December 2022 – update on government’s work to improve the quality of social housing
The government has a programme of reform to improve the quality of social housing. Every month, progress on our commitments will be shared on these pages, as part of our commitment to respond to the tragic death of 2 year old Awaab Ishak.
Applies to England
Response to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing
The findings of the Coroner’s inquest into the tragic death of two-year old Awaab Ishak made clear Awaab’s family were completely failed by their housing association.
The government has since taken robust action to make sure that Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) acts without delay to improve the living conditions of the tenants for which they are responsible.
The Housing Secretary responded to the findings of Inquest in an interview with ITV News - where he said it “beggar’s belief” that the Chief Executive of RBH was still in office. He also summoned the Chief Executive to a meeting to explain why this tragedy had been allowed to happen.
The Chief Executive first received the full backing of the RBH board, but then later agreed to step down over his serious failings.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove visited Rochdale, where he met Awaab Ishak’s family. He also met Rochdale Council leaders and the housing association, RBH, to make clear the need for drastic change across the sector.
The Housing Secretary also visited a home on the Freehold Estate in Rochdale which had issues with severe damp and mould. He was appalled by the conditions some residents have been forced to live in and he reiterated his determination to drive up standards and ensure such a tragedy does not happen again.
Following an investigation into Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, the Regulator of Social Housing has found significant failings in the way that RBH dealt with damp and mould across the organisation, beyond the specific findings in the coroner’s verdict on the tragic death of Awaab Ishak. As a result, the Regulator found that RBH has breached its consumer and governance standards. The regulator is taking action to make sure RBH addresses these failings and puts things right for its tenants. The Chair of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing subsequently resigned.
Government made clear to all social landlords they must raise standards
- Housing Secretary Michael Gove made a statement to Parliament on 16 November 2022, asserting that “every single person in the country, irrespective of where they’re from, what they do, or how much they earn, deserves to live in a home that is decent, safe and secure”.
- The statement was followed by a letter to all social housing providers asking them to ‘raise the bar dramatically on the quality of social housing.’
- The government has publicly named and shamed social housing providers who have received severe maladministration judgements from the Housing Ombudsman Service. See the full list of judgements
Social housing landlords must report to the Regulator of Social Housing on damp and mould
- The Regulator of Social Housing sets the standards social landlords are required to meet. More information about the Regulator is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/regulator-of-social-housing
- The Regulator wrote to all social landlords on 22 November 2022 asking them to provide information on how they are tackling damp and mould. Responses were due by 19 December.
- If a landlord is found to not be meeting regulatory standards, appropriate action will be taken.
Government introduced new sanctions for landlords
- £1 million of funding was stripped from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, with other providers warned that if they failed to meet the regulatory standards, they would also have funding removed.
Making residents’ voices heard
Alongside the immediate response to the inquest into Awaab Ishak’s death, work has continued on commitments the government made within the Social Housing White Paper to ensure tenants are properly supported with their voices truly heard.
- The first meeting of the Social Housing Resident Panel took place on 26 November, with Housing Secretary Michael Gove, and the Minister for Social Housing, Baroness Scott, both in attendance. Last week, residents shared views about complaint handling through an online panel, which will be used to shape the next wave of our communications campaign ‘Make Things Right’.
- The Confederation of Co-operative Housing has been appointed to deliver £500,000 of training and capacity building to residents online and face-to-face over the next two and a half years. Residents will be empowered to hold their landlords to account and know their rights.
Delivering new laws so landlords face tougher sanctions
- The Social Housing Regulation Bill completed Committee Stage in the Commons on Tuesday 29 November, with Report Stage scheduled for the new year. The legislation will mean a new, proactive approach to the regulation of social housing landlords on consumer issues - such as safety, transparency and tenant engagement. It will also strengthen the Regulator by giving it new enforcement powers, ensuring it can effectively intervene when required.
- More information about how a Bill progresses through Parliament is available on Parliament First reading (Lords)
- The department is now looking at the specific recommendations on Awaab’s Law to consider how they can be implemented as soon as possible. We will set out further details in due course.
Looking ahead
See details of the full programme of work the government is delivering on Social housing quality.
Early in 2023, we will:
Take steps to improve the physical quality of social homes
- Set out next steps on damp and mould
- Publish our response to the consultation on electrical safety
Continue to ensure residents are supported, and heard
- Deliver our first focus group for the Social Housing Resident Panel, meeting with residents online to talk about transparency and accountability of landlords.
- Draft our Direction to the Regulator of Social Housing on new regulatory standards for competence and conduct. These standards will require landlords to ensure their staff have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours they need to deliver high quality, professional services.
Hold landlords to account for poor standards
- Expect to achieve Royal Assent on the Social Housing Regulation Bill and begin the process of consulting residents. See more information on Royal Assent.
- Continue to name and shame social housing landlords who do not meet the required standards.
We are committed to ensuring this update is as accessible as possible, and are considering further options for sharing this information.
News from the Private Rented Sector
Direction to local authorities
- Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in Rochdale, Housing Secretary Michael Gove wrote to all local authorities in England directing them to report on damp and mould in privately rented properties in their area. Local authorities were also instructed to set out how they prioritise enforcement. Initial responses were due by the end of November with fuller responses due by 27 January 2023.
All tenants deserve better
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On 24 November 2022, we announced that we would award a share of £14 million (over 3 years) for 7 areas with high levels of poor quality privately rented homes.
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The projects will test new methods of driving up standards, prepare key local authorities for the introduction of the Decent Homes Standards and wider PRS reforms, and facilitate more proactive enforcement against rogue landlords.
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The councils leading the projects are Derbyshire Dales, Greater Manchester, Eden, Liverpool, Cornwall, Ryedale and Leeds. We will be carrying out an evaluation of these pathfinder councils so that the sector can see what has worked well and where there are lessons to be learnt for when further reforms are rolled out across the country.