Regulator of Social Housing issues top ‘C1’ grading to a council for the first time

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has given Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council the top ‘C1’ grading based on its performance against consumer standards.

Following an inspection completed this month, the regulator found that the local authority is meeting statutory health and safety requirements and has accurate records of the condition of its homes.

It is the first time RSH has awared a ‘C1’ to a local authority since the new consumer regulation regime came into effect in April. Nine housing associations have received the top grade.

The regulator found that Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC), which owns 18,000 homes, is providing a timely repairs service to residents.

The regulatory judgement said that Barnsley MBC is working effectively with its arm’s-length management organisation Berneslai Homes to manage antisocial behaviour and hate crime incidents and carry out risk assessments.

The RSH also said that the Yorkshire landlord is using the information it gathers about residents to tailor its services. However, it is still working on providing more clear and accessible information to residents about its services and performance.

In other regulatory judgements published today, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and Willow Tree Housing Partnership received non-compliant ‘C3’ gradings for how they are meeting the consumer standards.

The regulator issued Broadacres Housing Association, Joseph Rowntree Housing, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership and the Industrial Dwellings Society with ‘C2’ ratings.

Formed in March 2023 through a transfer of assets from Tamar Housing Society to South Western Housing, Willow Tree received its first governance, viability and consumer standards gradings from the regulator.

It was issued with a ‘G2’ and ‘V2’ for governance and viability. The judgement also found that Willow Tree is not meeting the requirements of the rent standard, which it referred itself to the regulator about prior to the inspection.

The RSH identified that around 185 tenancies had been overcharged over ‘a prolonged period’ as a result of errors made in setting rents.

The regulator also indicated that Willow Tree held limited information about the quality of its homes to demonstrate that it is meeting the Decent Homes Standard.

In the regulator’s judgement on Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, it stated that the authority had only been able to prove it had carried out mandatory asbestos management surveys or re-inspections on around 2% of relevant buildings.

Although electrical safety inspections had been completed for 96% of its 27,900 homes, the council was unable report on the completion of remedial actions.

The council also had backlog of more than 14,000 overdue repairs, with over 90% of these yet to be assigned for completion.

Sandwell Council’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.”

Smith added: “We’re taking urgent action to address these findings and will continue working with the regulator until we have satisfied their concerns and achieved full compliance with the standards expected for our tenants.”

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

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“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.”

Dodsworth stated that “Today’s judgements reflect the range of grades we are seeing across the spectrum in the early days of our new consumer remit.”

She said that the regulator is working intensively with all landlords where there are failings, as they put things right for residents, adding that “Even when a landlord has been awarded a C1 grading, there is always room for improvement.”

Despite the new regulator’s new consumer standards regime, Dodsworth said: “Our governance and financial viability standards remain 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.”