenants and other service users to help ensure customer-focused decision making which recognises that people with different protected characteristics may have different needs.
Each year we require landlords to confirm through their Annual Assurance Statement that they comply with their legislative requirements, or what they are doing to improve their compliance.
We further expect registered social landlords (RSLs) to have effective plans in place to ensure that suitable people are readily available to take on leadership roles on their governing bodies when others leave or need to be replaced. This succession planning should take into account how they will achieve the appropriate and effective composition, and profile of governing body members.
Our Regulatory Standards of Governance and Financial Management also say that social landlords conduct their affairs with honesty and integrity. This requires landlords to pay due regard to eliminate discrimination, advance equality and foster good relations across the range of protected characteristics. More broadly, equalities should be a key thread that is mainstreamed through the overall business strategies of RSLs.
What we did
In our previous Statement we outlined our equalities objectives:
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we understand the perspective of people with protected characteristics who use social landlords’ services and our regulatory policies reflect this;
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we safeguard the interests of tenants and other service users with protected characteristics;
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we are accessible, and we engage with tenants, service users and other stakeholders in a way that meets their needs; and
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we encourage diversity and promote equality as an employer, and our staff are knowledgeable on equality issues and how they impact on our work.
Objective 1
We understand the perspective of people with protected characteristics who use social landlords’ services and our regulatory policies reflect this.
What we did
- We published a thematic report on tenant and Gypsy/Traveller participation.
- We updated a thematic report on homelessness.
- We published a thematic report on British Sign Language users’ access to housing and homelessness services.
- We spoke to our National Panel about equalities related issues, and we published the outcomes of those conversations covering topics such as rent affordability, Gypsy/Traveller accommodation and experiences of homelessness services.
- We equality impact assessed/screened a range of our policy decisions.
- We refreshed our Equality Impact Assessment Guidance for staff and included ‘Care Experience’ as a protected characteristic.
Objective 2
We safeguard the interests of tenants and other service users with protected characteristics.
What we did
- We made it clearer on how tenants can tell us about any Serious Concerns they have about the services they receive.
- We published an updated guide on how we regulate for tenants and other service users.
- We continued to engage with councils to seek assurance about the provision of accommodation for people who are homeless.
- We added Charter indicators on tenant and resident safety.
- We engaged with two local authorities following Serious Concerns raised by Gypsy/Travellers at three sites.
- We worked with social landlords to produce a briefing for the sector on damp and mould.
- We published a briefing on the outcomes of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report and the Social (Regulation) Act 2003.
Objective 3
We are accessible, and we engage with tenants, service users and other stakeholders in a way that meets their needs.
What we did
- We empowered tenants and others by continuing to publish landlord performance information in accessible and useful ways, to enable them to effectively engage with their landlord.
- We consulted with tenants and other stakeholders about how we regulate.
- We consulted with tenants and other stakeholders on our second British Sign Language Plan.
- We launched our second British Sign Language Plan. As part of this we now translate key publications into BSL.
- We published an updated Corporate Parenting and Children’s Rights Report setting out the actions we would take to support people with Care Experience and to ensure the protection of children’s rights in our decision making.
Objective 4
We encourage diversity and promote equality as an employer, and our staff are knowledgeable on equality issues and how they impact on our work.
What we did
- We have mandatory equalities and other related training for our staff and a dedicated equalities lead.
- We have raised staff awareness of BSL.
- We actively support the well-being of our staff through monthly conversations.
- We gathered annual feedback through our structured Staff Survey. This gave staff additional ways to raise any concerns and provide feedback on where we might improve.
- We published data on the gender balance of our staff and Board.
- We followed equalities best practice in our recruitment of new staff.
Our objectives for 2026–2029
These four objectives will remain in place for 2026–2029. We will also separately publish more information on our work in relation to Corporate Parenting and Children’s Rights.