Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council has failed to meet the outcomes of the consumer standards, the Regulator of Social Housing has today announced.

The council received a C3 consumer grading after an inspection found:

  • Less than half of its homes have had a full stock condition survey in the last five years
  • A lack of consistent reporting, tracking and oversight of landlord health and safety
  • The council was unable to demonstrate that tenants’ views are taken into account in its decision-making about how landlord services are delivered.

The issues found during the inspection have been driven, in part, by how Oldham has operated the two PFI agreements in place for the management of the majority of its homes, the RSH says.

According to the RSH, the council has worked constructively with it, and the regulator will continue to engage intensively with the council as it addresses the issues.

The RSH has also published a C2 grading for the London Borough of Ealing, which means there are some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards.

The RSH found that the council is largely meeting its health and safety requirements. However, the regulator found some weaknesses in the delivery of LB Ealing’s health and safety remedial activities, its repairs service, and the information it holds about tenants. LB Ealing is continuing to make improvements in each of these areas and the RSH will continue to engage with the council as it progresses with this work.

The RSH also published regulatory judgements for 30 landlords based on the outcomes of their annual stability checks. All retained their current governance and viability gradings.

Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “This is a serious judgment, and we fully accept the findings. Residents deserve a housing service where safety and accountability come first.

“Most of the issues relate to governance and oversight. The Regulator recognises that we had already started making improvements, and we will now go further and faster.

“We are increasing staff capacity, strengthening our checks on safety information, and improving how we monitor the work carried out by our housing partners.

“We will produce an enhanced improvement plan, strengthen our governance arrangements, and work closely with tenants so they can shape the changes being made.

“Residents living in homes managed on our behalf will receive a direct update explaining what this means for them and how we will work with them in future to ensure better communication as their landlord.”

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at the RSH, said: “Social landlords need accurate, up-to-date data about tenants and their homes, to ensure homes are safe and services are good quality. We also expect landlords to engage with tenants, listen to what they say, and use their feedback to improve service outcomes.

“Senior councillors and officers must scrutinise the performance of delivery partners and the service they are providing, as the ultimate responsibility for meeting our standards rests with the landlord. This is a central pillar of our regulation, and we will continue to use our inspection programme and other tools to drive long-term improvements by landlords.”

Councillor Louise Brett, Ealing Council’s deputy leader and lead member for safe and genuinely affordable homes, said: “A decent, affordable, and safe place to call home is the fundamental foundation of a healthy, good life. To offer that to all of our tenants, we know we need to provide them with the highest standard of service and support.

“This judgement reflects the huge amount of hard work under way behind the scenes to continue improving our housing service – from repairs and compliance to tenant involvement and complaint handling. I’d like to thank every council officer and tenant who took the time to prepare evidence and meet with the RSH panel to discuss the standards we were being assessed against.

“Inspections are a great opportunity to reflect on our progress and keep improving. This fair and accurate assessment of our housing service includes many positives, but we know there is still more to do. We have a clear plan, strong foundations, and a shared commitment to become a better, safer, and more responsive landlord for our residents.”

Links to all the regulatory judgements published today are in the table below.

Landlord Consumer Governance Viability Engagement Process
Abri Group Limited – G1 V1 Stability Check
Amplius Living – G1 (interim grading) V2 (interim grading) Responsive Engagement
Arches Housing Limited – G1 V1 Stability Check
Aspire Housing Limited C1(based on previous assessment) G1 V2 Stability Check
Black Country Housing Group Limited – G1 V1 Stability Check
Brighter Places – G1 V2 Stability Check
Broadland Housing Association Limited C2 (based on previous assessment) G1 V2 Stability Check
Brunelcare – G1 V2 Stability Check
Calico Homes Limited C2 (based on previous assessment) G2 V2 Stability Check
The Cambridge Housing Society Limited – G1 V1 Stability Check
Chelmer Housing Partnership Limited – G1 V2 Stability Check
The Community Housing Group Limited C2 (based on previous assessment) G2 V2 Stability Check
Cottsway Housing Association Limited – G1 V1 Stability Check
Cross Keys Homes Limited C1 (based on previous assessment) G1 V1 Stability Check
English Rural Housing Association Limited – G1 V2 Stability Check
Estuary Housing Association Limited – G2 V2 Stability Check
Hightown Housing Association Limited – G1 V2 Stability Check
Livv Housing Group – G1 V1 Stability Check
Local Space – G1 V1 Stability Check
London Borough of Ealing C2 – – Inspection
Look Ahead Care and Support Limited – G2 V2 Stability Check
Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited C2 (based on previous assessment) G2 V2 Stability Check
Mosscare St. Vincent’s Housing Group Limited C1 (based on previous assessment) G1 V2 Stability Check
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council C3 – – Inspection
Orwell Housing Association Limited – G1 V2 Stability Check
Progress Housing Group Limited – G1 V1 Stability Check
Raven Housing Trust Limited C1 (based on previous assessment) G1 V2 Stability Check
Salvation Army Housing Association C2 (based on previous assessment) G1 V2 Stability Check
Sanctuary Housing Association C2 (based on previous assessment) G1 V2 Stability Check
Selwood Housing Society Limited – G1 V2 Stability Check
St Mungo Community Housing Association C2 (based on previous assessment) G2 V2 Stability Check
Thirteen Housing Group Limited C1 (based on previous assessment) G1 V1 Stability Check
Wandle Housing Association Limited – G1 V2 Stability Check