East Surrey council handed lowest C4 grading after regulator finds ‘very serious failings’

The Regulator of Social Housing has issued a C4 grading to Tandridge District Council after finding “very serious failings”.

A planned inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) found that the local authority in east Surrey had more than 1,000 overdue fire risk assessment remedial actions as well as nearly 400 homes without an electrical safety condition check. 

The regulator also found that Tandridge District Council did not hold records from when stock condition surveys were last undertaken in 2016 and had significant issues with the quality and accuracy of the repairs performance information.

It was found to lack an accurate understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants, could not provide evidence that its services are accessible, and could not provide sufficient evidence that it was working to deter and tackle hate incidents in its neighbourhoods. 

The C4 grade - the lowest possible under the consumer regualtory framework - means Tandridge will have to undertake ”fundamental changes”.

Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at RSH, said: “We cannot accept tenants’ safety and wellbeing being put at risk and we will be engaging intensively with the council as it puts things right.  

“We expect the council to urgently develop a comprehensive improvement plan that recognises the scale and breadth of the issues, and that drives fundamental change across all the areas identified. This should be shared with tenants.  

“Landlords must continue to self-refer if they find a material issue.”

The RSH said the council had been engaging constructively and had self-referred the electrical safety issue before inspection.

Tandridge District Council manages a stock of around 2,580 council houses.

In a statement, the council accepted the regulator’s judgement and said it had already begun making improvements.

>>See also: Why are councils getting low consumer regulation gradings?

Councillor Jeremy Pursehouse, chair of the housing committee, said: “We are disappointed to have been given this grading, but accept the findings. 

“We identified some areas for improvement before the inspection, but are developing a more detailed improvement plan. Our housing service is already working hard to deliver the actions and I continue to have the utmost faith in our officers. 

“I would like to reassure our tenants their safety and the quality of their home is our priority and we will be working hard to ensure we have the right policies and procedures in place.”

Tandridge becomes the fourth local authority to be issued with a C4 since the new consumer regulatory regime came into effect in April 2024. The others are Newham Council, Castle Point Borough Council and Arun District Council.