Haringey's council housing has been graded C4, the regulator's lowest. Almost 4,000 fire safety actions were overdue and half of repairs were late.
Haringey Council’s housing service has been given a C4 by the Regulator of Social Housing, the lowest grade it can award. The judgement, published on Wednesday 28 October, finds “very serious failings” in how the council looks after its tenants. It says the council “must make fundamental changes so that improved outcomes are delivered”.
Haringey owns around 15,300 social rented homes across the borough. This is the first time the regulator has graded it. The inspection began in April 2026, according to the council, and was completed this month.
What the regulator found
The judgement covers all four consumer standards. Its main findings:
- Fire safety: almost 4,000 actions from fire risk assessments were overdue at the time of the inspection. More than 1,400 of them were rated high risk.
- Repairs: only around half of non-emergency repairs were completed on time in 2025/26. There is a “substantial backlog” of overdue repairs, including damp and mould cases.
- Adaptations: only around 9% of home adaptations for tenants who need them were completed on time.
- Decent homes: about 16% of council homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard. The council aims for full compliance by March 2028.
- Complaints: complaint volumes, maladministration findings and escalation rates are high, and response times are poor.
- Anti-social behaviour: the council could not show that cases are recorded, monitored and managed consistently.
The regulator also found that the council cannot vouch for the accuracy of its own repairs figures. It says many tenants contact the council only to chase repairs and complaints they have already reported.
The council did not tell the regulator the full picture
The sharpest finding is about honesty with the regulator. In March 2023 the regulator found Haringey in breach of the Home Standard after the council referred itself. At that point it had failed to complete a large number of fire safety actions, including 4,000 rated high risk.
The new judgement says that during follow-up work on that notice, the council reported only the original backlog. It did not give full information about “a new and growing backlog of more recent overdue remedial actions”. It also failed to refer its repairs and complaints problems. The regulator calls this “a significant failure”.
It is not using its enforcement powers for now. It says it will keep that under review and stay in “intensive” contact with the council.
Kate Dodsworth, the regulator’s deputy chief executive, said in its announcement: “A C4 judgement sends a clear signal that tenants have been let down and that urgent and sustained improvement is needed.”
Haringey was one of three councils graded on the same day. Tamworth and Woking were both given C3, the second-lowest grade.
What the council says
The council said it “fully accepts” the findings. Jess Crowe, the corporate director deputising for the chief executive, apologised “unreservedly” to tenants and leaseholders. She said: “Our residents deserve better from their landlord.”
The council has promised:
- an urgent independent review into why incomplete information went to the regulator in 2025, and why the council stopped reporting itself after 2022
- an immediate restructure of housing leadership
- a new external expert to oversee an overhaul of housing services
- a refreshed Housing Transformation Plan, going to Cabinet early in the new year
On fire safety, the council said: “Where fire safety actions remain outstanding, appropriate mitigations are in place, and risks are kept under regular review while permanent solutions are implemented.”
Council leader Cllr Mark Blake blamed the previous administration. “The Grenfell tragedy showed us that nothing is more important than being transparent about fire safety,” he said. “Staggeringly, under the previous administration the council did not inform the Regulator of Social Housing of the true extent of fire safety risks.”
What it means for you
If you rent from Haringey Council or own a leasehold flat in one of its blocks, nothing changes overnight. The regulator does not deal with individual cases. Its judgement says the Housing Ombudsman handles individual complaints.
- Report repairs and chase them in writing, so there is a dated record.
- Use the council’s complaints process first. If you are still unhappy after its final response, you can take the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
- Fire safety concerns in your block can be raised with the council as landlord. If you think there is an immediate danger, call 999.
Earlier this month we reported that the council had 818 empty council and temporary homes on 11 September. The improvement plan due at Cabinet in the new year is the next public test. We will report it when it is published.
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