RSH’s latest consumer judgements include two failures and first council to receive top grade

In Sandwell, the regulator found a number of issues with the Safety and Quality Standard due to the council’s tenant satisfaction measure return.

These included how the local authority was only able to evidence that required asbestos management surveys or re-inspections had been carried out on around 2% of relevant buildings.

Despite electrical safety inspections having been completed for 96% of its 27,900 homes, Sandwell Council was unable to monitor or report on the completion of remedial actions.

The council has a backlog of more than 14,000 overdue repairs, with over 90% of these yet to be assigned for completion. Plus, accurate, up-to-date information was available for only 5% of its homes.

Sandwell’s cabinet member for housing and sustainable development councillor, Vicki Smith, said: “We accept the findings of the regulator. We are taking their findings very seriously and we are very sorry that we’ve fallen below the expected standards.
“We want to ensure all of our tenants live in good quality, safe homes and we are committed to making improvements as quickly as possible."

After a self-referral by Willow Tree relating to the Rent Standard, the RSH found around 185 tenancies had been overcharged as a result of errors made in setting rents over a prolonged period.

The association could only provide limited information on the quality of its homes to assure the regulator they met the Decent Homes Standard. Improvement is also needed so Willow Tree can more proactively identify and manage damp and mould.

The RSH also found evidence of weaknesses in the provision of an effective, efficient and timely repairs service. Willow Tree has now corrected its rent formula and issued refunds worth £133,000 over the past six years.

Another four associations were all handed C2 grades: Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Broadacres Housing Association and Industrial Dwellings Society (IDS).

All of the landlords in this round of judgements have been contacted for a response.

Donna Johnson, chief executive of Willow Tree Housing Partnership, said: “WTHP welcomes the publication of its first regulatory judgement since a merger placed us into the larger landlord space. We have valued the forensic evaluation by the RSH and benefited from their expertise in evaluating our process since the merger 12 months previously.

“We are reassured that the inspection did not highlight areas for improvement of which we are unaware and that the RSH noted the work already undertaken and action plans in progress.

“While we are pleased that our health and safety management meets all requirements, we are extremely disappointed that we are not meeting the service outcomes our tenants should expect overall.

“Willow Tree is committed to delivering our improvement action plan at pace and will be acting on all recommendations as a matter of priority”.

Gail Teasdale, chief executive at Broadacres, said: “The inspection process for the new consumer standard recognised many of the positive outcomes we deliver for Broadacres customers, and in the coming months the Board and dedicated colleagues will work with the regulator to make improvements in the areas identified to attain the C1 grade that our customers deserve.”

Jonathan Gregory, chief executive of IDS, said: “The inspection was a comprehensive process, the outcomes of which give us an invaluable opportunity to further strengthen our operations and leadership to ensure that we meet the highest standards of governance and financial service delivery.

“For us, compliance is fantastic, but we know we can go further in some areas. We aim to give the best customer experience possible within our resources, and that will be our overriding ambition for the coming years, supported by a newly strengthened Board and corporate strategic plan.”

Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at the RSH, said: “Improving data management can help address the root cause of many of the issues we see.

“Without accurate, up-to-date information on homes, it is nearly impossible to deliver the outcomes of our standards and provide safe, decent places to live for tenants. 

“Today’s judgements reflect the range of grades we are seeing across the spectrum in the early days of our new consumer remit. We are working intensively with each of the landlords where there are failings, as they put things right for their tenants.

“Even when a landlord has been awarded a C1 grading, there is always room for improvement.”

Like Barnsley Council, Salford-based Salix Homes was one of the first landlord to get a top consumer rating from the regulator. Inside Housing recently spoke to Salix to find out how it achieved the C1 grade.

On the latest round of judgements, Ms Dodsworth added: “Our Governance and Financial Viability Standard remains as important as ever. Landlords need to keep a tight grip on identifying and mitigating risks to avoid problems now and later down the line.”

Earlier this month, the RSH issued its first C4 grading to a London borough after finding 9,000 overdue fire safety remedial actions and a failure to self-refer.