The Homes and Communities Scrutiny Committee of Islington Council met on 18 December 2025 to discuss a range of housing-related issues. Key topics included the performance of Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs), updates on asbestos and complaints handling, a review of the housing allocation scheme, and the effectiveness of the Independent Housing Intensive Support (IHIS) service. The committee also reviewed the council's housing management restructure and its impact on resident engagement.

Housing Management Scrutiny Report

The committee received an overview of the Housing Management restructure, launched on 4 August 2025, which aims to centralise and modernise tenancy management, improve resident experience, and comply with regulatory requirements. The new model focuses on early intervention, smaller patch sizes for housing officers, and digital transformation. The report highlighted improvements in home safety, with Islington performing above the London median. The council has also received DAHA accreditation for its work on domestic abuse, recognised as a significant factor in homelessness. The new structure involves a geographical realignment into three districts (North, Central, and South) to provide a single point of contact for residents and improve team collaboration. A comprehensive review process will be undertaken at six and twelve-month milestones to assess the restructure's impact on service delivery, compliance, data quality, efficiency, and tenant engagement.

You Said, We Did: Building on 2025 Success and Shaping 2026

This report detailed how resident feedback has shaped housing services. The council reiterated its commitment to open dialogue and shared responsibility to build stronger communities. The You Said, We Did approach has led to practical changes, including maintaining dedicated housing officer patches (one officer for approximately 550 homes), increasing officer visibility on estates through three days of walkabouts per week, and holding monthly surgeries and drop-in sessions in community centres and GP practices. Residents now receive introductory letters detailing their housing officer's contact information. Quarterly Tenant and Leaseholder Forums have been established, offering both in-person and online participation, to discuss repairs, service charges, and tenancy conditions. Resident Empowerment Officers have been appointed to support engagement, Tenant and Resident Associations (TRAs), and inclusive events. The forward plan for 2026 includes continued community drop-ins, GP-led drop-ins, Meet Your Housing Officer sessions, and inclusive cultural events.

Independent Housing Intensive Support (IHIS) Service Review

Homeless Link presented a review of Islington's IHIS service, which provides intensive wraparound support to individuals with a history of rough sleeping and complex needs. The review found IHIS to be a unique and highly effective service that significantly improves tenancy sustainment rates (98.3% - 99.7% for IHIS60) and reduces the risk of repeat homelessness. The service offers self-contained accommodation, psychologically informed support, and a clear move-on pathway into independent tenancies within Islington. The report highlighted the benefits of small caseload sizes for Housing Navigators, enabling frequent contact and early intervention, particularly in addressing issues like anti-social behaviour and cuckooing. The embedded psychologist plays a crucial role in supporting staff and embedding trauma-informed practice. Costed case studies indicated potential savings to the public purse and significant savings to Islington's homelessness services. Recommendations included expanding access to IHIS for a wider range of vulnerable individuals, ensuring safe accommodation for women, and considering extending move-on support for up to two years for very vulnerable tenants.

Review of the Allocation Scheme 2024

The committee reviewed the effectiveness of the Housing Allocation Scheme introduced in 2024. The scheme aims to prioritise vulnerable groups, improve fairness, and support homelessness prevention. Minor amendments were proposed following feedback, including changes to wording regarding residence criteria to avoid discrimination against refugees, merging Supported Choice and Direct Offer for simplification, clarifying succession rules, and updating terminology from Decant to Relocation. The review found that the changes had successfully increased priority for victims of domestic abuse, those with high medical needs, and homeless households, with a 50% increase in housing moves for Category A medical cases and a 43% increase in homeless preventions. The scheme also prioritised local people by increasing the residency requirement from three to five years.

Performance Report on Tenant Management Organisation (TMO)

The report detailed the performance of Islington's 23 TMOs, which manage over 3,000 properties. TMOs generally outperformed the council in Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), particularly in repairs and communal area maintenance. Overall tenant satisfaction for TMO-managed properties was 73% in 2024/25, compared to 66% for council-managed properties. The majority of TMOs (18 out of 23) were rated as performing well (Green) in the annual monitoring framework. The report also addressed TMO involvement in Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) and Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), noting that TMOs generally manage simpler fire safety issues. Repairs audits are being rolled out to TMOs, and Awaab's Law implementation is being managed collaboratively.

Update on Asbestos & Complaints Tenant Satisfaction Measures

This report provided an update on two Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) that fell below expected standards in 2024/25: Asbestos and Complaints.

Asbestos Performance: A restructure of the Corporate Landlord Service and contractor performance issues led to a shortfall in asbestos re-inspections in Q4 2024/25, resulting in an 88.6% completion rate for the Asbestos TSM. Immediate actions were taken to clear the backlog, and strategic improvements for 2025/26 include weekly progress updates, monthly performance reporting, and the establishment of an Asbestos Compliance Board. Current performance for 2025/26 shows significant improvement, with 100% completion for housing blocks and 74% for street properties by December 2025.

Complaints Performance: Issues with the Casetracker system and insufficient resourcing in the Customer Solutions Team led to a backlog of complaints and a drop in performance in late 2024/25. The council has since implemented improvements, including additional staffing, system fixes for Casetracker (expected completion by January 2026), and a council-wide Complaints Improvement Programme. A resident complaints panel has also been established to provide feedback. Current performance for the first two quarters of 2025/26 shows significant improvement, with increased resourcing and investment in complaints management.

Work Programme 2025/2026

The committee noted the work programme for the upcoming year, which includes ongoing scrutiny of housing management, homelessness, TMO performance, and the allocation scheme, alongside reviews of service charges and asbestos and complaints performance.