Regulator of Social Housing slams councils for failings

A council has received a C3 grading from the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) for failing to address potential hazards, including more than 3,000 overdue fire remedial actions.

Broxtowe Borough Council has claimed its focus is to “deliver safe, high-quality homes”.

Manchester City Council also received a C2 grading from the RSH.

Committed to learning from the inspection

An inspection by the RSH found Broxtowe council had a lack of accurate and up-to-date information on tenants’ homes, including potential hazards and improvements were needed in its engagement with tenants.

However, the RSH said the council has demonstrated an understanding of the issues and a willingness to resolve them.

Councillor Vanessa Smith, portfolio holder for Housing, at Broxtowe council said: “We welcome the Regulator’s report and the feedback provided.  When new legislation was introduced in 2023 as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, the council established a Housing Improvement Board to identify and deliver improvements to ensure we are able to meet the new regulations.

“Following the inspection, the Regulator’s findings will now enable us to build upon this work. Their report highlighted our constructive engagement and assurance that there is a commitment to improving outcomes for our residents.

“Our focus remains on delivering safe, high-quality homes for our residents, and we are committed to learning from the inspection and demonstrating progress. We will continue to work closely with the Regulator as we continue to implement our improvement plans over the coming months.”

Social housing landlords can improve by taking a proactive approach

Manchester City Council also received a C2 rating for low tenant satisfaction with repairs and anti-social behaviour.

The RSH said Manchester City Council has been engaging with the regulator, plans to identify weaknesses, and is effectively addressing health and safety issues.

Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at the RSH, said social housing landlords must take a more proactive approach.

She said: “Our programme of inspections, which hits the halfway point of its four-year cycle in April, is continuing to identify gaps in social housing landlords’ information on homes and tenants.

“Social housing landlords can improve services for tenants by taking a proactive approach to tackling these gaps. Without accurate, up-to-date information, it is impossible to make the right decisions or demonstrate that homes are safe, warm and decent.”