Second Highest Rating for Hounslow's Housing Services
Regulator identifies a number of areas for improvement
The assessment was the first under a new national framework. Picture: AI generated
October 29, 2025
Hounslow Council’s Housing Services has been awarded a C2 consumer grade by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), following its first inspection under the new national framework introduced in April 2024. The assessment recognises the borough’s strengths in resident safety, repairs, and community engagement, while also identifying areas for improvement.
The full regulatory judgement, published this Wednesday (29 October), is available on the Regulator of Social Housing website.
The RSH’s consumer grading system ranges from C1 (highest) to C4 (lowest). A C2 grade indicates that the Council is effectively meeting the consumer standards, but that some weaknesses remain which require action. This places Hounslow in a relatively strong position compared to other local authorities, especially given that this was its first grading under the updated framework.
The regulator highlighted several areas of good practice:
- Timely and effective repairs service
- Strong commitment to resident safety, including compliance with health and safety obligations
- Proactive partnership working to tackle anti-social behaviour
- Constructive approach to complaints, using feedback to drive service improvements
These strengths reflect the Council’s efforts to maintain quality housing for its 13,500 tenants across the borough.
Despite the positive assessment, the report also flagged several concerns:
- Overdue fire, water, and electrical safety remedial actions
- Limited transparency in performance reporting to tenants and councillors
- Insufficient support for tenant-led scrutiny and oversight
The Council has acknowledged these issues and confirmed that it is already implementing an improvement plan to address them. Cllr Sue Sampson, Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Homelessness, said the report “gives us a strong foundation to build on” and reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to ensuring “every tenant in Hounslow has a safe, secure and high-quality home.”
The inspection assessed Hounslow against four new consumer standards: Safety and Quality, Transparency and Accountability, Neighbourhood and Community, and Tenancy Management. These standards aim to improve tenant experience and ensure landlords are responsive, safe, and inclusive.
Cllr Sue Sampson, Cabinet Member for Housing Management and Homelessness, said, “We welcome the outcome of our first inspection and the recognition of the good work already happening across our housing services. The report gives us a strong foundation to build on as we continue to make improvements for our residents.
“We are already acting on the regulator’s recommendations to strengthen performance, continuing our commitment to enhance safety, and ensure every tenant in Hounslow has a safe, secure and high-quality home.
“I want to thank our residents, council and housing staff, tenant representatives and partners whose dedication and hard work have helped us reach this point.”
While the C2 grade confirms compliance, it also places Hounslow among councils that must demonstrate ongoing progress to reach the top tier. The regulator’s annual review encourages all providers to learn from inspection outcomes and strengthen tenant engagement and safety protocols.
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