Haringey Council Receives Lowest Grade for Housing Services
Regulator identifies serious failings in fire safety and property compliance, prompting apology and independent review.
By Priya Shah
••3 min read
AI
Generic image of a London council building facade.
The Haringey Council has received a C4 grade, the lowest possible, from the Regulator of Social Housing for its housing services, following findings of serious failings in fire safety and property compliance.
The Regulator of Social Housing has published its final judgement on Haringey Council's services, awarding it a C4 grade, the lowest possible. The judgement found that the council, under a previous administration, failed to provide a complete picture of its backlog of overdue fire safety actions and did not communicate this openly or in a timely manner.
Serious failings were also identified in the council's housing services, including property compliance, repairs, complaints handling, and landlord accountability. The council has accepted that fundamental transformation of its services is required to meet the standards residents deserve.
“
"We take the Regulator’s judgement very seriously and fully accept its findings. I would like to unreservedly apologise to our tenants and leaseholders for the serious failings identified during the inspection. Our residents deserve better from their landlord."
Jess Crowe, Corporate Director for Culture, Strategy and Communities, deputising for the Chief Executive, stated that the seriousness of the judgement requires dedicated strategic leadership across Housing functions, and an immediate restructure proposal will be brought forward. She expressed concern that incomplete information was provided to the Regulator in 2025 and that proactive self-reporting was not undertaken after 2022. An urgent, independent review has been commissioned to understand why this occurred and to address the root cause of the failings.
A refreshed Housing Transformation Plan will be presented to Cabinet early in the new year to address the Regulator’s points and findings from the independent review. Resident safety remains a priority, with appropriate mitigations in place for outstanding fire safety actions while permanent solutions are implemented.
“
"For tenants and leaseholders who have spent years dealing with poor repairs, ignored complaints, and concerns about safety, today’s report will be deeply concerning, but not surprising. The Grenfell tragedy showed us that nothing is more important than being transparent about fire safety. Staggeringly, under the previous administration the council did not inform the Regulator of Social Housing of the true extent of fire safety risks. While we did not create this crisis, we will prioritise solving it."
Council Leader Cllr Mark Blake acknowledged the report would be concerning but not surprising for residents experiencing poor repairs and safety concerns. He highlighted the importance of transparency in fire safety, referencing the Grenfell tragedy, and stated that while the current administration did not create the crisis, they will prioritise solving it. An independent investigation into these events is being launched, and a new external expert will be appointed to oversee the overhaul of housing services. The council has also taken the step of releasing files detailing its engagement with the Regulator concerning fire safety.
