RSH finds London council has not assessed some stock for over a decade

The council has demonstrated that it treats tenants with fairness and respect, and uses their insight to shape services. But further work is needed to strengthen and close gaps in the information it holds on tenants.

Councillor Una O’Halloran, leader of Islington Council, said: “We take the Regulator of Social Housing’s judgement seriously and fully accept that improvement is needed. The findings highlight weaknesses in how we understand the condition of our homes and how we assure ourselves on safety data, and that is not good enough.  

“This is not about a lack of commitment, but about systems and assurance that must be stronger. We had already begun an improvement programme before the inspection, and we are now accelerating that work, with clear accountability and close engagement with the regulator, to make sure residents have safe, decent and well-maintained homes.” 

Islington Council has been engaging constructively with the regulator, understands the issues and is taking action to address them. 

Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at the RSH, said: “All social landlords should aim for a C1 grade as the minimum standard.

“To do this, they need to understand the condition of tenants’ homes and act on this to find and fix problems, and tackle the root cause. They also need to listen to tenants, treat them with fairness and respect, and use feedback to shape services.

“Landlords with a C1 grade still have room to improve, but they will have plans to deliver it. When we find weaknesses or serious failures through our inspections or referrals, we work with landlords to make sure they improve for the long term.”

As part of its latest round of judgements, the RSH added GreenSquareAccord to its gradings under review list due to issues that may indicate serious failings in the housing association delivering the outcomes of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.

The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council have been given the top C1 consumer grade.

This is because Hammersmith and Fulham Council has an accurate record of the condition of tenants’ homes, with a clear plan to complete all surveys by June 2026.

Plus, 99% of the authority’s homes meet the DHS and councillors have oversight of health and safety performance, with outcomes reported across the main areas of compliance.

Stockport Council also has an accurate understanding of most of its stock and the RSH revealed that the local authority is “actively focusing on homes that it has not been able to access”. 

Stockport reported that 99% of homes meet the DHS and it is taking all reasonable steps to comply with legal health and safety requirements. 

The council is responsible for a number of tall buildings, all of which have an up-to-date fire risk assessment, with remedial work in progress and mitigations in place where needed. 

Housing associations Housing 21 and Golden Lane Housing received G1, V1 and C1 grades. 

As well as meeting the outcomes of the consumer standards, the RSH said “they also demonstrated that they are well run and meet RSH’s governance requirements, and have the financial capacity to deal with a range of adverse scenarios”. 

Salford City Council and Milton Keynes City Council received a C2 grade, meaning there are some weaknesses and improvements are needed. 

Both local authorities have engaged constructively with RSH, as well as demonstrated that they understand the issues and are taking action to address them.