Chartered Institute of Housing

In 1916, a group of women who had trained under Octavia Hill founded the Association of Women Housing Workers, which in 1948 became the Society of Housing Managers. In 1965, this group merged with the Institute of Housing, formed in 1931 by a group of local government officers, and the two together became the Institute of Housing Managers. In 1974 this was renamed the Institute of Housing and following Royal Charter in 1984 it became the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) in 1994.

The Chartered Institute of Housing is a not-for-profit, independent charity and the professional body for the housing sector. Its aim is to provide all those working in housing with the advice, tools and knowledge needed to ensure that everyone has a decent, affordable home in a safe and thriving community.

It provides training, seminars, conferences and produces publications. Its members include individuals from the private and public sector across the world. Its head office is in Coventry with other smaller offices around the UK.

A Governing Board is made up of a variety of professionals from the public and private sector who work with the executive team and set the strategic direction of the institute.

It describes itself as ‘the independent voice for housing and the home of professional standards’ and suggests that its mission is ‘…to maximise the contribution that housing professionals make to the wellbeing of communities, working to transform the lives of the most vulnerable in society’.

The institute commits that:

• Our work is driven by a passionate belief that our contribution as housing professionals is vital to making communities great places to live and work.
• We are committed to being an organisation in which everybody can participate, regardless of age, gender, transgender, disability, religion or other beliefs, race, sexual orientation, social background or family or care responsibilities.
• We are committed to improving the diversity of our organisation, our membership, and to equipping housing professionals with the knowledge to promote equality and diversity across the housing sector.
• We are committed to managing our business in a socially and environmentally responsible way.
• We are committed to promoting green issues across the sector and encouraging housing organisations to develop and implement strategies to protect the environment in which we live.

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