The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee has published the Regulator of Social Housing’s response and the Housing Ombudsman’s response to the Committee’s report on the Regulation of Social Housing (which was originally published on 28 July 2022).
The (separate) Government’s response to the LUHC Committee report will be published by the Department for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities at a later date.
The LUHC Committee report said that the condition of some social housing in England has deteriorated so badly as to be unfit for human habitation, and social housing providers must significantly improve their complaint handling process.
The Committee’s Regulation of Social Housing report addressed a series of issues relating to the supply, quality and regulation of social housing in England. Social housing is housing rented at below-market rates by housing associations, local authorities and private providers.
In July, the report recognises the social housing sector is under serious financial pressure and that there is a shortage of social housing. It also attributes some disrepair, in part, to the age and design of the housing stock, “some of which was never built to last and is now approaching obsolescence”. To reduce the social housing sector’s reliance on outdated stock, the report recommends the Government introduce funding specifically for regeneration.
At the time, Clive Betts, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, said: “Too many social housing tenants are living in uninhabitable homes and experiencing appalling conditions and levels of disrepair, including serious damp and mould, with potential serious impacts on their mental and physical health.
“Providers need to up their game, treat tenants with dignity and respect, and put tenants at the centre of how they deliver housing services, including by regularly monitoring the condition of their housing stock. Where they fail, providers should face the prospect of tough action from a more active regulator.
“Given the financial loss, inconvenience, and distress caused to tenants from serious cases of disrepair, the Government also needs to equip the ombudsman with the power to award far higher levels of compensation to tenants when there has been serious service failings.”
