Tower Hamlets Council has the highest rate of non-decent social housing in the borough, according to a recent Social Landlords Performance Report. At a Housing & Regeneration Scrutiny Sub Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, officials presented data showing that 20.1% of Tower Hamlets Council homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard.
The council attributes this higher rate to the inclusion of temporary stock in their figures, which is assumed to be non-decent. Excluding temporary stock, the non-decency rate would be 17%. According to the report, Tower Hamlets has been doing quite a lot of stock condition surveys over the years, while other authorities have pretty much stopped doing them, and are now just starting to do them again.
The Decent Homes Standard is a benchmark for housing quality in England, requiring homes to meet minimum legal standards, be in reasonable repair, have modern facilities, and provide thermal comfort.
The council's non-decency rate is an improvement from 23.15% in the previous quarter. The council has set a target to achieve 100% stock condition data by the end of 2026 and 100% decency within five years. The council has identified £140 million to spend over the next five years on stock investment, according to the Social Landlords Performance Report.
Other registered providers (RPs) in Tower Hamlets reported significantly lower non-decency rates. Poplar HARCA, Providence Row, and Spitalfields reported 0% non-decency rates in Quarter 4. Swan, Gateway, Notting Hill Genesis, Riverside, and L&Q all reported rates below 1%.
The report also included data on emergency and non-emergency repairs, gas safety checks, fire safety checks, asbestos safety checks, water safety checks and lift safety checks.
Asma Islam, a councillor on the sub-committee, raised concerns about ASB reporting. She asked, How are we capturing any data, any reporting, that isn't residents coming to us about it?
She noted that the council has invested heavily in ASB offices and community safety.
Darren Reynolds, Head of Regulatory Assurance, explained that the council is working to improve its services. We have made some progress, but we've got a lot more to do. We recognise that,
he said. Reynolds noted improvements in overdue complaints and fire risk actions. The council has reduced the number of overdue complaints and is 100% compliant with the housing ombudsman code at stage 2. The council has also halved the number of overdue fire risk actions. He also said that the council's tenant satisfaction measures are trending positively.
Tower Hamlets Council recently underwent an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), resulting in a C3 grading, indicating serious failings
in meeting consumer standards, particularly regarding safety and quality. The council self-referred to the RSH after identifying gaps in meeting regulatory standards. The RSH outcome presentation was also reviewed at the meeting. Darren Reynolds mentioned that any registered provider that doesn't get a C1 has a process in place with the regulator, and the regulator has been receptive to the plans that the council has.
According to the Social Landlords Performance Report, the council is implementing an improvement plan called Your Voice, Our Action
to address these issues. The plan includes measures to improve governance, asset management, data management, complaints handling, rent collection, and repairs, particularly concerning damp and mould. The plan also includes the development of over 20 policies, including those for vulnerable residents, compliance, and damp and mould, large-scale resident engagement, and improved processes. The plan aims to address gaps in regulatory standards by focusing on governance, asset management, data, complaints, rents, and repairs.
