The Regulator of Social Housing has issued a C4 grading to Tandridge District Council after a planned inspection found fundamental changes were needed to address very serious failings.
During its inspection, the RSH found that the council had over 1,000 overdue fire risk assessment remedial actions, while close to 400 homes had no electrical safety condition checks.
Tandridge District Council was also found not to hold records from when stock conditions were last undertaken back in 2016.
The RSH said that it found evidence of significant issues with the quality and accuracy of the repairs performance information, and also said that Tandridge DC does not have an accurate understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants and could not evidence that its services are accessible.
Finally, the investigation found that Tandridge DC could not provide sufficient evidence that it was working to deter and tackle hate incidents in its neighbourhoods.
The RSH said that Tandridge DC has been engaging constructively and had initially self-referred over the electrical safety issue to RSH before the inspection. It has made progress in addressing the outstanding checks, but the RSH says that further work is required by the council to ensure that it holds accurate information.
The regulator said that it is not proposing to use its enforcement powers at this stage but will keep the situation under review as Tandridge DC seeks to resolve the issues.
Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at RSH, said: “We cannot accept tenants’ safety and wellbeing being put at risk and we will be engaging intensively with the council as it puts things right.”
“We expect the council to urgently develop a comprehensive improvement plan that recognises the scale and breadth of the issues, and that drives fundamental change across all the areas identified. This should be shared with tenants.”
“Landlords must continue to self-refer if they find a material issue.”
