The Regulator of Social Housing has awarded three C3 grades to councils that have failed to meet the outcomes for consumer standards.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets was found to not have an accurate understanding of tenants’ homes, with only 47% of individual property surveys carried out within the last five years. The RSH also found that almost a quarter of its 11,000 homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard, while also having around 2,500 overdue fire safety actions, 1,400 overdue communal electrical safety actions and 750 overdue water safety actions.
Reading Borough Council also received a C3 grade for failing to provide an effective and timely repairs service, with around 1,600 overdue repairs at the time of inspection. The inspection also found that only half of its tenants’ homes had been surveyed over the past five years and that the council had failed to provide meaningful opportunities for tenants to scrutinise its performance or provide all tenants with access to a fair and effective complaints process.
Winchester City Council was deemed to not have up-to-date information about the majority of tenants’ homes, with its last stock condition survey completed over 10 years ago. The RSH also found that the council was unable to provide assurance that it is completing required health and safety checks for all homes and communal areas – including those for fire, electrical and water safety, and that it was not able to demonstrate that it provides all tenants with accessible information.
The councils must now make significant improvements to upgrade their ratings and the RSH will continue to engage with them as they deliver their improvement plans.
Following a self-referral, the RSH found that Mid Devon District Council had overcharged rent for over 1,200 tenants and undercharged over 1,600. As a result, the RSH says it has failed to meet the outcomes of the rent standard. The council is continuing to investigate these issues and has advised RSH that it will confirm the refunds due to individual tenants.
RSH also found weaknesses in how the Community Housing Group and Richmond Housing Partnership are managing their strategic risks. Each landlord needs to improve their internal controls assurance so that consistent improvement is seen in outcomes for tenants. RSH has downgraded both landlords to a G2 grading for governance as a result.
Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at RSH, said: “We continue to take action on a wide range of issues when landlords fail to meet our standards.”
“Our judgements show the importance of good governance in driving improvements for tenants and ensuring landlords are on top of their strategic risks. A clear theme is the need for accurate, up-to-date information about key risks – whether they are financial or relate to tenants’ health and safety.”
“Through our regulation, we will continue to support a sector that is well run and financially viable. This is the foundation for providing good-quality homes for tenants and building new homes for the future.”
