The Mayor of London has pledged to work with social housing providers to improve standards for tenants after new City Hall analysis revealed that one in seven (15%) of London’s social properties fail to meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.
Whilst the majority of social tenants are satisfied with their accommodation, three in 10 said they have considered making a complaint in the last year and, of those who complained, 59% were unhappy with the response from their landlord or management organisation.
Today, the Deputy Mayor for Housing, Tom Copley, will bring together social housing providers from across London, including some of London’s largest housing associations, to share best practice and discuss how they can improve conditions for social tenants.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are also challenging providers to be proactive and do everything possible to ensure no social tenant lives in substandard housing.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “London’s housing crisis remains one of the greatest barriers to addressing the inequality we face in our city and I’m proud to have overseen record numbers of social and other genuinely affordable homes being started in London.
“However, while brand new high quality social rent homes are desperately needed, I’m determined we don’t forget those who are struggling in homes that do not meet basic standards. We need a step-change in approach as too many homes are still not in a decent condition.
“It is vital that providers of social housing assure tenants that their complaints are being listened to and acted on in a swift and timely manner to provide the comfort and security in their homes that all Londoners deserve.”
Karen Buck MP, Member of Parliament for Westminster North, who has campaigned for better standards in London’s social housing and will be taking part in Tom Copley’s roundtable said: “MPs, along with councillors and advice agencies, find themselves dealing with far too many cases of people in horrifying housing conditions.
“Whilst the private rented sector has a higher proportion of substandard housing, it is obvious that a serious problem exists in social housing too. I welcome the Mayor’s focus on this issue. All tenants, regardless of who their landlord is, deserve a safe, decent home.”
Pat Turnbull, Regional Representative for the London Tenants’ Federation, said: “LTF members will be pleased that the Mayor of London is taking this move to improve conditions of social rented homes in London.
“We agree that lengthy and frequently ineffective complaints systems are indeed a key element to address. Individual complaints are often symptoms of wider poor-quality management and maintenance practices. This includes failures to engage tenants collectively in the development of social landlord policy and practice.
“We would welcome opportunities to engage with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor in their efforts on this issue.”