Five councils have been given C3 gradings in regulatory judgements by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) 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 1st April 2024.
Following responsive engagement with East Suffolk Council, the RSH found that around 50% of its homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard and that resolution of hazards and damp and mould cases had not been fully tracked.
Today’s regulatory judgement replaces a previous regulatory notice, published in May 2022, about consumer and rent standard failings. RSH now has assurance that East Suffolk has addressed the earlier issues relating to the Rent Standard.
Following its inspection, RSH found Ipswich Council had gaps in its data in relation to the assessment of hazards in tenants’ homes in line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
Leicester City Council was found not to have had an electrical safety test for around 70% of its homes, having last conducted a stock condition survey in 2009.
The RSH found that North Kesteven District Council is not meeting its targets for routine repairs or voids service.
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.
Around 2,900 overdue fire remedial actions and 3,000 overdue repairs were found at Redditch Borough Council.
Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at the 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 need to be addressed promptly and we are working intensively with each of the landlords as they put things right for their tenants.”
