Three councils have failed to meet the outcomes of the consumer standards in regulatory judgements issued by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH).

Runnymede Borough Council received a C4 rating due to very serious failings in how the local authority is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards, while both City of London Corporation and Rugby Borough Council received C3 gradings following inspections.

Runnymede made a self-referral to the RSH in June 2025, prior to inspection, after it had identified issues relating to rent setting.

The RSH identified issues in several other areas at inspection including:

  • Runnymede had carried out surveys of 58% of its homes since 2021, but only 30% had a full stock condition survey
  • Inadequate monitoring and reporting of hazards in tenants’ homes, with almost 250 previously unknown hazards identified as a direct result of RSH’s inspection
  • No evidence that Runnymede was checking the accuracy and integrity of data for required health and safety checks and actions
  • A lack of understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants and very serious failings of taking tenants’ views into account in decision-making and service delivery.

Although Runnymede indicated a willingness to address these very serious failings, the RSH has not seen evidence that it fully understands the potential risks to tenants.

The regulator also found serious failings in Runnymede’s approach to rent setting for some homes. The council says it has developed an improvement plan and is working to address this serious failure.

Cllr Mike Smith, Chair of Runnymede’s Council Housing Committee, said: “The regulator’s report mirrors much of our own existing improvement plan, which identified what needs to be done to address historic issues with Runnymede’s social housing stock.

“Since 2021, we have supported a multi-year capital works programme, and that work continues, and tenants can be reassured of our commitment to improving our housing stock and tenant experience.  We are committed to achieving the new Customer Standard. One example of how we will do this is the whole stock survey, which is due to be completed by the end of March this year. We have also already agreed to take on more staff to support our team.

“A significant part of the judgement relates to rent, which was a historic item where we self-referred to the Regulator ahead of any knowledge of an impending inspection. Having commissioned third party assurance, we identified those impacted by the issue and financially made good on that original error.

“We are committed to achieving full compliance with the Decent Homes Standard in this coming financial year, and we are ahead of target in delivering that ambition.

“We will be contacting all of our tenants to advise them of the Report’s findings.”

At the City of London Corporation, the RSH identified serious failings in the corporation delivering the outcomes of the Safety and Quality Standard, which had been self-referred prior to the inspection, finding:

  • Large numbers of outstanding remedial actions arising from electrical safety checks
  • More than 1,000 overdue fire safety actions, some of which are high risk and have been overdue for over a year
  • 18% of homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard and based on current plans the Decent Homes Standard will not be met in all homes until 2035.

City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said: “We recognised that there were historic issues in our housing stock, which is why we agreed a multi-million-pound housing investment action plan in December. We accept these findings in full and are determined to meet the standards our tenants deserve.

“The safety and comfort of our residents is an absolute priority, and our funding package marks a significant investment in ensuring they receive the high-quality housing they deserve.

“I want to reassure residents just how seriously we take this and how dedicated we are to improving our performance for everyone who lives in our homes.”

At Rugby Borough Council, the regulator found serious failings delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and significant improvement is needed to comply with the Safety and Quality Standard and Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

Prior to the inspection Rugby made a self-referral to the RSH after a third-party assessment highlighted issues relating to the accuracy of repairs information.

The RSH found:

  • Rugby commissioned stock condition surveys for 86% of its homes but only holds partial data so cannot fully analyse the results
  • It reports that 99.54% of homes meet the Decent Homes Standard, though this has not been verified against the survey information
  • The council identified 800 homes with electrical installation condition reports over five years old – and 600 homes without a smoke alarm.

The RSH says each of the local authorities are constructively with it to address the failings and weaknesses identified.

Cllr Claire Edwards, Rugby’s portfolio holder for Communities, Homes, Safety, and Regulation, said: “When I became Portfolio Holder, it was clear that significant work was needed to ensure our housing services were operating at the standard our tenants deserve. Over the past 18 months we have invested in our services, strengthened engagement with tenants, and progressed major improvements to our repairs service.

“We welcome the regulator’s assessment and see it as an important part of our improvement journey. We remain committed to investing in our workforce and systems, and to working closely with tenants as we continue to strengthen our housing services.”

Willow Tree Housing Partnership Limited has an upgraded consumer grade to C2 and confirmed governance grade of G2 and financial viability grade of V2. This is the first time a housing association has moved up from a C3 to a C2 grade.

Christian Action (Enfield) Housing Association (CAHA) Limited’s was upgraded to from G3/V3 to G2/V2 for governance and viability as a result of the landlord improvement plan it agreed with RSH.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at the RSH, said: “Our inspections continue to highlight significant gaps in some landlords’ understanding of tenants and their homes, reinforcing the need for accurate, up‑to‑date information to ensure safe, decent housing.

“We will continue to hold landlords to account, and drive continuous improvement, to ensure tenants live in good quality homes and receive effective services.”

Other new judgements are:

  • Bromford Flagship Livewest Ltd – interim judgement – G1/V1 assessed and unchanged
  • Magna Housing Limited – reconfirmed governance grade of G1 and financial viability regrade to V2
  • North Northamptonshire Council and Westmorland and Furness Council – both received a consumer grading of C2 following first inspections
  • Yorkshire Housing Limited – first consumer grade C1 and reconfirmed governance grade of G1 and financial viability grade of V2.

The RSH is also removing a regulatory notice for London Borough of Greenwich.