Landlords fail to meet new RSH consumer standards

Three social housing landlords have failed to meet the outcomes of RSH’s new consumer standards.

Castle Point Borough Council, North Yorkshire Council, and Warwick District Council have been given a C3 grading, meaning there are serious failings that they need to address.

The news comes after the regulator carried out responsive investigations into each council.

It was found that Castle Point Borough Council has not collected Tenant Satisfaction Measures, which all landlords are required to do annually. As a result, tenants are not supported to effectively scrutinise its performance in delivering landlord services.

North Yorkshire Council self-referred to RSH after identifying a range of issues. RSH’s investigation confirmed that the council does not have an accurate or up-to-date understanding of the condition of tenants’ homes. The council also reported that around half of its tenants’ homes do not have an up-to-date electrical condition report. There was also a lack of information on water hygiene and asbestos.

Warwick District Council also self-referred because it has over 1,600 overdue fire safety actions. 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.

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 landlord."