The Housing Assurance Board meeting on 13 April 2026 addressed a range of critical housing issues, including significant concerns about damp and mould, the slow pace of aids and adaptations, and the complexities of allocations and lettings. Key decisions included a commitment to improve communication regarding adaptations, a focus on addressing the backlog of void properties, and a plan to enhance the complaints handling process.

Aids and Adaptations

The Board received an update on the Aids and Adaptations service, highlighting a significant increase in demand and a backlog of cases. The current waiting time for an Occupational Therapy assessment is between 10-12 months. The service is working to address this by increasing the number of specialist contractors and by employing a dedicated Housing Occupational Therapist. A working group has been established to identify and adapt void properties for residents with disabilities, aiming to adapt a minimum of eight voids per year. The report also noted that the average cost of an extension to provide ground-floor sleeping and bathing facilities is £175,000.

The Board was informed that the council currently uses one main contractor for building-related adaptations but lacks a contract for equipment-related adaptations, such as lifts and hoists. This has led to delays and an inability to fully utilise the allocated budget of £400,000 for these works. A procurement exercise is planned for 2026/27 to increase the supply chain and reduce waiting times.

Damp and Mould Performance

The meeting highlighted ongoing challenges with damp and mould cases, with 899 unique addresses affected. While emergency cases are being addressed promptly, there are 323 reports outstanding, and 165 instances where access has not been granted. The average time to issue reports is 6.87 working days, and the average time to attend a reported issue is 9.90 working days. Unusually poor weather conditions between December 2025 and March 2026 significantly contributed to a backlog, particularly in roofing repairs, which in turn impacted damp and mould cases.

The implementation of mobile working has improved efficiency in some areas, but initial in-person inspections remain a constraint. The team has been strengthened with the recruitment of an additional surveyor, bringing the total to four, which is expected to improve capacity and reduce waiting times. An improvement plan is in place, including the introduction of Go Report for surveyors to generate reports on-site, aiming to reduce turnaround times. The team is also moving to a four-day inspection week to increase throughput.

Complaints Update

The Board was presented with an update on the complaints service, noting a 26% increase in Stage 1 complaints received by landlord service areas compared to the previous year. While there has been an improvement in managing complaints within the Housing Ombudsman's timescales at Stage 1 and 2, the volume of complaints, particularly those related to repairs during winter months, has impacted overall performance. Stage 2 complaints are to be transferred to the Customer Insight Team.

A significant focus for 2026/2027 will be learning from complaints. Two deep dives have been completed, one on responsive repairs, identifying six key themes including poor appointment management and communication failures, and another on housing management, highlighting areas for improvement in complaints handling and timely responses. The service has seen a reduction in severe maladministrations, with two cases reported in the last financial year compared to ten in the previous year. The team is working to stabilise the service through permanent recruitment and additional fixed-term contracts.

Allocations and Lettings

The Board received an update on allocations and lettings, noting that 708 properties had been let by February 2026, exceeding the Lettings Plan target of 620 voids. Of these, 101 properties were let to Care Leavers. The report highlighted that 80% of social housing lets were ringfenced for households in Temporary Accommodation, with 76% of lettings going to homelessness cases.

Concerns were raised about the high proportion of Care Leavers (101 out of 708 allocations) and the overall number of allocations to this group, which was considered substantial. The Director of Housing Management explained that this was due to the number of unaccompanied minors and a cohort of individuals leaving care who require ongoing support. The council has implemented a protocol with adult and children's services to support care leavers into their first accommodation.

The Board also discussed the Tenancy Standard, which ensures tenancies are fair, transparent, and legally compliant. Croydon's Allocation Scheme has been updated with a longer residency criterion (6 years), a lettings plan to target need, greater priority for Care Leavers, a one-offer policy, annual case reviews, and the ability for residents to bid down.

Housing Overview Report

The Housing Overview Report highlighted successes in the Contact Centre, with a significant improvement in call answer rates and a reduction in average wait times. Tenancy Sustainment has provided substantial support, resulting in arrears reduction and benefit entitlement. Progress has been made on the Housing Improvement Programme, including the demolition of a block at Regina Road for new development and the selection of a contractor for Phase 1.

However, areas of concern include continued high staff sickness levels across the directorate, the NEC programme not delivering at the expected pace, persistent issues with void numbers, and a high number of disrepair cases. Complaints handling remains outside the Housing Ombudsman's Code, and Member Enquiry responses are still taking too long, although improvements are being seen.

Housing Improvement Programme

The Housing Improvement Programme tracker was reviewed, with several projects marked as complete or on track. Key areas of focus include ensuring homes are safe and well-maintained, fostering positive resident relationships, improving efficiency and utilisation of resources, and ensuring robust governance.

Under the Keeping Residents Safe workstream, progress is being made on the Asset Plan and Alignment, with 96.34% of the stock condition survey complete. The Damp and Mould Team is developing a dashboard and working towards compliance with Awaab's Law. The Repairs Service Improvement project has developed a blueprint, and a decency taskforce is being established.

In the Resident Relationship workstream, customer standards are being developed with resident input, and efforts are underway to improve the collection and use of tenant data. The Efficiency and Utilisation workstream includes a project to effectively use adapted properties and improve the voids process, with a new Power BI dashboard in place for monitoring.

Forward Plan

The Board noted the Forward Plan, with future deep dives scheduled on topics including the Council's statutory duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, the Housing Ombudsman's self-assessment, demand management, housing supply, and external funding opportunities. The Board also agreed to explore digital solutions, automation, and productivity in future meetings.

Other Business

The Chair acknowledged the contributions of departing members and highlighted the importance of the Housing Assurance Board's role in providing scrutiny and driving improvement. The meeting concluded with thanks to all attendees.