Landlords have been ‘too passive’ and must take responsibility for regularly monitoring stock, MPs recommend

Elsewhere in the report, it makes recommendations to tackle stigma in the sector, improve the visibility of the Housing Ombudsman, and raises concerns about the proposed Right to Buy extension.

On the latter, the committee highlights how the existing policy has reduced the number of homes available for social rent and increased the proportion of the social housing stock that is hard to maintain.

To prevent the further erosion of this stock, the report calls on the government to present a fully-funded plan for ensuring the one-for-one and like-for-like replacement of every home sold under the extension. 

To further reduce the sector’s reliance on outdated stock, the report recommends the government introduce funding specifically for regeneration.

It is something the boss of the National Housing Federation (NHF) also called for while giving evidence to the committee on Monday. 

Of equal concern to residents, the report finds, is the quality of service they receive and how they are treated or spoken to by their provider. 

This poor treatment arises from stigma attached to being a social housing tenant, or to other forms of discrimination, and a power imbalance between providers and tenants.

It also highlights the impact of the commercialisation of the sector, which it said has distanced some providers from their tenants and from their original social mission.

To reduce stigma and discrimination, MPs call on providers to ensure their boards and senior management teams better reflect the diversity of their communities, and on the regulator to incorporate this requirement into its revised consumer standards.

This includes the establishment of genuinely independent and representative tenant and resident associations, and calls on the government to create a national tenant voice body to drive up standards in social housing.

In addition, the report calls on providers and the ombudsman to bring forward a strategy to address the lack of public awareness of the ombudsman and the complaints process, alongside empowering the ombudsman to order providers to award compensation of up to £25,000.

Clive Betts, chair of the LUHC Committee, said: “Too many social housing tenants are living in uninhabitable homes and experiencing appalling conditions and levels of disrepair, including serious damp and mould, with potential serious impacts on their mental and physical health. 

He called on landlords to put tenants at the centre of how they deliver services, including by regularly monitoring the condition of their housing stock. 

“Where they fail, providers should face the prospect of tough action from a more active regulator,” he added. 

A government spokesperson said it is taking action to improve conditions through the Social Housing Regulation Bill, which it said “will give the regulator and ombudsman more powers, including unlimited fines from the regulator for landlords who fail tenants”.

They added: “The biggest suppliers will also be regularly inspected and complaints dealt with quickly and fairly, meaning more people will live in decent and well looked after homes.”