Haringey Council has been handed the lowest possible consumer grade by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), which says tenants have been let down by serious failings in the borough's housing services.
The north London authority received a C4 judgement today following an inspection launched in April. Inspectors found a substantial backlog of overdue repairs, including damp and mould cases, with only around half of non-emergency repairs completed on time in 2025/26. Almost 4,000 remedial fire safety actions are overdue, more than 1,400 of them categorised as high risk.
The RSH also criticised the council's complaints handling and said it failed to inform the regulator of significant issues. It found the council, under its previous administration, had not given a full picture of its fire safety backlog.
Jess Crowe, Corporate Director for Culture, Strategy and Communities, said the council accepted the findings and apologised ‘unreservedly’ to tenants and leaseholders. She announced an urgent independent review into why incomplete information was given to the regulator, and plans for a restructure of housing leadership.
A refreshed Housing Transformation Plan will go to Cabinet early next year.
Council leader Mark Blake said the council would appoint an external expert to oversee an overhaul of housing services.
RSH Deputy Chief Executive Kate Dodsworth said the regulator would maintain ‘intensive engagement and close oversight’.
