Consumer standards

Consumer standards introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) require social landlords to provide safe, high-quality homes and treat tenants with fairness.  

These standards, which follow the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, focus on safety, repairs, transparency, and accountability. They are enforced through proactive inspections.  

The four main consumer standards are: 

• Safety and Quality Standard: Landlords must ensure homes are safe, well-maintained, and that repairs are carried out promptly, including addressing damp and mould. 
• Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard: Requires landlords to be open with tenants, handle complaints effectively, and use Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) to report performance. 
• Neighbourhood and Community Standard: Mandates that landlords keep shared spaces safe and clean, and work with other agencies to support the local area. 
• Tenancy Standard: Sets requirements for fair allocation and management of tenancies.  

They apply to all registered providers of social housing, including local authorities. You can find out more about them in the Consumer Standards Code of Practice. 

Anchor and the Consumer standards

At Anchor, Julie Wittich, our Executive Director – Operations, is responsible for ensuring we comply with the standards.

Reporting into Julie are: 

Michelle Newman
Group Director – Customer Experience 

Michelle Newman is Group Director of Customer Experience at Anchor, providing strategic leadership for customer insight, continuous improvement and the national repairs service. Since joining in July 2025, she has focused on strengthening the organisation’s repairs, voids and DMC operating model and aligning service delivery with long term business and regulatory priorities.
 
With more than 30 years’ experience across social housing and the wider public and private sectors, Michelle has spent the last 11 years delivering specialist consultancy led support to organisations undergoing complex change. Her work has centred on reshaping customer and property services, stabilising performance in high pressure environments, and strengthening governance and compliance frameworks.
 
Michelle is recognised for building high performing teams and for creating the conditions that enable sustainable, insight driven improvement. Her strategic approach has consistently delivered enhanced customer satisfaction, greater operational resilience and stronger regulatory assurance across diverse, multi site service environments.

David Taylor 
Group Director – Housing Operations 

David joined Anchor in January 2026 as Group Director – Housing Operations, bringing more than 20 years of senior leadership experience across housing management, customer services and operational transformation. He is responsible for Anchor’s housing management services, including tenancy and neighbourhood management, lettings, rent and service charge collection, and services for leaseholders. 

Before joining Anchor, David spent a decade on the Executive Board at Midland Heart, where he led major improvements in customer experience, strengthened operational performance, and delivered significant efficiency gains. He has a strong track record of developing high‑performing teams, shaping organisational strategy, and embedding effective tenant involvement frameworks that support meaningful resident influence. 

A Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, David has extensive experience working with boards, regulators and local partners. He is committed to delivering excellent services and ensuring residents feel supported, valued and heard. 

Alex Liburd
Group Director of Assets & Compliance 

Alex is Anchor’s Group Director for Assets and Compliance, leading our national approach to providing safe, high quality homes.

An experienced leader in the social housing sector, Alex has built his career in asset management, compliance and property services. He began in housing as a repairs advisor before progressing through a series of roles, gaining expertise in planned investment, responsive repairs, compliance, contract management and building safety.

Before joining Anchor, Alex held a number of leadership positions including Head of Property Services at bpha and, most recently, Interim Executive Director of Assets and Compliance at Accent. At Accent, he served as the designated Responsible Person under fire safety legislation and the Accountable Person under building safety legislation.

Alongside his professional experience, Alex holds a First Class Honours degree in Construction Management and is committed to driving continuous improvement in asset quality, safety and customer experience.

At Anchor, Alex oversees our long term asset strategy and compliance framework, so our homes are safe, sustainable, and fit for the future.