As a landlord, we have a series of regulations which we need to meet.
Find out more about:
- The Decent Homes Standard
- Minimum Standard
- Regulation of Social Housing
- How Housing services are performing
- Annual Tenant and Leaseholder Report
- Housing Local Offer
- Your responsibilities as a tenant
- Housing Management Team Structure
- Your rent
- Service Charges
The Decent Homes Standard
The Decent Homes Standard is a government scheme introduced in 2000. Councils were required to ensure that by the end of 2010 all their homes meet the government’s decent homes standard and continue to do so. The decent homes standard is a technical standard for public housing (both council and Housing Association).
Minimum Standard
To meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing a property must be free of category 1 hazards in accordance with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Some examples of category 1 hazards are:
- lead drinking water pipes
- excessive cold due to no form of heating
Regulation of Social Housing
The Regulator for Social Housing is a standalone non-departmental public body of government. Their role is to promote a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver more and better social homes.
As part of their role they have developed a set of standards which all registered housing providers like ourselves must comply with.
Their standards fall under 2 headings:
- economic
- consumer
Local authorities are not regulated under the economic standards.
From Monday 1 April 2024 the following consumer standards apply:
- Neighbourhood and Community Standard
- Safety and Quality Standard
- Tenancy Standard
- Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard
Read more about regulatory standards for landlords.
Regulation of Social Housing standards
While there are a number of areas where our services comply with the regulatory standards for landlords, we've taken the opportunity to write to the regulator to let them know that there are some areas where we do not fully meet these new standards.
See details of our work to meet social housing standards.
Following our engagement with the Regulator of Social Housing, they wrote to us in December 2024 and explained that it would not be proportionate to take any regulatory action at this time.
See the Regulator of Social Housing Self Referral Outcome Letter.
Our Housing Management Team ensures compliance with the standards. In accordance with the new requirements our Healthy and Safety Lead is Michael Jones, Head of Housing Delivery and Asset Management.
How Housing services are performing
From 1 April 2024 the Regulator of Social Housing requires all registered providers of social housing to collect and report annually on their performance using a core set of defined measures. These are called Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs).
These provide tenants with greater transparency about their landlord’s performance.
Housemark is the leading data and insight company for the UK housing sector. It allows Housing organisations to see how they are performing against others who provide social housing.
| TSM | Perception measures - collected from our annual tenant satisfaction survey | 2023/2024 | National average - source: Housemark |
|---|---|---|---|
| TP01 | Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied with the overall housing service | 69.9% | 69.4% |
| TP02 | Proportion of respondents who have received a repair in the last 12 months who report that they are satisfied with the overall repairs service | 71.8% | 70.4% |
| TP03 | Proportion of respondents who have received a repair in the last 12 months who report that they are satisfied with the time taken to complete their most recent repair | 68.6% | 66.4% |
| TP04 | Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that their home is well maintained. | 63.5% | 69.4% |
| TP05 | Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that their home is safe | 69.2% | 76.1% |
| TP06 | Proportion of residents who report that they are satisfied that City of York Council housing services listens to tenants views and acts on them | 41.9% | 58.9% |
| TP07 | Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that City of York Council housing services keeps them informed about things that matter to them | 54.9% | 69.5% |
| TP08 | Proportion of respondents who report that they agree City of York Council housing services treats them fairly and with respect | 62.2% | 76.3% |
| TP09 | Proportion of respondents who report making a complaint in the last 12 months who are satisfied with City of York Council’s approach to handling housing complaints | 33.3% | 33.8% |
| TP10 | Proportion of respondents with communal areas who report that they are satisfied their communal areas are kept clean and well maintained | 51.2% | 65.5% |
| TP11 | Proportion of respondents who report that they are satisfied that City of York Council housing services makes a positive contribution to their neighbourhood | 45.2% | 62.5% |
| TP12 | Proportion of residents who report they are satisfied with City of York Councils approach to handling anti-social behaviour | 43.4% |
| TSM | Management Measures | 2023/2024 | National average - source: Housemark |
|---|---|---|---|
| CH01i | Number of stage one complaints received per 1,000 homes | 16.2 | 39.7 |
| CH01ii | Number of stage 2 complaints received per 1,000 homes | 4.9 | 5.3 |
| CH02i | Proportion of stage one complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code timescales | 53.8% | 85% |
| CH02ii | Proportion of stage 2 complaints responded to within the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code timescales | 46.9% | 83.3% |
| NM01i | Number of anti-social behaviour cases, opened per 1,000 homes | 14.7 | 38.6 |
| NM01ii | Number of anti-social behaviour cases that involve hate incidents opened per 1,000 homes | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| RP01 | Proportion of homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard | 1.9% | 0.31% |
| RP02i | Proportion of non-emergency responsive repairs completed within target timescale | 82.1% | 81.5% |
| RP02ii | Proportion of emergency responsive repairs completed within the target timescale - 24 hours | 81.6% | 94.8% |
| BS01 | Proportion of homes for which all required gas safety checks have been carried out | 99.9% | 99.97% |
| BS02 | Proportion of homes for which all required fire risk assessments have been carried out | 97.0% | 100% |
| BS03 | Proportion of homes for which all required asbestos management surveys or re-inspections have been carried out | 100% | 100% |
| BS04 | Proportion of homes for which all required legionella risk assessments have been carried out | 90.2% | 100% |
| BS05 | Proportion of homes for which all required communal passenger lift safety checks have been carried out | 100% | 100% |
Read a summary of our approach to how we measure tenant satisfaction.
Annual Tenant and Leaseholder Report
The Social Housing Regulator requires all social housing providers to produce an annual report for its tenants. Read our latest Annual Tenant and Leaseholder Report.
If you would like a printed copy or a copy in a different format contact us by email: housing.serviceimprovement@york.gov.uk.
Housing Local Offer
In addition to the national standards, we're required to work with tenants to produce agreed local offer. These sit below the national standards and are tailored to the needs of the local area.
These have been developed with our Tenant Scrutiny Panel. They review and update them every year. View the latest local service standards.
Your responsibilities as a tenant
When you sign your tenancy agreement you agree to the responsibilities set out. Find out more about your tenant responsibilities.
Housing Management Team Structure
Read more about how the Housing Service is structured and who is responsible for what areas in Housing. Ensuring compliance with the new Housing Regulation and consumer standards sits across the teams (apart from the Development Team).
- Pauline Stuchfield - Director of Housing and Communities
- Michael Jones – Head of Housing Delivery and Asset Management
- Denis Southall - Head of Housing Management Services
- Housing Management
- Homelessness
- Temporary accommodation
- Paul Hester – Head of Building Services
- Repairs Service
- Capital works programme
- Gas Servicing
- Electrical works
- Vicky Japes – Head of Housing Strategy and Performance
- Service Improvements
- Tenant Engagement
- Policy and Strategy
- Open Housing
- Sophie Round – Housing Delivery Programme Manager
- New build
- Shared Ownership
Your rent
We charge rent weekly, you can choose how often and how you want to pay. Read more about paying your council rent.
Service Charges
If you live in a flat or an Independent Living Community you'll pay a service charge as well as your rent. This covers the cost of maintaining communal areas for example, grass cutting and electricity for lighting.