Waltham Forest Council's housing service has been awarded a C2 grade by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), the second highest grade against consumer standards. While this is a good result compared to other London boroughs, continuous improvement is essential.
The regulator can issue a notice to require a landlord to prepare and implement a performance improvement plan where a landlord is failing to comply with regulatory standards. If the landlord fails to comply, the regulator can impose unlimited fines, undertake surveys on properties and authorise emergency remedial action to remedy failures by a landlord.
The grade was discussed at the Housing and Inclusive Economy Scrutiny Committee meeting on 2 July 2025, where the committee reviewed the Housing Service's approach to the inspection and the regulatory judgement. The Social Housing Regulation Update report outlined the strengths and areas needing improvement.
Strengths
The RSH report highlighted several strengths of the council's housing service:
- Providing evidence of having an accurate record of the condition of homes.
- Health and safety compliance.
- Working effectively with partner agencies to tackle and deter antisocial behaviour.
Waltham Forest Community Safety Protocol diagram outlining tackling anti-social behaviour.Source: Inclusive Growth and Housing Scrutiny Committee papers, 2 July 2025 - Providing opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise services.
Areas for Improvement
However, the report also identified areas where the council needs to improve:
- Increasing the number of homes that meet the decent homes standards.
- Improving the timeliness and efficiency of repairs.
- Having clearer tenancy management policies and better engagement with hard-to-reach groups.
- Completing outstanding remedial actions arising from fire risk assessments and outstanding electrical safety checks.
Improvement Journey
Prior to the inspection, the Housing Service had already begun an improvement journey, including:
- Launching the Housing Transformation Programme in January 2023.
- Commissioning Pennington Choices to conduct a third-party assurance health check.
- Working with the Housing Quality Network (HQN) to support a self-assessment against the new consumer standards.
- External challenge of the Housing Service's approach to complaint handling from HQN.
Next Steps
Following a meeting with the regulator on 29 April 2025, an improvement plan was developed and submitted on 21 May 2025. The regulator provided positive feedback on this plan on 30 May 2025, and it will now be monitored by the steering group and the regulator.
Monthly meetings are scheduled with the regulator until August 2025 to review progress. The frequency of these meetings will be re-evaluated in August.
Committee's Role
Scrutiny Committee Members play a crucial role in ensuring the council's services meet the required consumer standards. The Housing and Inclusive Economy Scrutiny Committee will continue to monitor performance of Housing Services against the consumer standards through regular performance updates and Housing Strategy progress reports. While the exact key performance indicators (KPIs) were not specified, the committee will focus on the key issues highlighted by the regulator.
Jane Martin, Corporate Director of Housing, and the steering group will review performance against the improvement plans to address the key issues highlighted by the regulator. The Housing and Inclusive Economy Scrutiny Committee will continue to monitor performance through regular updates and progress reports.
