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Nearly a third of London council’s properties do not meet Decent Homes Standard
Nearly a third of Haringey Council’s housing stock does not meet the Decent Homes Standard, a report after the closure of its ALMO has revealed.
A council document on housing repairs performance revealed that 69% of its stock meets the standard. However, since the report was published, the figure has increased to 70%.
In 2021-22, the English Housing Survey found that 10% of social homes on average failed to meet the standard.
The details follow Haringey Council closing its ALMO, Homes for Haringey, and bringing homes back in house.
Homes for Haringey was set up in 2006 to access Decent Homes Standard funding.
The decision followed a 2003 stock condition survey, which found that around 55% of its homes did not meet the standard.
Since its inception, the lowest percentage of non-decent homes the ALMO achieved was just over 17% in 2019-20.
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Haringey officially closed the ALMO in June after 81% of residents backed the plan.
The council, which manages around 15,750 tenanted and 6,000 leasehold properties, hopes the change will improve the condition of homes and services for residents.
The report said: “The Haringey housing stock has never met the government’s Decent Homes Standard.
“Currently 69% [now 70%] of stock meets this standard, with the exception of the new build homes which have been handed over in the last few years.
“All of the stock is over 40 years old and the majority is significantly older.
“Even for the properties where Decent Homes was achieved, the standard tended to concentrate on the internal condition of the flats and we are finding a lot of problems with risers in blocks which were not upgraded when kitchens and bathrooms were replaced.”
The report, which went before the council’s housing, planning and development scrutiny committee in December, also stated that at the point of transfer in June, its repair service had experienced “significant instability” for two-and-half years due to the pandemic and changes to senior management.
It acknowledged that a “significant level of improvement” is still needed in the service.
Dana Carlin, cabinet member for housing services, private renters and planning at Haringey Council, told Inside Housing that residents in the borough “deserve to live in homes that are safe, affordable and high quality”.
She said a “considerable” amount of work has been done to identify and prioritise improvements, including councillors working more closely with officers to highlight areas of concern.
Ms Carlin added: “Under the ALMO, there were delays in the major works programme, further impacted by the pandemic.
“We are determined to not only achieve the Decent Homes Standard across our housing stock, but to go further.
“Our capital works programme is holistic and will renew not just the interior of homes but the fabric of the building: from curb-side to door and from roofs to drainage.”
The council has made £100m of funding available to bring all of its properties up to have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of B.
Ms Carlin said: “This will reduce energy bills for our tenants and contribute to reducing the impact of the climate emergency.
“To support the delivery of this work, the council is currently going to tender for four partnering contracts to deliver up to £800m worth of investment to the council’s housing stock until 2034.”
Correction
- At 12.54pm on 05.01.2023: The article was amended after a line incorrectly stated that 69% of stock did not meet the Decent Homes Standard.
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