You can contact them in the following ways:
Email: housingaudit@southkesteven.gov.uk
Telephone: 01476 406123 or 01476 406080 please press option 3 and then option 4, from Monday to Friday 8:45am to 5.00pm.
We have also developed some frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help answer any questions that you may have.
1. I have received a letter about the Council's housing audit - what do I need to do?
There is nothing that you need to do. We sent you the letter because we felt that it was important to inform you about the findings of the audit.
If you have any questions, we have a dedicated team in place to help you. You can contact them in the following ways:
Email: housingaudit@southkesteven.gov.uk
Telephone: 01476 406123 or 01476 406080 please press option 3 and then option 4, from Monday to Friday 8:45am to 5pm.
The safety and wellbeing of all our tenants is our priority. We will be communicating with you regularly - keeping you updated about the process and the action that we are taking.
2. What do I do if I have concerns about my home?
The safety and wellbeing of all our tenants is our number one priority. Right now, we are in the process of commissioning a comprehensive survey to provide a detailed picture of the condition of all our homes and will work with you if any remedial works to your home are required.
If we need to carry out an inspection of your home, we will be in touch with you directly to agree a date and time that works well for you.
If you have any concerns about your home, please call our maintenance department immediately on 01476 40 60 80 between 9am and 5pm or 01476 59 00 44 outside of these times. We will then arrange for a technician to call and visit your home.
3. Why did you commission the audit?
As a responsible social housing landlord, we routinely carry out inspections and repairs of our homes.
As part of our commitment to maintaining and updating our homes, we commissioned the independent audit to understand what work we need to carry out across our homes.
4. What did the audit report say?
The auditor outlined in their report some key areas where we need to improve our processes and record keeping to meet the necessary standards. Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of all our tenants, and we have developed a detailed action plan to address these findings.
The areas outlined in the audit are:
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Inspection process for electrical certificates
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Record keeping, servicing, and processes relating to fire safety
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Record keeping and tracking of water inspections
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Management of the recording of asbestos. Asbestos is a fibre-like material that was once used in buildings for insulation, flooring and roofing. While asbestos can be dangerous, it is not harmful if left alone which is why recording is important.
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Insufficient data and information recorded demonstrating how standards set out by the Regulator for Social Housing are met
Right now, we are in the process of commissioning a comprehensive survey to provide a detailed picture of the condition of all our homes and will work with you if any remedial works to your home are required.
If you have any questions, we have a dedicated team to help.
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You can email us at housingaudit@southkesteven.gov.uk
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Or call us on 01476 406123 or 01476 406080 please press option 3 and then option 4, from Monday to Friday 8:45am to 5.00pm.
5. Can I read the full housing audit report?
The full housing report is available on our website - click here to download.
If you have any questions about this report, we have a dedicated team to help.
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You can email us at housingaudit@southkesteven.gov.uk
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Or call us on 01476 406123 or 01476 406080 please press option 3 and then option 4, from Monday to Friday 8:45am to 5.00pm.
6. What action are you taking in response to the audit?
As soon as we were made aware of the findings of the audit, we developed an action plan to address these findings.
Right now, we are in the process of commissioning a comprehensive survey to provide a detailed picture of the condition of all our homes and will work with you if any remedial works to your home are required.
Throughout the process, we will be communicating regularly with tenants about the action that we are taking.
7. Will I need to move?
Tenants will not need to move from their properties.
Right now, we are in the process of commissioning a comprehensive survey to provide a detailed picture of the condition of all our homes and will work with you if any remedial works to your home are required.
If we need to carry out an inspection of your home, we will be in touch with you directly to agree a date and time that works well for you.
8. What if I have a repair request outstanding?
Carrying our regular and high-quality maintenance remains a priority for us. The maintenance service that you receive from us will not change and all repairs will be completed as normal.
To check on the status of your repair request, please call us on 01476 40 60 80 between 9am and 5pm or 01476 59 00 44 outside of these times.
9. What is the Regulator for Social Housing?
The Regulator for Social Housing is the Government Agency responsible for setting standards, often referred to as the 'Homes Standard'.
All Registered Providers and Local Authorities must comply with these standards.
You can find out more about the Regulator for Social Housing here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/regulator-of-social-housing
10. What is the Homes Standard?
The Homes Standard is a set of specific standards that social housing landlords, like South Kesteven, must comply with. It covers both quality of accommodation and repairs and maintenance.
You can find the full details of the Homes Standard here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-standard/home-standard-2015
11. Why did you refer yourselves to the Social Housing Regulator?
As a responsible social housing landlord, we work closely with the Social Housing Regulator in accordance with their regulatory standards, procedures, and guidance.
It is our duty to notify the Social Housing Regulator of the findings of the audit.
Going forward, we will continue working closely with the Regulator for Social Housing to address the issues identified and implement our action plan.
12. What is a Regulatory Notice?
A Regulatory Notice is an assessment of how well registered providers of social housing, like South Kesteven District Council, are meeting regulatory standards.
13. Why has South Kesteven District Council been served a Regulatory Notice?
Last year, we commissioned an audit of our housing service to understand how we could make it better for our tenants. The findings of this audit showed that we needed to improve in several areas and, as a result, we put in place an action plan to drive-up standards. We referred ourselves to the Regulator of Social Housing who carried out its own investigation. In recognition of the action that we are taking to turnaround our housing service, the Regulator issued a Regulatory Notice but did not take any action.
14. What action will the Regulator be taking against South Kesteven District Council?
In recognition of the action that we are taking to improve our housing service, the Regulator will not be taking any action.
15. When will the Regulatory Notice end?
We wil continue working closely with the Regulator of Social Housing to improve our housing service. The Regulator will continue to monitor our performance and will make a decision to end the Notice when they are satisfied that we have fully met all parts of the Home Standard.
16. What progress is South Kesteven District Council making to improve its housing service?
The safety and wellbeing of our tenants remains our priority and, over the last few months, we have made many improvements to the way that we manage our housing service. This includes putting in place a dedicated team to respond to queries relating to the audit, embedding new systems and processes to ensure our repairs and inspections are managed more effectively, commissioning a comprehensive survey of our housing stock, and ensuring that we have the right team in place to manage our housing service.
17. Why has South Kesteven District Council recruited a new Director of Housing and Property?
Turning aroud our housing service for our tenants is our priority. As part of our commitment to driving up performance, we have recruited an experienced Director of Housing and Property who will manage the service and implement our action plan. We have recruited a highly experienced director, Andrew Cotton who has more than 20 years' experience in social housing. Andrew is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and joins the Council from Melton Borough Council, where he was Director of Housing and Communities.