Regulatory judgement improvement plan

Regulatory standard

Area of weakness

Intended outcome(s)

All homes to have an up to date stock condition survey that is part of a 5 year rolling programme.

Improved planning and prioritisation of investment, maintenance works and identification of potential risks.

Lead

Target completion

Step targets (where possible)

None at this stage. 

Step targets will be developed for surveying programme 2026 to 2031.

Short/medium/long term plans

Short Term

100% by 30 June 2026

Medium Term

Implement 5 year rolling programme from 2026 and resource or procure to match need.

Long Term:

Deliver programme and explore opportunities to increase impactfulness of each property contact.

Organisational risks

1. Capacity
2. Access to properties
3. Asset plans based on incomplete data
4. Availability of resource internally / in market
5. Changes to DHS and ability to adapt data collected

Potential impact on customers if we do not achieve intended outcome

• Undetected hazards or deterioration in housing conditions
• Delayed maintenance leading to unsafe living environments
• Health impacts associated with cold / damp / property based risk
• Tenancy sustainability, property conditions that do not meet customer aspirations risk high turnover.

Current position

Surveying Partner is on site progressing surveys, and in‑house resource continues to pick up surveys on a rota basis. All properties have now been contacted or visited at least once in an attempt to complete a survey, and revisits are now being scheduled as part of an escalation process.

Outturn continues to improve and currently stands at 84%, up from 78% at the last update in October. The target of achieving 100% by December 2025 was not met. While significant progress has been made, there have been challenges in arranging access to some residents' homes. Access levels in November and December fell to between 20-30%, but have since risen significantly to 70% in January 2026. We anticipate reaching 100% surveyed during the first quarter of 2026/27. The increased stock condition data indicates that the overall condition of our assets remains broadly in line with the assumptions and business plan forecasts previously held. Condition is generally good, and investment requirements are consistent with the age of the stock.

While our external surveying resource has been essential in progressing the condition surveys, the additional data validation required and the overall value for money of customer/property contact time could be improved by internalising the process. A business case is currently being developed to combine a number of key customer contacts—including tenancy audits and alteration requests—into the condition survey. This enhanced approach would maximise the value of customer contact by enabling us to collect and validate both customer and property data more effectively. We recognise that external validation of condition data is an important assurance measure, and this will be built into the revised approach.

RAG Rating

Evidence

Performance report - reported six monthly to Housing Environment and Healthy Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HEHC OSC) and Strategic Housing Board and quarterly to Housing Portfolio and Housing Leadership Team.

Performance Management Improvement Framework monthly update to Corporate Management Team and six monthly to HEHC OSC.