Harrow council in West London has breached the Regulator of Social Housing’s Home Standard causing the potential for serious detriment to its tenants.
Following a referral from a council tenant, the regulator investigated the London Borough of Harrow and found that it had failed to meet statutory health and safety requirements for electrical and water safety.
The council had not completed electrical safety reports for 3,500 homes, and had not completed water risk assessments for every site requiring a re-inspection.
Kate Dodsworth, Director of Consumer Regulation at RSH, said: “We investigated the London Borough of Harrow after a tenant referred the case to us, and found that the council has breached our standards and put tenants at potential risk. The council needs to address the issues that led to this situation, and we will monitor it closely as it puts things right for tenants.”
In agreement with the regulator, the council has put an “urgent programme” in place to rectify the failures. Among the actions being taken are:
- A contractor has been appointed to carry out electrical safety checks across council homes without a current Electrical Installation Condition Report certificate.
- Over 2,000 electrical tests will be completed over the next 12 months and the remainder in the following year.
- Recruitment of a building safety manager and information officer to make sure it complies with all safety regulations.
- A new IT system is being established with all health and safety information about council homes in one place, easily accessible by officers and contractors.
- It is investing £4m into its safety works programme over the next year, as well as establishing a resident panel to help monitor health and safety compliance.