Government report identifies “serious failings” in Leicester City Council’s management of social housing properties

The Council could not prove that the properties on its books were free of the most serious hazards, including mould, asbestos and fall risks.

A July Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) report has identified "serious failings" by Leicester City Council regarding the management of its c.20,000 social housing properties.

Regulator report

The RSH, responsible for ensuring that social housing providers (such as housing associations and local authorities) are well-managed and provide safe, good-quality properties to their tenants, handed Leicester City Council a C3 consumer standards rating, the second lowest rating available. A C3 rating means that “significant improvement” is needed.

According to the RSH's report, inspectors claimed they were unsure that the Council had "sufficient understanding of the conditions of its homes" to meet safety thresholds expected by the Regulator. Failings included:

• It had not completed a comprehensive survey of the properties in its portfolio since 2009
• At the time of the inspectors' visit, over 70% of properties had not had an electrical safety test
• In the past five years, only 27% of properties had been inspected “for decency”

Social landlords are responsible for ensuring that their properties are kept to a safe and habitable standard, and failure to do so – if tenants have made complaints – could open them up to legal action by tenants. 

Social landlords’ duties to tenants

Landlords are legally responsible for property repairs, including, among others, mould and damp, structural issues, and electrical faults. Tenants are responsible for reporting any issues to the landlord as soon as they become aware of them.

If a tenant experiences issues with their property, such as internal or external damage or disrepair, and their landlord fails to put it right, they may be eligible to make a housing disrepair claim.

The issue should always be raised directly with the landlord. However, if they ignore the request, fail to fix the issue satisfactorily, or the problem reoccurs, a complaint can be made to the Housing Ombudsman for free, or Premier Legal Assist can help with a free case assessment.

Premier Legal Assist can help

Although Leicester City Council bosses assure tenants that their safety is their "highest priority", tenants may disagree. Local authority tenants who are living with disrepair that they have reported and has either not been dealt with, or has been dealt with unsatisfactorily, may have grounds for a claim through the Housing Ombudsman or with the help of Premier Legal Assist.

We connect you with specialist no-win, no-fee housing disrepair solicitors who understand the law inside out and can put your case forward for you and secure the compensation and repairs that you deserve.

To find out if you are eligible to make a ‘no-win, no-fee’ claim, complete our short form, or send us a message on WhatsApp, and a member of our team will be in touch.