Frequently asked questions
Who is the Regulator of Social Housing?
The Regulator of Social Housing is responsible for ensuring good quality social housing standards. As a social landlord, Sandwell Council is expected to meet these standards and the regulator has powers to investigate and hold us to account.
For more information about the regulator, go to the GOV.UK website.
Why has the regulator made a judgement about Sandwell Council now?
The Regulator of Social Housing has reviewed the role of Sandwell Council as a landlord using new powers introduced in April 2024.
The regulator has found a number of serious failings in safety and quality compliance around certain areas of health and safety and the backlog of routine repairs.
The regulator issued a regulatory judgment to us. They have acknowledged that we are taking steps to improve on the failings found.
What has the regulator investigated? What did their investigation involve?
We have been engaging with the Regulator of Social Housing in relation to the recently adopted Consumer Standards which apply to all registered providers of social housing.
We provided information to the regulator earlier this year regarding our performance against the Consumer Standards and have been engaging with them directly since.
The regulator has reached its conclusions and published a Regulatory Notice which details the findings.
The judgement and the findings can be found on the regulator's website.
What does this mean for Sandwell Council?
Sandwell Council has been given a C3 grade judgement.
This means that the regulator has found serious failings in how we are delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards.
We accept the findings of the regulator and are very sorry that we've fallen below these standards.
We want to ensure all tenants live in good quality and safe homes and are committed to making the necessary improvements as quickly as possible.
What are we doing to put this right?
Repairs
We are in the process of contacting tenants regarding their outstanding repairs, and where there are multiple outstanding jobs at one property, we are aiming to complete these at the same time.
All repairs that are critical to tenant safety are up to date, but we recognise the impact that delays to more routine repairs can have on our tenants. We are bringing in additional resources to address our repairs backlog as quickly as possible and will update the affected tenants.
We recognise we need to improve the way we manage repairs and want to get better at fully resolving issues first time round. To support this, we will be consulting with tenants on a new repairs policy to ensure we give the right level of priority to repairs.
Electrical Safety Inspections
We currently do not record work that has taken place following an electrical safety inspection in a separate category from general electrical repairs. That means we cannot provide assurance that remedial work identified by an electrical safety inspection has been completed.
We are urgently changing our processes so that we are able to monitor the outcome following an electrical safety inspection and confirm that any remedial actions identified have been completed.
Asbestos Register
A new compliance system is being put in place and will include an asbestos register. This will allow us to monitor the legal requirements around asbestos in communal areas. This is on track to be fully in place by March 2025.
Knowledge of our stock
We are investing in a new asset management system, which will allow for data on the condition of council homes to be held centrally.
Two contractors, Rapleys and Ridge, will be carrying out stock condition surveys on our behalf. They have a target for 50% to be completed by December 2025, and the remaining 50% by December 2026.
This information will be used to understand the condition of council homes throughout Sandwell and plan how best to invest funding to maintain and improve these properties.
Surveyors from the above contractors will need to visit your property to inspect key areas such as the structure, roof, windows, and other essential components. The surveys are non-intrusive and usually take about an hour.
To give you time to prepare, a letter will be sent to your property at least a week before the surveyors are scheduled to visit. Our surveyors will always carry ID, and we appreciate your cooperation in providing them access. This helps us plan future improvements and repairs, ensuring your home is maintained to the highest standards.
How long will the improvement works take?
We cannot say at this time how long the improvement works will take. We will be prioritising dealing with the backlog of repairs.
Over the coming months we will work with you and be open about our plans to improve the condition of your home.
Am I and my family safe in our home?
Nobody’s home should be unsafe and we have no emergency repairs that are overdue. If you ever have a concern about your property, please contact us. For repairs call 0121 569 6000, for all other housing enquiries call 0121 368 1166.
Is there anything we can do to speed up our repairs requests if we’ve been waiting a long time?
Unfortunately, there isn’t anything you can do to speed up your repair requests. We are working through the backlog of repairs, and we always prioritise cases with the highest safety risk.
We are looking to use contractors to help with completing the outstanding repairs. We will provide you with updates on your outstanding repairs and time frames for when they will be completed when these contractors are in place.
When will you be sharing more information about what you will be doing in my home? How will I be contacted?
We will keep you regularly updated on the progress of improvements and works. Where possible we will use email and text. We will also write to you by letter and provide information on our website.
Will tenants have the opportunity to voice their concerns and provide feedback?
Yes, there are already a number of routes you can take to share your views and concerns.
Details can be found in our online Tenant Handbook.
If you would like to get involved, please call us on 0121 569 2537 and leave a message or email Comm_Partnerships@sandwell.gov.uk
You can also complete a short survey to express your interest.
We are working on plans to increase the opportunities that residents can expect from the council to have their voices heard.
In the meantime, if you ever have a concern about your property, please contact us. For repairs call 0121 569 6000, for all other housing enquiries call 0121 368 1166.