Local authority self-refers to the regulator for potential consumer standards breach

Lewisham Council has referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) for a potential breach of consumer standards relating to its repairs service and the condition of its homes. 

The council estimates that, at present, 17% of homes are not ‘decent’, however, at the current rate of progress this would rise to about 31% by 2027. It says this is largely because it is allocating resources to fire safety improvements, and away from refurbishment works. 

In a statement made two days ago, Lewisham council stated that it has made the self-referral to enable the regulator to assess whether the local authority is providing decent homes, running an efficient repairs service and completing fire safety actions within acceptable timescales. 

This comes after Lewisham Council took its arm’s-length management organisation (ALMO), Lewisham Homes, back into direct control on 1 October this year.

Three months ago, Lewisham Council took over responsibility for managing and maintaining more than 13,500 homes across the borough, following the transfer of staff and services from Lewisham Homes.

The council said that data from April to October 2023 shows that repairs performance “is not up to the standard we expect”. 

It said that 31% of emergency repairs were completed in time, against a target of 90%. In terms of non-emergency repairs, 56% were completed in time, falling short of its target of 85%.

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Lewisham council said it has up-to-date fire risk assessments for all its buildings, and that compliance with other key assessments such as gas safety checks and asbestos surveys. 

Its gas safety checks have a 99.9% compliance rate, while asbestos surveys and electrical safety certificates within 5 years show compliance rates of 98% and 99.4% respectively.

The council said it is currently reviewing the 2024/25 capital programme to ensure it brings “all possible homes up to the Decent Homes Standard in a planned programme”. 

The council’s statement notes: “We have established that although many of the homes we manage are in good condition, some are not. We are also aware that our repairs service is too often difficult to access, and many of our residents are not satisfied with the level of service they receive.”

It adds that there have been “persistent issues” with some of the council’s buildings, and that some of the homes, many of which were built over 50 years ago, need substantial investment at a time when councils and other housing providers are facing “serious financial challenges”. 

The council’s capital programme has committed to investing £321m in its housing stock over five years. 

On the self-referral, Lewisham council said: “The aim of bringing the management of housing back into the Council is to improve it for residents by providing a more joined-up service, linking housing and other Council services that residents rely on.

“We want to start this new era with openness and transparency so that our residents are aware of our challenges and what we are doing to overcome them.

“We are determined to make improvements and tackle these issues, and as part of this process, in December 2023, we took the decision to refer ourselves to the government’s Regulator of Social Housing for a potential breach of its Consumer Standards.”