Local authority has failed to meet the outcomes of the Regulator of Social Housing’s consumer standards
Portsmouth City Council has become the latest local authority landlord to be handed a low ‘C3’ consumer grading.
In a judgement today, the Regulator of Social Housing said the council, which manages 15,600 homes, has failed to deliver the outcomes of the consumer standards and “significant improvement” is needed.
RSH asked the council to provide further information on health and safety after the council’s own fire safety remediation survey indicated issues. It then self-referred to the RSH last September.
The judgement found that following an internal change in how remedial actions are recorded and reported on the council identified more than 1,000 outstanding fire remedial actions, of which a small number were high-risk.
An investigation into the landlord also found more than 85% of its homes have not had an electrical condition test for over five years, a number of which are located in high-risk communal blocks.
Less than 40% of its homes had been surveyed within the last five years, more than a third had been surveyed more than ten years ago, and nearly 10% had no record at all.
Additionally, stock condition surveys undertaken prior to 2024 did not include an assessment of hazards, said RSH.
RSH also said there was a lack of clarity for tenants as to what they can expect in terms of the repairs service. The judgement said that the council had only recently introduced emergency and routine repair definitions and associated target timescales. Therefore, due to the way repairs information was recorded, repairs performance could not be easily reported.
RSH said the council “has engaged constructively with us and acted transparently by making a detailed self-referral and is taking steps to address the serious failings identified and make significant improvements”.
Responding to the judgement, a Portsmouth City Council spokesperson said the landlord has a plan to improve, including increased officer visits to tenants’ homes to make sure information is up to standard and up to date, increasing the frequency of electrical testing, improving the way information is recorded and stored including around repairs, and responding to outstanding fire actions in priority order.
Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing and tackling homelessness, said: “We knew there was room for improvement to meet the new regulatory standards.
“That’s why we referred ourselves and have publicised this to our tenants and other stakeholders. We welcome and accept the findings of the regulator and will work constructively and proactively with them and our tenants on those areas they have identified.”
Since the new consumer regulation regime came into effect last April, a total of 20 social landlords have received a ‘C3’ grading, with the vast majority (17) local authorities. Both councils to receive the lowest ‘C4’ grading are also councils.
The Portsmouth City Council judgement was one of 15 published today by RSH.
RSH downgraded the viability ratings of Bradford-based Incommunities and Magenta Living, which is based in the Wirral, from ‘V1’ to ‘V2’. A ‘V2’ score means a provider still complies with regulatory standards but needs to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance.
It said both landlords have the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of scenarios but their investment in existing tenants’ homes mean that they need to manage material risks. A spokesperson for Magenta Living said the organisation’s ‘V2’ grading is “reflective of the increasing costs in delivering services, investing in new and existing homes and ensuring customer safety”.
Rachael Dennis, chief executive of Incommunities, said: “We acknowledge the RSH’s most recent assessment. Not only does it reflect the wider financial challenges affecting the whole sector, but it also shows the importance we have placed on investing in our properties to improve the quality and safety of our homes.”
>>See also: Why are councils getting low consumer regulation gradings?
>>How our council found the social housing inspection process
>>Evolution or revolution? What new consumer standards mean for RPs
In other judgements, Aspire Housing received a ’C1’ for its first consumer grading, as well as being upgraded to a ‘G1’ governance grading and retaining its ‘V2’ viability grading.
Sanctuary Housing Association received a ’C2’ grading and retained its ‘G1’ and ’V2’ gradings.
Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at RSH, said: “The health and safety of tenants is non-negotiable.
“Providing safe, decent homes for tenants starts with accurate, up-to-date data. Without this, it is impossible to deliver the right services to residents.
“Portsmouth City Council has engaged constructively with us and we welcome their transparency in making a self-referral. This is the first step towards addressing the serious failings identified and making significant improvements.”
The full list of today’s judgements are below.
Latest regulatory judgements
| Provider | Consumer | Consumer change | Governance | Governance change | Viability | Viability change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspire Housing | C1 | First Grading | G1 | Upgrade | V2 | Unchanged |
| Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Homes Association | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V1 | Unchanged |
| Gateway Housing Association | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V1 | Unchanged |
| GreenSquareAccord | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V2 | Unchanged |
| Hexagon Housing Association | N/A | Not assessed yet | G2 | Unchanged | V2 | Unchanged |
| Home Group | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V2 | Unchanged |
| Incommunities | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V2 | Downgrade |
| Look Ahead Care and Support | N/A | Not assessed yet | G2 | Unchanged | V2 | Unchanged |
| Magenta Living | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V2 | Downgrade |
| Magna Housing | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V1 | Unchanged |
| Newlon Housing Trust | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V2 | Unchanged |
| Portsmouth City Council | C3 | First Grading | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Regenda | N/A | Not assessed yet | G2 | Unchanged | V2 | Unchanged |
| Sanctuary Housing Association | C2 | First Grading | G1 | Unchanged | V2 | Unchanged |
| Soha Housing | N/A | Not assessed yet | G1 | Unchanged | V1 | Unchanged |
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