The housing regulator has pointed out “serious deficiencies” in Brent Council’s ability to guarantee the safety and well-being of its tenants, highlighting cases of fire risks that were marked as resolved even though they remained unfinished.

In April, the north-west London council self-reported to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after recognizing “shortcomings” in its processes for monitoring housing repairs and acknowledged that it had “failed its tenants.”

The RSH’s assessment concentrated on the safety and quality standards upheld by Brent Council as a landlord, concluding that “considerable enhancements” are necessary.

The council expressed its commitment to upgrading the quality of the residences it manages, noting that it had “made genuine strides in recent months.”

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Brent Council oversees approximately 8,800 homes throughout London, the majority of which it directly manages, in addition to around 4,000 leasehold units in blocks.

Legislation mandates that councils maintain current records regarding the condition of the homes they manage and ensure that essential maintenance is completed “within suitable time frames.”

The LDRS reported that in the past year, the council closed about 12,500 actions stemming from fire risk assessments.

Nonetheless, the council initiated contact with the regulator after a spot inspection revealed that, although certain cases were closed, “evidence of completed actions was lacking in several instances and some tasks remained unfinished.”

Many of these actions were classified as possessing high and medium risk levels and were designated as “overdue.”

The RSH’s recent review indicated that data related to fire safety, smoke and carbon monoxide precautions, asbestos management, and water safety “cannot be reconciled,” leaving the council unable to ascertain which legally mandated inspections and evaluations were completed.

Additionally, the review found that despite the council claiming it has condition data for 95% of its housing portfolio, nearly half of its residences “have not undergone a documented survey.”

According to the RSH’s findings, the council “has established plans” to evaluate the impact of its current situation.

These plans involve investigating the root causes of the issues, reviewing the completion status of all closed fire safety actions, and developing an appropriate action plan to address the concerns.

The RSH’s statement emphasized: “We will continue to collaborate with [Brent Council] as it works to rectify the issues that prompted this assessment.

“At this juncture, we do not intend to exercise our enforcement authority but will monitor the situation closely as [Brent Council] strives to resolve these matters.”

Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Brent’s cabinet member for housing and resident services, recognized that there is “still much work ahead.”

She stated: “We are fully aware of our obligations as a landlord, and the council acknowledges that we’ve disappointed our tenants, for which we sincerely apologize.

“We will persist in working in a proactive, constructive, and transparent manner with our residents and the regulator to address the identified issues.”