Hillingdon receives positive grading from social housing regulator

The report highlights strengths in how the council is ensuring tenant safety and wellbeing in their homes and communal areas, while also having an accurate and detailed understanding of the condition of homes and providing an effective and efficient repairs service. 

The regulator also outlined that tenants are treated fairly, with respect and have services tailored to their needs, while a consistent approach to deterring and tackling anti-social behaviour has been developed.  

The outcome follows a scheduled inspection earlier this year of the council's housing service and management of more than 10,200 properties which measured the delivery of four consumer standards - safety and quality, transparency, influence and accountability, neighbourhood and community and tenancy - which were introduced in April 2024. 

The report recognises that the council has developed a costed improvement plan which includes a four-year £108 million investment programme to accelerate improvements to tenants' homes agreed in the Council's 2025/26 budget.  

Since 2017, the council has prioritised building safety works in properties classed as high risk. Works included installing new smoke and heat detectors and replacing all electrical fuse boards and rewiring communal areas in all properties, as well as replacing more than 5,000 fire doors and conducting annual inspections and installing water sprinkler systems in six high rise blocks.  

The C2 judgement indicates the council is delivering the majority of the regulatory requirements while identifying some areas for improvement, including how the council communicates with tenants and reports its performance, the continuation of surveys and upgrades to all homes, and gathering more information about tenants and their circumstances to further enhance service delivery. 

Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, said: "We welcome the regulator's findings which highlights our commitment to ensuring tenants live in safe, warm and good quality homes in welcoming neighbourhoods. 

"We have a robust plan in place to make ongoing improvements, including our significant £108 million investment programme to rapidly enhance tenants' homes and equip them for the future. We will continue to work closely with the regulator and our residents to implement further improvements.  

"Finally, I also want to thank our tenants and leaseholders whose feedback has helped shape our services. Their voices have played an integral role in developing and testing our landlord improvement plan." 

The council's strategy to achieve the highest regulatory standard will be presented to Cabinet in September. 

Read the full report on the Regulator of Social Housing website.  

Read more about the Regulatory Framework for Social Housing. 

If you're a council tenant and interested in getting involved and shaping our services, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/help-shape-services.