Inspectors set out positive way forward for council's housing service

All local authority landlords are subject to RSH inspections which assess their compliance with four ‘consumer standards’, designed to drive long-term improvements in social housing nationwide.

The areas covered by the standards – introduced in 2024 – are ‘safety and quality’, ‘transparency, influence and accountability’, ‘neighbourhood and community’ and ‘tenancy’.

The first inspection of the council’s housing service under the system took place earlier this year and saw the RSH team holding meetings with tenants, elected members, managers and other stakeholders such as Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contractors. They also reviewed a wide range of documents and observed the work of various committees and groups, including the independent Tenant Scrutiny Board.

Now the findings of the inspection have been published, with the council being assessed as C2 – the second highest of four possible ratings. This means that, while no serious failings were identified, there are opportunities to make improvements that will enhance how outcomes are delivered for tenants.

The RSH’s inspection report, known as a regulatory judgement, details significant strengths in the council’s performance across the four standards. These include:

• The council’s operation of an “effective, efficient and timely” repairs service in homes and communal areas, with 93 per cent of non-emergency repairs and 95 per cent of emergency repairs being completed on time;
• A proactive approach to identifying and responding to cases of damp and mould in homes;
• The council’s management of fire safety across its homes, including its high-rise buildings;
• Dealing with complaints “fairly, effectively and promptly” while also giving tenants meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise policies and service delivery;
• Partnership working to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, with appropriate support being provided to vulnerable tenants.

The report highlights two areas for improvement, both of which the council had already identified and was actively addressing ahead of the inspection.

The first issue was a lack of complete and up-to-date information on the quality of some homes, including any potential hazards. The RSH report, however, says its inspectors saw “evidence [the council] is on track to complete the outstanding stock condition surveys by August 2027”. Steps have also been taken to more closely monitor the quality of council-owned homes that are part of PFI schemes.

The second issue was nine per cent of council homes being overdue for an electrical safety inspection. The primary reason for this backlog is the difficulty the council has faced in gaining access to some properties, with legal powers now being used to ensure more of the required checks can be undertaken.

Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said:

“We believe the Regulator of Social Housing’s findings are a fair and accurate assessment of the work we have done on compliance since these important standards were introduced.

“The council takes its responsibilities around providing safe, good-quality homes extremely seriously and, as such, we are determined to address the issues raised by the inspectors as quickly and effectively as possible.

“One of our core values as a housing service is putting customers at the heart of everything we do, so it is pleasing that the report acknowledges the positive results being delivered by our people-focused culture.

“We see the findings of the inspection as a major step forward on a journey of improvement and remain firmly committed to achieving a top-level C1 rating in due course.

“I would like to thank the inspectors for their collaborative approach during this process. My thanks also go to all those from our housing service for the work they do – day in, day out – to meet the needs of our customers."

Dennis Moody, chair of the Tenant Scrutiny Board, said:

“It was good to meet the regulator to share our experiences. We enjoyed speaking to them about how tenant scrutiny is working and how tenants influence what the housing service does.

“We get regular feedback about our recommendations being put into practice, which shows that the housing service does listen and respects the views of tenants, including those with individual needs.”

The council owns around 52,000 social housing homes. Of these, about 2,600 properties are managed under PFI contracts. Around 1,800 are managed by the Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation, which works in partnership with the council.

The Regulator of Social Housing’s report can be found in full here.

ENDS