The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) wrote to all registered social housing providers in England yesterday on the issue of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The RSH chief executive, Fiona MacGregor, said in a letter to chief executives, housing directors and lead members: ‘Our current understanding, based on engagement with sector advisers and stakeholders, is that RAAC is not widespread in social housing.
‘However, it may be present in a small number of buildings dating from this period, particularly in flat roof and panel structures.’
Ms MacGregor wrote: ‘We expect landlords to ensure that they have a good understanding of their homes, including building safety issues and whether homes contain RAAC components and the risk to tenant safety arising from these; that you develop proportionate mitigation and remediation plans where required; and seek suitably qualified advice where necessary.’
She told social housing providers that they should ‘communicate appropriately with tenants where this is an issue’.
Providers should inform the RSH if they identify issues which ‘suggest material non-compliance with any of the regulatory standards’, Ms MacGregor said.
If this article was of interest, then check out our feature, 'RAAC: what housing associations need to know about the concrete crisis.'
