A damning report has been issued about the social housing in the London borough of Brent – the same council that’s been doing door-to-door checks on private landlords.
The Regulator of Social Housing says Brent’s Labour administration – which runs some 12,500 homes in the borough – had weaknesses in the quality and accuracy of fire safety data.
Specifically it said thedata for fire safety, smoke and carbon monoxide safety, asbestos management and water safety “cannot be reconciled” and the council “is not able to determine which legally required checks and assessments have been completed”.
The RSH found that despite the council reporting it has condition data on 95% of its housing stock, almost half of its homes “have not had a recorded survey”.
This is the same council that last month sent its officers to patrol that streets of north London to identify and take action against unlicensed landlords.
Council officers went door-to-door across targeted areas, checking whether properties were free from serious health or safety hazards and taking enforcement action against unlicensed landlords.
At the time Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, responsible for housing in the borough, issued a statement justifying the action again private landlords saying: “This law exists to protect people from landlords who put them at risk by ignoring safety standards, cramming too many people into one home, or failing to carry out essential repairs.”
Commenting on Brent council’s failures, Kate Dodsworth – chief of regulatory engagement at the Regulator for Social Housing – says: “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 … governance and viability is vital to ensuring landlords are managing 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.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today