‘No access’ is the shorthand phrase a landlord traditionally records when a tenant doesn’t give permission or doesn’t respond to reasonable requests for entry to their home.
Opening the Door is the first-ever systematic analysis of ‘no access’ in the social rented sector and reveals the scale of the challenge – 60 per cent of landlords say that ‘no access’ is a growing concern.
This is driven by tightened legal duties, such as those produced under Awaab’s Law (see the full report at Preparing for Awaab’s Law) Preparing for  and the research shows a sector undergoing a significant cultural shift. Rather than treating ‘no access’ as a single tenant behaviour, landlords are recognising the various ways that residents may not – or cannot – allow access.
Of those who have analysed reasons for no access, over four in five cite tenant vulnerabilities, with more than half citing stigmatising issues such as hoarding. Around 40% identify landlord administrative issues.
Against a post-Grenfell regulatory landscape, landlords are re-designing the way they work: strengthening communication, improving data on households and properties, investing in resident-centred service design, and building trust at the earliest point of contact.
The research highlights that there is no consistent definition of ‘no access’ across the sector and no single explanation for its growth. However, the consequences are shared. Missed visits delay safety work, escalate costs, and can trigger legal action – particularly under the new timescales required by Awaab’s Law.