Social housing provider slammed for poor tenant services and worker treatment

Social housing landlord Sanctuary Housing has been accused of prioritising profits over tenants and staff well-being by the union, Unite.

The UK’s leading union is highlighting ongoing strikes by Sanctuary’s London repair workers.

It points to a recent Housing Ombudsman report criticising the landlord’s service provision as evidence of a systemic problem.

Sanctuary, with assets of £5.6 billion and a chief executive earning £400,000 a year, is being compared to a ‘corporate outsourcer’ by Unite.

The union’s criticism comes as Sanctuary’s London repair workers escalate their strike action over pay, union recognition and working conditions.

‘Issues over terrible service provision at Sanctuary’

Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “It does not take a genius to see that the longstanding issues over terrible service provision at Sanctuary and its awful treatment of workers are linked.

“Sanctuary acts like the worst kind of corporate outsourcer than a non-profit organisation: Amassing mountains of cash and paying its CEO a fortune while taking a race-to-the-bottom approach to workers and tenant services.”

She added: “That’s why Sanctuary’s London workers are striking.”

Sanctuary’s handling of repairs and complaints

An independent review this month of 4,000 homes also identified serious issues with Sanctuary’s handling of repairs and complaints.

These problems are not new, the union says, and highlights a Channel Four Dispatches programme which labelled Sanctuary a ‘new landlord from hell’ in 2019.

Matt Freeman, a Unite regional officer, said: “Sanctuary is anti-union and is trying to do everything it can to prevent its workers standing up for themselves and does not care about the consequences for either its staff or its tenants.

“It is disgraceful behaviour and will not work.”