Housing H&S Compliance UK Ltd & HHSC Learning’s Post

The Housing Ombudsman has expressed deep concerns about the handling of window-related complaints in the social housing sector in England. Its investigations show that landlords have not always responded in a timely way, and sometimes important repairs have been deferred. The Ombudsman’s casework has revealed 3 main issues: 🔹 Landlords failing to consider individual household circumstances during risk assessments, leading to overlooked health and safety concerns 🔹 Delays in conducting repairs, often postponed due to cost considerations and planned cyclical works 🔹 Inadequate communication with residents regarding the operation and safety of newly installed windows To address these issues, the Ombudsman plans to publish decisions on window-related complaints shortly, which will support landlord learning and improve future responses. Engagement with regulatory bodies is also underway to share more information on these matters. Social housing providers should review their own window-related complaints proactively and look towards implementing the following core themes: 🔹 Conduct thorough risk assessments based on individual household circumstances, ensuring appropriate actions are recognised, responded to, and documented 🔹 Engage independent surveyors (where necessary) and ensure that responses to their recommendations are reasonable, clear, and consistent 🔹 Justify decisions to defer repairs or opt for limited repairs not primarily on cost, but in line with legal obligations 🔹 Provide clear, comprehensive, and accessible information to residents regarding the operation of new windows Throughout these core themes strong knowledge and information management is essential. Whilst we recognise this is primarily aimed at social housing providers in England, we hope our colleagues in other areas of the UK may find the information helpful. You can read the full news article here: https://lnkd.in/e2psRiWB  

📢 Council Takes Strong Steps to Improve Social Housing Standards West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has launched a comprehensive action plan to tackle recent concerns over social housing standards in the area. Following an independent review, the Council identified a gap between the expected and actual quality of services provided by Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH), their housing management organization. Key measures are now underway to address these issues. NPH is under close scrutiny with weekly updates, and the Council has mandated enhanced regulatory compliance to ensure tenants' safety and satisfaction. The action plan is designed to restore confidence and bring service standards up to regulatory expectations. As part of this initiative, WNC is committed to improving transparency and working closely with residents, stakeholders, and the Regulator of Social Housing. This move underscores WNC's dedication to maintaining a high standard of living and meeting the housing needs of the community. The Council’s proactive stance is a positive step for residents and aims to reinforce accountability in housing management. Learn more about these changes and the Council’s action plan here; https://lnkd.in/gs3jWdNU Don't fall foul of not ensuring you comply with your fire safety obligations, book a Fire Risk Assessment today https://lnkd.in/e2Dv8xgX

Camden Council spends more than £4.6m on damp, mould and disrepair in social housing in the last year In the last 12 months, the council has received more than 250 complaints about mould and damp from its social housing tenants Camden Council has forked out more than £4.6m to repair damp, mould and other disrepair issues in its social housing properties in the last year, a new investigation has revealed. Data obtained by Legal Expert via Freedom of Information Requests has found that between October 2023 and October 2024, the Council has received 260 complaints from tenants regarding damp, mould and disrepair in its housing stock. In that time, the local authority says it has spent £2,062,017 on damp and mould repairs as well as a further £2,596,087 on other disrepair issues in its properties.  Issues of damp, mould and disrepair are in sharp focus across the UK following a report from the Housing Ombudsman released last month which details over 100 severe maladministration cases of damp and mould saying the issue now “dominates half of our casework.” Richard Blakely of the Housing Ombudsman said: “It is clear that landlords are still struggling with timescales. https://lnkd.in/dPiCVsPJ

📣 Social housing supply inquiry report launched John Griffiths MS, chair of the Senedd's Local Government and Housing Committee, is launching the report resulting from the social housing inquiry supply at our Annual Conference this morning. Among its recommendations, the committee says that Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government should aim for social housing stock to comprise a critical mass of 20% of the housing stock, and up to a third in the long term. It also says that Welsh Government should improve its understanding of housing by reviewing its approach to data; increases allocation for the Social Housing Grant at the earliest opportunity; and provides social landlords with greater multi-year funding certainty. Commenting on the report, our head of policy and external affairs Hayley Macnamara said: “The inquiry process, and this report, have been an important moment for us to emphasise the importance of social homes in addressing the housing crisis. "Now, we must take some crucial steps forward from this to supercharge affordable housing delivery by tackling the issues that are slowing down development. “Housing associations want to continue delivering the quality homes Wales needs at pace. So we now need a long-term, joined-up strategic approach for housing - and a funding environment that reflects these strategic priorities. “We are facing a big challenge here, which can’t be dealt with by one simple change. That’s why housing associations are poised to share their expertise, and play an important role in pulling Wales out of the crisis.” 🔗 Links in the comments to: Senedd announcement of report; CHC blog looking inside our response to the supply inquiry #CHCAnnual24

Council leaders from East Sussex have joined calls for urgent housing reform to avoid 'the bleakest future for social housing'. In a letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, Angela Rayner MP, Councillor Zoe Nicholson, Leader of Lewes District Council and Councillor Stephen Holt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council have spoken in support of a report commissioned by Southwark Council into the challenges and risks facing council housing and potential solutions. Councillor Nicholson and Councillor Holt have also called for Right to Buy to be abolished, citing the impact the policy continues to have on a dwindling housing stock. Councillor Nicholson said: "Since Right to Buy was launched in the 1980s, the world has changed and, at a time when there is not enough social housing, this policy continues to further reduce the stock councils do have. There are other ways of supporting low-cost homeownership, which would not see a reduction to much-needed council housing, and these options should be explored further." Alongside Southwark's 'Securing the Future of Council Housing' interim report, Lewes and Eastbourne have proposed nine additional recommendations that each leader hopes the government will also consider. Councillor Holt said: "I applaud Southwark Council for their excellent and most timely report and encourage the government to take forward the solutions, including the implementation of a more financially sustainable HRA model. "These are interconnected issues that without reform will lead to the bleakest future for social housing." Recommendations put forward by Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council focus on the implementation of a more effective, responsive, and robust temporary housing model, bridging the gap between housing, health and social care and enabling collaborative and accelerated housing retrofit and decarbonisation programmes. #savecouncilhousing

Have you provided access to your social housing information? On 20 May 2024, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) launched a consultation on directions to the Regulator of Social Housing to introduce a new standard that will require social landlords to be transparent with their residents about the management of their homes. The commitment to introduce an access to information scheme was first proposed by the Social Housing White Paper and brought forward by the Social Housing Regulation Act. This consultation is continuing during the busy pre-election period, and we want to ensure that we submit a strong response which represents our members’ views on the proposed requirements. The consultation proposes the introduction of Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs), which would: Enable residents to request information about their home’s management. There will be specific requirements about how these requests are processed, including a timeframe to respond within. Require housing associations to proactively publish information via a publication scheme. The consultation also outlines how complaints about the scheme would be addressed. The Charter for Social Housing Residents: Social Housing White Paper (‘Social Housing White Paper’) included a commitment to introduce an access to information scheme for the tenants of private registered providers (PRPs). The commitment specified that the scheme would allow social housing tenants and their representatives to access information related to the management of their housing. This consultation seeks views on the content of a policy statement which outlines the requirements providers will need to meet under the new Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs). This consultation also seeks views on a proposed Direction from the Secretary of State to the Regulator of Social Housing (‘the Regulator’), directing the Regulator to require PRPs to comply with the policy statement for STAIRs. Source – housing.org.uk #assurance #socialhousing #healthandsafety

The day after the LUHC repeated its call for the Government to invest in building social homes across the country, this article highlights the need for more than just money. A real joined-up government response is required. The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee has repeated its call for the Government to invest further “to build the social homes the country needs”, warning that the sector is under “serious financial pressure, although it remains resilient for the time being”. In a report, ‘The Finances and Sustainability of the Social Housing Sector’, the committee said: “The sector has been presented with massive bills for decarbonisation, fire safety and regenerating old homes. At the same time, the government has unexpectedly capped the maximum rent social housing providers can charge. “To deal with the financial headwinds, social housing providers have cut the amount they plan to spend on building new social homes. This reduction in new buildings has been necessary for social housing providers to remain financially secure. “However, this comes when the country needs to build significantly more social housing. If this continues, it will present a major problem for individuals that need social housing. Moreover, all stakeholders are clear that England has been facing a chronic shortage of social housing, which must be addressed.” While I can't disagree with the committee's findings, we need to see reform to the planning rules; we need more investment in attracting people into the sector, upskilling those already within the sector to be able to build new types of houses that can meet the carbon reduction targets and a concerted effort to build up the awareness and attractiveness of modular builds. These reforms have the potential to not only address the current crisis but also pave the way for a more sustainable and inclusive future. Individual actions will have limited benefits. What have I missed? What do you think is needed? #socialhousing #transformation

ON ATTENTION OF THE UK GOVERNMENT, TO THE MINISTRY FOR HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TO THE MINISTER MR MATTHEW PENNYCOOCK, TO THE PERMANENT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MRS ANGELA RYNER, TO ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS FROM UK GOVERNMENT WHO MAY CONCERN. THE REALITY OF 21ST CENTURY IN UNITED KINGDOM FOR ME AND MY DISABLED CHILD DURING 8 YEARS ON THE ROW. CAN BE CONSIDERED THESE CONDITIONS AS DECENT CONDITIONS OF LIVING - AS IS STIPULATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION, WHICH UNITED KINGDOM IS A PERMANENT MEMBER??

ON ATTENTION OF THE UK GOVERNMENT, TO THE MINISTRY FOR HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TO THE MINISTER MR MATHEW PENNYCOOK, TO THE PERMANENT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MRS ANGELA RAYNER, TO ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS FROM UK GOVERNMENT WHO MAY CONCERN. PLEASE SEE BELOW THE REALITY OF 21ST CENTURY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR ME AND MY DISABLED CHILD DURING 8 YEARS ON THE ROW. TAKING IN CONSIDERATION THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM IS A PERMANENT MEMBER OF UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION, IS BECOMING VERY PERTINENT THE FOLLOWING QUESTION ⁉️ ARE THESE CONDITIONS AS DECENT CONDITIONS OF LIVING FOR HUMAN BEINGS, SPECIALLY THINKING ON VULNERABLE PEOPLE AND YOUNG CHILDREN ( WITH DISABILITY)? I STRONGLY BELIEVE: ABSOLUTELY NOT. THIS REALITY/ THESE CONDITIONS ARE TOTALLY AGAINST OF ANY HUMAN RIGHTS STIPULATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION.

ON ATTENTION OF THE UK GOVERNMENT, TO THE MINISTRY FOR HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TO THE MINISTER MR MATHEW PENNYCOOK, TO THE PERMANENT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MRS ANGELA RAYNER, TO ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS FROM UK GOVERNMENT WHO MAY CONCERN. PLEASE SEE BELOW THE REALITY OF 21ST CENTURY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR ME AND MY DISABLED CHILD, DURING 8 YEARS ON THE ROW. TAKING IN CONSIDERATION THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM IS A PERMANENT MEMBER OF UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION, IS VERY PERTINENT THE FOLLOWING QUESTION ⁉️ ARE THESE CONDITIONS AS DECENT CONDITIONS OF LIVING FOR HUMAN BEINGS SPECIALLY THINKING ON VULNERABLE PEOPLE AND YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITY? I STRONGLY BELIEVE: ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCEPTABLE. THESE CONDITIONS ARE TOTALLY AGAINST OF ANY HUMAN RIGHTS STIPULATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION.