CORS survey September 2020 responses report - overview
Updated 14 May 2021
Applies to England
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This is the summary from the sixth of our temporary monthly surveys about how providers are coping with some of the challenges they face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Providers were asked to submit survey responses covering the period up to and including 30 September by 7 October. This was before the introduction of the three-tiered system of local COVID Alert Levels in England. The response rate was 95% and we are grateful to all providers who responded.
Providers’ responses showed that the delivery of services remained stable. The number of providers who had completed all or most gas safety, fire compliance, asbestos, electrical, legionella and lift checks was similar to the previous month. This follows a steady increase in the numbers of checks completed in the months to August. Across the sector, gas safety compliance is approaching normal levels with only a small number of checks outstanding due to ongoing access issues.
On care and support, most providers continued to report no significant issues with staffing. Some providers have described emerging issues including increased levels of absence due to staff self-isolating in locations where the number of Covid-19 cases is high, and challenges working across areas with different restrictions in place.
The majority of providers have reported no issues with repairs delivery, and that backlogs in repairs and health and safety checks were continuing to improve overall. In areas with prolonged local lockdown restrictions, some providers have reported that backlogs which were increasing have now stabilised while others have reported that backlogs of routine repairs have begun to rise due to increased levels of staff self-isolating.
The number of providers concerned about the risk of stock quality and tenant safety standards falling below normal minimum levels has fallen substantially since May. This reflects a continued improvement in the delivery of repairs and health and safety checks.
Providers reported concerns about the second wave of coronavirus and additional lockdown restrictions potentially leading to increased staff absences and reduced overall capacity to deliver services. This may be particularly challenging over winter months as providers also anticipate increased repairs reporting.
We will repeat this survey next month, and we will publish our analysis of the responses shortly afterwards. The survey will be launched in NROSH+ on the last Friday of each month, and the dates for submission are shown in the table below.
| Data up to and including | Submission by |
|---|---|
| 31 October | 6 November |
| 30 November | 7 December |
CORS is not a regulatory return. If a provider believes tenant safety is threatened or viability is under strain, they should not wait for the survey but should speak to their key contact at the regulator, or our Referrals and Regulatory Enquiries team, via enquiries@rsh.gov.uk or 0300 124 5225.
Providers with fewer than 1,000 homes should use our dedicated email address SmallProviders@rsh.gov.uk.