The Library

Historical and current housing publications in one searchable resource

1000+

unedited copies of historic and current publication records from official primary sources

Collections

curated collections of topical publications and information in interactive dashboards

Detailed Records

summarised by description and keywords, recorded with various key meta data

Search Tools

various ways to search and locate what you are looking for

Expertly Sourced

Sourced from verified, authoritative sources to maintain the highest standards of accuracy.

Comprehensively Recorded

Meticulously structured, authoritative records capturing essential details with clarity, authority, and precision.

Instantly Searchable

Quickly find exactly what you need with our powerful, intuitive search tools designed for efficiency and ease.

Expertly Sourced, Comprehensively Recorded and Instantly Searchable

The C.A.S.T.L.E. X Standard™

Our Publishing Framework

At the heart of the platform is The C.A.S.T.L.E. X Standard™, our proprietary quality standard created by Housing Research Library Limited for housing information integrity and structure.

It acts as a primary operating system, integrating principles from established quality assurance and research methodologies to ensure every record is accurate, relevant and reliable. Each principle is a core component in constructing a “fortress of knowledge”, working together to provide a seamless flow from data discovery to final presentation.

This Standard ensures the platform is not simply a collection of documents but a structured, traceable and dependable research engine.

The acronym C.A.S.T.L.E. represents the six core principles of the Standard — the input that governs how information is selected, verified and structured. The “X” signifies the output: the point where these principles come together in practice, producing information that is complete, connected and usable. X marks the spot where the work of C.A.S.T.L.E. is delivered on the platform.

  • Collated: Correctly selected by topics, housing sub-sector and licence permissions.

  • Authoritative: Sourced from an approved official body, like a government department.

  • Sourced: Specified location of the original source, with documented licenses and attributions.

  • Timely: Specified date stamps for the original publication date, record date, record modification date and scheduled review date.

  • Linked: Connected to relevant database resources by tags and specifying related records.

  • Explicit: Summarised with relevant keywords and clear summary of the source document, an objective description of the content and a C.A.S.T.L.E. Score™.

What’s in the Library?

We continually search sources to deliver relevant publications

  • Court Judgments & Tribunal Decisions

  • Legislation

  • Local Government Schemes

  • Parliamentary Debates & Bill Documents

  • Policy Papers and Research Briefings

  • Government Consultations

  • Official and General Statistics

  • Statutory & General Guidance

  • and many more

… and there’s plenty other useful content too

Horizon Tracker

In October we started adding key dates to a calendar tracking the movements within the sector, such as licencing scheme start dates and dates legislation comes into force. This is a new addition so the content is limited, but will continue to develop.

Statistics

We currently track 5 datasets which are presented in interactive dashboards; Price Index of Private Rents, Private Rental Affordability, English Private Landlord Survey, Energy Performance Certificates, Mortgage & Landlord Possession Statistics.

Glossary

An A-Z of housing related key terms with a description and links to related content within the Library, helping with simple searches for related publications.

Collections

A selection of dashboards are available for collections of some of the Library’s content. These collections are for publications and data where the authors produce regular updated versions. The tables are all fully searchable and sortable. All content is linked back to the source publications in the Library . Some professionals need instant access to the live information in these collections on a daily basis, with the most used collections below:

Registered Providers of Social Housing Database

Local Housing Allowance Rates Tables

Legislation Database

Regulatory Standards for Social Landlords