Haringey apologises to tenants after regulator finds 'very serious failings'

Haringey Council has apologised to its tenants and leaseholders and accepted in full the findings of the Regulator of Social Housing, which gave its housing service a C4 consumer grade.

We reported in October that the Regulator of Social Housing gave Haringey Council a C4 grade after finding nearly 4,000 overdue fire safety actions and a repairs backlog.

The regulator's inspection found almost 4,000 overdue fire safety actions, around 1,400 of them rated high risk. It also reported that roughly half of non-emergency repairs were done in 2025/26, and cited backlogs on damp and mould, low tenant satisfaction and weak oversight of housing services.

The regulator said the council did not respond to complaints on time and did not tell it about significant issues as they emerged. C4 is given to landlords whose failings are serious enough to need major changes.

Kate Dodsworth, deputy chief executive of the regulator, said: "This judgement sends a clear signal that tenants have been let down and that urgent and sustained improvement is needed." She said the regulator would keep up "intensive engagement and close oversight" and use its powers if necessary.

Jess Crowe, Haringey's corporate director for culture, strategy and communities, said: "I would like to unreservedly apologise to our tenants and leaseholders for the serious failings identified during the inspection. Our residents deserve better from their landlord."

An independent review commissioned by Haringey will examine why the regulator was given incomplete information and why the problems were not flagged earlier.

Council leader Mark Blake said the report would be "deeply concerning, but not surprising" for tenants and leaseholders who have spent years dealing with poor repairs, ignored complaints and safety concerns. "While we did not create this crisis, we will prioritise solving it," he said.