The Regulator of Social Housing has given C3 gradings to five landlords for serious failings in consumer standards.
East Suffolk Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Leicester City Council, North Kesteven District Council and Redditch Borough Council have each failed to meet RSH’s consumer standards, introduced on 1 April 2024.
Following responsive engagement with East Suffolk Council, RSH found that around 50% of its homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard, while the resolution of hazards and damp and mould cases have not been fully tracked.
Ipswich Council was found to have gaps in its data, including in relation to the assessment of hazards in tenants’ homes in line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), as required by the Decent Homes Standard. The landlord also lacked comprehensive data about the diverse needs of its tenants.
The RSH found that Leicester City Council had not carried out electrical safety tests at around 70% of its homes, and had a lack of up-to-date information on the condition of most of its homes, with its last comprehensive stock condition survey undertaken in 2009.
North Kesteven District Council was given the C3 grading for not meeting its targets for routine repairs or voids service. The RSH also found that only a third of its homes had a Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) assessment in place as required by the Decent Homes Standard.
Redditch Borough Council was found to have around 2,900 overdue fire remedial actions, including around 800 high-risk actions that had been overdue for more than 12 months. The Council also had close to 3,000 overdue repairs.
The RSH also published regulatory judgements for 18 further landlords, including first gradings for Grainger Trust (C2/G2/V1), Heart of Medway Housing Association (C1/G1/V1) and M&G UK Shared Ownership (C2/G2/V1).
Two landlords, Bromsgrove District Housing Trust Limited (Bromsgrove) and Empowering People Inspiring Communities Limited (EPIC), were upgraded to G1 for governance. Both retained V2 viability gradings.
Following a period of responsive engagement, Bromsgrove has strengthened its governance arrangements, specifically its risk management and internal control framework, as well as aspects of its financial governance arrangements, including stress testing and mitigation strategies.
RSH’s inspection of EPIC concluded that governance improvements were supporting the delivery of its corporate objectives and that the board seeks an appropriate level of assurance on key risks including financial performance and capacity.
Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at RSH, said: “Our programme of proactive inspections, alongside our ongoing responsive engagement, continues to bring issues to light around health and safety, knowing your stock at an individual level, as well as understanding your tenants’ needs.”
“These issues outlined in the judgements published today need to be addressed promptly and we are working intensively with each of the landlords as they put things right for their tenants.”
“Separately, strong governance enables robust board oversight for private registered providers and supports their ability to assess and respond to challenges, make informed decisions and manage risks.”
