RSH publishes regulatory notice for Industrial Dwellings Society in relation to a breach of the consumer standards
The Regulator has downgraded the provider for breaching the Home Standard.
In a regulatory notice published today (29 June 2022), the Regulator of Social Housing concluded that the Industrial Dwellings Society has breached the Home Standard, and that, as a consequence, there was the potential for serious detriment to tenants.
Following a self-referral, RSH has found that IDS breached the standards in relation to its repairs and maintenance service. Tenants had raised concerns with IDS about mould, damp, condensation and drainage and flooding issues in homes at Evelyn Court and complained more generally of a poor repairs and maintenance service and a lack of responsiveness. The RSH investigation found that prior to tenants raising concerns, IDS had no cohesive remediation plan for the issues at Evelyn Court and elsewhere, a repairs process that was difficult to navigate and poor tenant engagement.
Since tenants raised concerns, IDS has carried out a root cause analysis to understand the full extent of the issues across its whole stock. They have put in place an action plan for Evelyn Court involving each individual property and started a programme of repairs and tenant engagement to resolve the issues.
RSH will work with the housing association as it continues to address the issues which have led to this situation, including ongoing monitoring of how it delivers its programme.
Kate Dodsworth, Director of Consumer Regulation, said:
Industrial Dwellings Society’s failure to provide an effective repairs service put all its tenants at risk of serious harm. We will be monitoring them closely as they take action to put things right.
More information about our findings in this case are available in our regulatory notice.
Notes
- RSH promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver and maintain homes of appropriate quality that meet a range of needs. It does this by undertaking robust economic regulation focusing on governance, financial viability and value for money that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. It also sets consumer standards and may take action if these standards are breached and there is a significant risk of serious detriment to tenants or potential tenants.
- More information about how RSH regulates against its standards is available in Regulating the Standards.
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