Latest judgments from Regulator of Social Housing see second and third councils handed top consumer standards grade
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has released its latest round of regulatory judgements, in which two local authority landlords, West Lancashire Borough Council and City of Westminster Council, received C1 gradings.
The top grade means that the RSH believes the housing provider is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and has demonstrated that it can identify when issues occur and put plans in place to remedy and minimise recurrence.
The gradings are just the second and third C1 grades handed to local authority landlords, after Barnsley MBC in October of 2024.
However, the RSH also hit three housing providers with C3 grades.
The London Borough of Wandsworth, Central Bedfordshire Council, and Anchor Hanover Group were given the grade having failed to meet the outcomes of RSH’s consumer standards.
During a planned inspection of the London Borough of Wandsworth, RSH found:
- Around 40% of homes and almost 80% of communal areas had not had an electrical safety test.
- Almost 1,800 overdue fire safety remedial actions, all of which were more than 12 months overdue.
- Only 6.5% of its 17,000 total homes had been surveyed in the last ten years
- Weaknesses in how tenants’ views are taken into account in decision making.
During an inspection of Central Bedfordshire Council, RSH found:
- More than 1,800 overdue repairs orders.
- More than 300 outstanding fire safety actions arising from fire risk assessments had not been tracked by age or prioritised by urgency.
- No tracking, monitoring, or reporting of the number and age of damp and mould cases.
- A limited range of opportunities for tenants to scrutinise their landlord’s performance and influence how its housing services are delivered
Following responsive engagement with Anchor Hanover Group, RSH found:
- Over a third of its homes did not have a current satisfactory electrical safety inspection report
- A significant backlog of electrical remedial actions
- Incomplete and unreliable information available on the presence of damp and mould
- Weaknesses across landlord health and safety, including fire safety and water hygiene
Mansfield District Council and Waverley Borough Council received C2 gradings.
Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “As we approach the end of the first year of our programmed inspections, we are continuing to see a broad spectrum of gradings - though it is still too early to draw concrete trends.
“While our engagement is the most intensive with landlords that fail to meet the outcomes of our standards, even landlords that receive a C1 grading have room for improvement.”
She added: “Along with our consumer regulation, our scrutiny of governance and financial viability remains as important as ever. Landlords must have rigorous oversight of strategic risk and continue to stress test their financial plans. Without strong governance, landlords will not be able to deliver more and better social homes for tenants.
“We can confirm that we have placed Anchor Hanover Group on the gradings under review list. The outcome of the investigation will be confirmed in a regulatory judgement, once completed.”
Harry Rodd
