Three councils have failed to meet the outcomes of the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) new consumer standards and have been given a C3 grading, meaning there are serious failings that they need to address.

The regulatory judgments for Castle Point Borough Council, North Yorkshire Council, and Warwick District Council were issued after the RSH carried out responsive investigations into each council.

Castle Point Borough Council

All landlords are required to collect Tenant Satisfaction Measurements (TSM) annually which this Council failed to do resulting in tenants being unable to scrutinise the Council’s performance in delivering landlord services.

North Yorkshire Council

After identifying a range of issues the Council self-referred itself to the RSH, who after its investigation confirmed the council did not have an accurate or up-to-date understanding of the conditions of its tenant’s homes.

In addition, the council reported that around half of its tenants’ homes do not have an up-to-date electrical condition report. It holds fire safety information across different systems and, as such, it is difficult to identify the number of overdue fire risk assessments and outstanding actions.

There was also a lack of information on water hygiene and asbestos. However, the council has reviewed its approach to managing these issues and has plans in place to review all risk assessments and complete recommended actions.

Warwick District Council

The Council also self-referred to RSH because it has over 1,600 overdue fire safety actions which it must address promptly. It could also not provide evidence that it is meeting legal requirements for carbon monoxide safety.

The council also reported that it had not carried out a full stock condition survey since 2016 and, though surveys have now restarted, inaccuracies have been identified by the council in the new data.

RSH’s investigation found that the council did not have adequate systems in place to deliver an efficient repair service for tenants, nor was it recording or responding to complaints effectively.

Addressing the issues

All three local authorities are engaging constructively with RSH and working to address these issues promptly. In the case of North Yorkshire and Warwick District, they are required to manage and mitigate risks to tenants’ safety as a priority and RSH is engaging intensively with them as they carry out this work.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “It is the responsibility of the landlord to take a proactive approach to providing safe and decent homes for tenants. Health and safety must be a top priority and keeping up-to-date, accurate data is a key part of this. We are working constructively with all three local authorities as they put things right for their tenants.

“All landlords should refer themselves to us if they are not meeting the outcomes of our standards, rather than wait for an inspection. This allows issues to be identified – and resolved – promptly. They must also ensure they collect TSMs, which gives tenants the information they need to scrutinise their landlords.”