Five councils slammed for being rogue social landlords

Five social housing landlords – all councils – have been hauled over the coils by the Regulator of Social Housing.

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 in April 2024. 

A spokesperson for the regulatory body says: “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 today need to be addressed promptly and we are working intensively with each of the landlords as they put things right for their tenants. 

“Separately, strong governance enables robust board oversight for private registered providers and supports their ability to assess and respond to challenges, make informed decisions and manage risks.” 

For East Suffolk Council, RSH found: 

• Around 50% of its homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard.  
• Resolution of hazards and damp and mould cases had not been fully tracked. 

For Ipswich Council: 

• Had gaps in its data, including in relation to the assessment of hazards in tenants’ homes in line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), as required by the Decent Homes Standard.  
• Lacked comprehensive data about the diverse needs of its tenants. 

For Leicester City Council: 

• Had not had an electrical safety test for around 70% of its homes. 
• Had a lack of up-to-date information on the condition of most of its homes, with its last comprehensive stock condition survey undertaken in 2009, and those surveys did not include an assessment of HHSRS hazards in line with the Decent Homes Standard. 

For 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. 

For Redditch Borough Council : 

• Had around 2,900 overdue fire remedial actions including around 800 high risk actions that had been overdue for more than 12 months. 
• Had almost 3,000 overdue repairs. 

This article is taken from Landlord Today