The London Borough of Brent has been given a C3 grading by the Regulator of Social Housing due to concerns over the quality and accuracy of its fire safety data.

The council made a self-referral to the regulator in April after it found that while actions from fire risk assessments had been closed, evidence of completion was not available in all instances and some actions had not been completed.

RSH’s engagement with the London borough also found:

• Data for fire safety, smoke and carbon monoxide safety, asbestos management and water safety could not be reconciled
• Concerns about the data validation process that took place prior to Brent implementing its new asset management system
• Although the council is reporting that it has 95% of its stock condition data, almost half of its homes have not had a recorded survey.

The regulator says it will continue to engage with the council as it seeks to address the issues identified, including evidencing that it is taking reasonable steps to mitigate risks to tenants as it creates and delivers its improvement plan.

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Housing Trust has been downgraded from G1 to G2, following an inspection.

This means it meets RSH’s governance requirements overall but needs to improve some aspects of its arrangements to support continued compliance.

Improvements are needed in how the board assures itself around the delivery of outcomes of the Safety and Quality standard, and the quality of its stress testing and mitigation strategies.

Metropolitan Housing Trust also received C2/V2 gradings.

Mosscare St Vincent’s Housing Group was upgraded from C2 to C1, following responsive engagement.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “Accurate, up-to-date data is fundamental to landlords delivering safe, decent homes for tenants. LB Brent has engaged positively with us since their self-referral and we will continue to work closely with them as they put things right for tenants.

“Our scrutiny of housing associations’ governance and viability is vital to ensuring landlords are manging their risks effectively.

“Things can go wrong without robust board challenge and rigorous stress-testing. We will continue to regulate for a sector that is well run and viable, to enable more and better homes for tenants.”

Responding to the C3 grading, Brent Council said it is “determined to improve the quality of council homes”.

Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Brent’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Resident Services, said: “We take our responsibilities as a landlord very seriously and the council accepts that we have let tenants down in the areas outlined by the Regulator and for this we apologise unreservedly. In this instance, we have fallen short of our responsibilities as a landlord and failed to meet the expectations of our tenants.

“The council is determined to improve the quality of council homes. We have made real progress in recent months – from launching a new damp and mould squad to action days where teams blitz through repairs that are needed on council estates – but we know there is still much more to do.

“We will continue to work proactively, positively and in an open and transparent way with our residents and with the Regulator to fix the issues identified. Council tenants are at the heart of this improvement work through the new Housing Management Advisory Board. By listening to their experiences and ideas, we can make better decisions and build a housing service that residents can trust