The Housing and Environment Scrutiny Panel of Ealing Council was scheduled to discuss the refresh of the council's Housing Asset Management Strategy and the outcome of an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing. The meeting agenda also included an update on housing complaints performance and the housing repairs and maintenance service.

Asset Management Strategy Refresh

The panel was scheduled to consider an update on the refresh of the council's Housing Asset Management Strategy (AMS). This strategy, originally adopted in 2021 and set to run until 2026, is being updated to reflect significant changes in the operating, regulatory, and financial landscape for social housing providers. Key drivers for this refresh include the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022, new Tenant Satisfaction Measures, the implementation of Awaab's Law concerning damp and mould, and increased focus from the Regulator of Social Housing on assurance and data quality.

The refreshed AMS aims to provide a clear, evidence-led framework for managing the council's housing assets over the medium to long term. It will prioritise safety, compliance, investment, sustainability, and place-based outcomes, while improving transparency and decision-making. The report outlined six proposed strategic pillars for the refreshed strategy: Quality Homes and Strategic Asset Management; Safe, Compliant and Well-Managed Homes; Resident Voice and Community Impact; Sustainability and Climate Resilience; Value for Money and Investment Efficiency; and Place, Regeneration & Design Quality. The panel was asked to note the report's content and provide feedback on these proposed pillars.

Regulator of Social Housing Inspection Report

The panel was also scheduled to receive an update on the outcome of an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The RSH regulates the social housing sector to ensure landlords are well-governed, financially viable, and offer value for money. In May 2025, the RSH notified Ealing Council of a planned inspection against the Regulatory Consumer Standards.

The inspection process involved several phases, including pre-on-site work, on-site interviews with council leadership and operational teams, and post-on-site follow-up. Following an Assurance Gap meeting in September 2025, the council provided additional evidence. The inspection outcome, published in November 2025, resulted in a C2 grading for the London Borough of Ealing, indicating some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed. Specifically, weaknesses were identified in relation to the Safety and Quality Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. The report highlighted positive feedback received by the Regulator, including an accurate understanding of the condition of over 80% of homes, improved performance in delivering compliance inspection programmes, and an effective repairs service. Areas identified for improvement included monitoring progress on stock condition surveys and asset management plans, remedial activities on EICRs and FRAs, overdue repairs, and the monitoring and oversight of the antisocial behaviour service. The report also detailed the RSH's feedback on key ingredients for strategy and the council's next steps, including developing an improvement plan and resetting the Rebuilding The Housing Service Programme.

Housing Complaints Performance

An overview of housing complaints performance and improvement activities for Ealing housing tenants and leaseholders was scheduled for discussion. The report indicated that during 2024-25 and early 2025-26, the service faced challenges in meeting response times for complaints. While Stage 2 complaints were consistently met within timescales, only 69% of Stage 1 complaints were responded to within the required timeframes, an improvement but still below the desired level. The report noted that the Housing Ombudsman had launched a preliminary investigation into the service's complaints handling in March 2025, which was subsequently closed in October 2025, with the Ombudsman acknowledging the service's understanding of challenges and identified actions. Key measures to improve complaints handling included the implementation of a new corporate complaints policy, a new compensation policy, staff training, and enhancements to data collection. The panel was to receive a quarterly update on complaints performance, including examples of learning and changes in practice, as well as data on the number of complaints received. A recommendation was made to create a safeguarding log of reported concerns to capture lessons learned.

Housing Repairs and Maintenance Service

The panel was also set to receive an update on the progress and key challenges of the Housing Repairs Service. This service operates with two principal contractors, Axis and Wates, and a small in-house team. A longstanding issue of poor communication regarding repair visits, particularly for complex repairs, was noted. A new staffing structure had been implemented to manage repairs delivery, including dedicated teams for surveyors, aids and adaptations, voids, and a new complex repairs team. Tenant satisfaction with the overall repairs service stood at 63.8%, with 57.7% satisfaction regarding the time taken to complete a repair. The report highlighted that Awaab's Law, which came into effect on 27 October 2025, requires social landlords to investigate, report, and repair serious damp, mould, and emergency hazards within strict deadlines. Ealing had 245 damp and mould cases at the time of the report, a reduction from 584 in July. The report detailed the remediation process for these cases and confirmed that there were no legacy repair cases, with the service dealing solely with active work. The role of caretakers in reporting communal repairs was being strengthened through the introduction of block champions. The panel was to receive a quarterly update on Awaab's Law compliance and consider a resident, officers, and repairs contractor engagement session for learning.