Committee publication · Correspondence · 26 February 2026
Letter from the Regulator of Social Housing to the Chair dated 23 February 2026 following up oral evidence on Housing Conditions in England
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Inquiry: Housing Conditions in England
Summary
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) provides detailed follow-up on its October 2024 C4 grading of London Borough of Newham, which found serious failures in fire safety testing, electrical safety compliance, and smoke/carbon monoxide alarm checks. The letter outlines Newham's improvement plan with specific deadlines (electrical compliance by September 2026, fire risk remediation by June 2027) and reports measurable progress: overdue fire risk assessments reduced from 9,000 to 5,599, homes without electrical testing reduced from 7,000+ to 524, and smoke/CO alarm compliance now above 99%.
Key findings
- Newham's October 2024 inspection found over 9,000 overdue fire risk assessment remedial actions (4,000 high-risk), inadequate electrical condition testing on properties, and failures to test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in line with legal requirements
- RSH required immediate mitigations including 24-hour waking watch in highest-risk blocks, enhanced inspection regimes, emergency electrical safety protocols with four-hour resolution times, and transparent resident communication on fire safety
- Newham's improvement plan sets deadlines: 90% electrical certificates valid by March 2026, 100% by September 2026; 80% of fire risk remedial actions by January 2027, 100% by June 2027; stock condition surveys completed by March 2027
- As of December 2025, Newham has reduced overdue fire risk actions to 5,599 (1,487 high-risk), brought homes without electrical testing from 7,000+ to 524, achieved 99.1% smoke alarm and 99.99% carbon monoxide compliance, and cleared repairs backlog from 49% overdue to 350 overdue
- RSH will continue intensive engagement with Newham and retains statutory enforcement powers if progress stalls, including potential use of formal regulatory intervention
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Fiona MacGregor, Florence Eshalomi MP, Regulator of Social Housing, London Borough of Newham, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Notable line
“… should Newham fail to continue making progress in delivering the outcomes required by the consumer standards, we will consider further regulatory intervention, which may include the use of our statutory enforcement powers 2 .”
Key Quotes
“We set clear, outcome focused consumer standards, and we expect landlords to understand the condition of their homes, comply with safety requirements, and maintain effective governance and financial arrangements to support delivery.”
“The inspection found that Newham was not meeting legal requirements relating to testing regimes designed to identify potential risks to the health and safety of tenants in their homes, including failing to carry out adequate electrical condition testing on its properties.”
“We also found that Newham had over 9,000 overdue Fire Risk Assessment ("FRA") remedial actions, 4,000 of which were categorised as high risk.”
“Newham has reduced the number of overdue FRA actions from over 9,000 in October 2024 (of which 4,000 were high-risk) to 5,599 (of which 1,487 are high risk), as of December”
“Newham's testing of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms is now up to date, with 99.1% compliance on smoke alarms and 99.99% compliance on carbon monoxide alarms.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗