The RSH sets the standards which social landlords must meet to ensure tenants experience high quality homes and services. Its inspection measured how well the council meets its four consumer standards - neighbourhood and community; safety and quality; tenancy; and transparency, influence and accountability.
The council has received a C2 - the second highest rating. It means that while it is delivering most of the requirements, some aspects of the service need further improvements to fully meet the standards.
In 2022, the council self-referred to the regulator to flag concerns that it did not have effective systems in place to allow it to meet statutory health and safety responsibilities across a range of areas. It was also failing to monitor remedial works in relation to electrical, asbestos, and water safety.
The inspectors recognised the real progress the council has made since then:
- a restructure has refreshed the housing service, with permanent leadership, better aligned functions, more staff resource, and new training and systems. The council has also appointed new repairs contractors
- a full stock condition survey of all the council’s homes shows that 93% meet the Decent Homes Standard. A funded plan is in place to reach 100% by 2028
- over the next five years we’re investing £425 million on improving our homes, including upgrades to kitchens, bathrooms, lifts, and roofs, and £10m on safety upgrades across 27 of our buildings
- we are approaching 100% compliance with safety checks, and all fire risk assessments are up to date
- we’ve improved how we handle complaints and how we listen to and involve residents, including representation on our independent housing board
Councillor Louise Brett is the council’s deputy leader and lead member for safe and genuinely affordable homes. She said: “A decent, affordable, and safe place to call home is the fundamental foundation of a healthy, good life. To offer that to all of our tenants, we know we need to provide them with the highest standard of service and support.
“This judgement reflects the huge amount of hard work under way behind the scenes to continue improving our housing service – from repairs and compliance to tenant involvement and complaint handling. I’d like to thank every council officer and tenant who took the time to prepare evidence and meet with the RSH panel to discuss the standards we were being assessed against.
“Inspections are a great opportunity to reflect on our progress and keep improving. This fair and accurate assessment of our housing service includes many positives, but we know there is still more to do. We have a clear plan, strong foundations, and a shared commitment to become a better, safer, and more responsive landlord for our residents.”