Industry News
Councils reminded of duties to investigate private renters’ housing concerns
A
recent Ombudsman investigation has highlighted local councils’ duties to investigate disrepair concerns in private
rented accommodation and to take legal action where dangerous conditions are found. A woman complained to the Local Government
and Social Care Ombudsman about the way Worcester City Council handled a complaint about disrepair issues in her rented flat. Te council found both Category 1 & 2 Hazards
when it investigated her concerns: its report found excessive damp and mould, and a heating system that was not controllable by the occupants. It also found issues with the electrical system, which was old and had also been affected by the damp. Te woman had to move out of the flat for
seven months while remedial work took place. Te Ombudsman’s investigation found the council did not take formal action against the woman’s landlord when it discovered the Category 1 Hazards, as required by law, and when it did contact the landlord, its email missed out vital information. Te ombudsman’s investigation also found
the council failed to keep tabs on the ongoing work at the flat and did not keep the woman updated on the situation. Paul Najsarek, local government & social care
Ombudsman, said: “Tis case highlights that poor living conditions do not just affect people living in social housing, as we have seen recently in the news; it can impact many people living in the private rented sector too.” “Te woman has told me it has been devastating living as she has: her physical and mental health
Worcester City Council will amend its investigation procedure to ensure it takes formal enforcement action upon finding a category 1 hazard, in line with the law
have suffered and she has suffered financial loss, not only because of damage to her belongings, but from malfunctioning energy pre-payment meters which she believes were caused by the damp.” “For many people in rented accommodation,
it’s oſten not a simple question of just moving to a better place – in many areas there is a lack of suitable, affordable alternatives. But equally people should not have to move out of their homes for prolonged periods to ensure
that their homes meet the minimum standards of safety.” In this case the council agreed to apologise to
the woman, provide her with an update on its enforcement action and pay her £500. It will also amend its investigation procedure to ensure it takes formal enforcement action upon finding a Category 1 Hazard, in line with the law and train its staff responsible for housing disrepair complaints in line with the new process.
Regulator runs second round of pilot inspections
Te Regulator of Social Housing has run a second wave of consumer inspection pilots, as it beefs up its preparations for a new framework of consumer regulation to be rolled out from April 2024. Inspections are part of a package of measures
being introduced via the Social Housing Regulation Bill, which is in its final stages in Parliament. Tey will build on the regulator’s existing in-depth assessments that scrutinise landlords’ compliance with the economic standards. Te regulator has already introduced the Tenant
Satisfaction Measures from 1 April 2023, under which all social landlords need to collect data from their tenants about the quality of their services – including repairs and complaint handling – and large landlords with over 1,000 homes need to submit the results in annual returns to the regulator.
Te regulator will continue its work to prepare
for new consumer regulation over the next 12 months. Another key milestone will come in the summer, when the regulator launches its consultation on the revised consumer standards. Te pilot inspections will enable the regulator to
test and refine its approach before rolling them out to housing associations and councils next year. A four yearly cycle of inspections of social
landlordsis is expected to be launched in April, with the regulator given stronger powers to hold landlords to account including sanctions of unlimited fines and ordering transfers of property management to other landlords. Te landlords involved in the second round
of pilot inspections are the Aster Group, Leeds Federated Housing Association, the Accent Group
10 | HMMJune/July 2023 |
www.housingmmonline.co.uk
and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group. Te landlords who took part in the first wave of
pilots were Bernicia Homes, Brunelcare, Cheshire Peaks and Plains, Eastbourne Borough Council, Folkestone and Hythe Council, Guinness Housing Association and Torus62. Fiona MacGregor, chief executive of RSH, said:
“We are gearing up for new consumer regulation, which is less than one year away. Inspections will be a cornerstone of this new framework, and the pilots are an important way for us to test and develop our approach.” “Tenants deserve quality services from their
landlords, and homes that are safe and of a decent standard. Our message to all social landlords is clear: don’t wait for us to inspect you; act now to put things right if there are issues in your organisation.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36
