Basildon Borough Council has been awarded the lowest possible social housing grade following an inspection that uncovered very serious failings in how the council manages its social housing stock.
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) gave the council a C4 rating after it discovered significant weaknesses in health and safety data, poor recording of hazards in tenants' homes, and inadequate oversight of its repairs contractor.
Inspectors also identified serious shortcomings in tenant engagement, with residents given insufficient opportunity to scrutinise landlord services.
The council was further criticised for failing to self-refer to RSH after an external review in March 2025 identified problems with its consumer standards compliance — a failure RSH described as itself a very serious failing.
RSH Chief of Regulatory Engagement Kate Dodsworth said the regulator is working intensively with the council to address the highest-risk issues and urged landlords more broadly to self-refer when problems are identified.
According to the RSH, the council has been engaging constructively with inspectors, but it still needs to ‘develop a full understanding of current risks to tenants and the root causes of the failings.’
Gary Jones, chief executive of Basildon Council, said: 'The findings highlighted very significant failings. We recognise that we have let our tenants down, and for that we are deeply sorry.
'We have taken full accountability are acting urgently to deliver the improvements required to our services. This grading confirms that while we have made progress, there is much more to do.'
