Councils like Southwark could be hit with “unlimited” fines for failing to carry out proper repairs on their homes under a new law being put through parliament that is designed to improve the state of social housing across the UK.
The social housing regulation bill will also slash the length of time councils are given before an inspection, from 28 days to just 48 hours – and to make emergency repairs, with the councils footing the bill.
The new rules, which still have to be voted through Parliament, will also apply to housing associations.
Southwark Council is the biggest social landlord in London and one of the biggest in the UK, with about 55,000 homes.
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Southwark tenants reported the need for repairs in their home more than 150,000 times in the past year – the equivalent of nearly three per household – but this was down from about 219,000 in the 2010/2011 financial year. Damp complaints stayed roughly flat over the period, at about 1,200 per year, although they rose to a peak of 2,285 in 2014/2015.
The council spent roughly £30 million per year on repairs over the period from 2010-2021, and has committed another £400 million over the next four years. Council leader Kieron Williams said that eighteen per cent of Southwark’s housing stock was in a state of disrepair when Labour came to power in 2010, but that 98 per cent of the homes the council owns now meet the government’s ‘decent homes standard’.
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Despite these headline figures, the News often reports on the problems facing Southwark Council tenants, and tenants of various housing associations, with frequent instances of damp, mould, leaks from above, and even rats and other vermin not dealt with for weeks and months.
Southwark Council did not respond to a request for comment regarding the new social housing regulation bill.
London Councils, which represents all local authorities in the capital, welcomed the bill but said that councils needed more money from central government to keep up their housing stock.
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Cllr Darren Rodwell, London Councils’ executive member for regeneration, housing and planning, said: “Boroughs want the best for our residents living in social housing. Stronger powers for the Regulator of Social Housing and the other measures set out in this Bill will undoubtedly help raise standards and be welcomed by tenants across the capital.
“However, Ofsted-style inspections and new rights for tenants can only be part of the solution. Improving social housing standards also requires investing extra resources. We can’t lose sight of the fact London is grappling with the worst housing and homelessness pressures in the country”.
The new bill will also set up a 250-person panel of social housing tenants to report directly to the national government every four months. People will also be able to get more information from housing associations about their operations, in a similar way to how Freedom of Information requests work, while social tenants will also be able to rate their landlords.
Commenting on the bill, housing minister Michael Gove said: “In 2022, it is disgraceful that anyone should live in damp, cold and unsafe homes, waiting months for repairs and being routinely ignored by their landlord.
“These new laws will end this injustice and ensure the regulator has strong new powers to take on rogue social landlords.
“We are driving up the standards of social housing and giving residents a voice to make sure they get the homes they deserve. That is levelling up in action.”