Wandsworth Council Apologises for Failing Social Housing Services: Wandsworth 2026

Key Points

• Wandsworth Council issued a formal apology to its housing tenants and leaseholders regarding substandard housing conditions and historical poor treatment.
• The apology follows a Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) inspection that resulted in a ‘C3’ regulatory rating—the second-lowest grade possible—due to systemic safety failures. MyLondon
• Inspectors uncovered significant backlogs, including tenants waiting over 12 months for essential fire safety works. MyLondon
• Nearly 80 per cent of communal spaces and 40 per cent of individual residential units had not undergone required electrical safety checks. MyLondon
• Conservative Council Leader Robert Morritt confirmed the local authority is delivering an ongoing Housing Improvement and Transformation Plan focused on compliance, repairs, and estate inspections. MyLondon
• The administration faces political debate from the Labour opposition after cancelling several planned new council housing development schemes to prioritize existing housing stock. MyLondon

Wandsworth (South London News) September 18, 2026 – Wandsworth Council has issued an official apology to residents for the failing state of its social housing properties and the historically dismissive manner with which tenants and leaseholders have been treated by the local authority.

As reported by Charlotte Lillywhite of MyLondon, Conservative Council Leader Robert Morritt delivered the public apology during a council meeting on Tuesday, September 15, pledging a complete overhaul of housing management across the borough. Addresssing elected members and residents, Robert Morritt stated,

“I want to apologize to every tenant and leaseholder for the level of service they have received over the last few years.”

He emphasized that work is actively ongoing to provide residents with “confidence that homes are safe, that they’re well maintained and properly managed, that tenants and leaseholders rightly expect accurate records, timely inspections, effective repairs and a housing service that puts them first.”

The council leader outlined his vision for an institutional culture change, explaining that he wished to see social housing residents “treated in a better and… sometimes less dismissive manner.”

Why did the Regulator of Social Housing issue Wandsworth Council a C3 rating?

The formal apology follows severe findings published by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), which graded Wandsworth Council with a ‘C3’ rating for consumer standards—the second-lowest evaluation possible. The score was issued after the regulatory body inspected the borough’s housing stock for the first time in November 2024, uncovering extensive systemic deficiencies in basic safety protocols and record-keeping.

As detailed in the report, inspectors found that tenants were regularly left waiting more than 12 months for essential fire safety remediation works. Furthermore, nearly 80 per cent of communal areas across the council’s entire housing portfolio, alongside approximately 40 per cent of individual residential properties, lacked up-to-date electrical safety testing. While the regulator acknowledged that the local authority met legal requirements in certain isolated operational sectors—such as recent catch-up checks for water safety, asbestos control, and lift maintenance—it observed that many of these tests were performed only months prior to the formal inspection.

The regulator concluded that Wandsworth Council lacked accurate, current data on the structural condition of most of its properties. Additionally, critical weaknesses were identified regarding how tenant feedback was incorporated into executive decisions and how the authority communicated administrative responses back to its residents.

What measures are being taken to overhaul housing services?

To resolve the non-compliance issues identified by the RSH, Wandsworth Council is executing a comprehensive Housing Improvement and Transformation Plan. As noted by Charlotte Lillywhite of MyLondon, this scheme was initially drafted under the previous Labour administration in January to improve legal compliance, accelerate repairs, and enhance resident engagement.

Robert Morritt stated that the local authority is actively recruiting a new director of housing, conducting systematic estate-wide physical inspections, and launching dedicated developer forums. However, the council leader noted that addressing these baseline standards necessitates fiscal trade-offs. The Conservative administration confirmed its strategic decision to prioritize funding towards fixing and maintaining existing council homes rather than funding new-build construction projects, though Robert Morritt noted the council remains open to seeing the “right developments come forward in the right places.”

How has the political opposition responded to the council’s housing strategy?

The political direction has drawn opposition from local political leaders. As reported by Charlotte Lillywhite of MyLondon, Labour Opposition Leader Simon Hogg stated that while he agreed “only the highest standards will do for our leaseholders and tenants, that culture change is crucial, and that we must stand up for our renters,” his party fundamentally differed from the Conservative administration regarding overall tactics.

Since taking leadership of the council, the Conservative administration has halted planned social housing developments on the Lennox estate in Roehampton and the Ashburton estate in Putney, alongside three smaller housing projects located on Tyneham Close, Lavender Hill, and the Fitzhugh Estate.

Addressing the chamber, Simon Hogg stated:

“The regulator was right to mark down the service that we inherited and transformed too slowly, but we’re clear on our vision—more council homes, renters’ rights, an end to rough sleeping and an improvement plan written with tenants in the room.”

He further asserted:

“We will support every home that gets built, we’ll support every repair that’s done properly and we’ll support the improvement plan that we helped to write, but we won’t support a housing policy that cuts council homes, ignores renters and then wonders why the housing crisis does not improve.”

Background of the particular development

The regulatory action against Wandsworth Council forms part of a broader national framework introduced under the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, which granted the Regulator of Social Housing expanded powers to inspect local authority housing stock directly and enforce consumer standards. Historically, Wandsworth Council had operated under a long-standing reputation for lower local tax levels, but its internal housing infrastructure struggled with a mounting maintenance backlog.

In November 2024, the RSH conducted its initial baseline inspection of Wandsworth’s housing portfolio. The subsequent C3 rating placed the council under formal regulatory scrutiny, obligating the authority to construct a legally binding remediation plan. The political context shifted following changes in council administration, leading to altered budgetary priorities regarding capital investment versus repair programs. The current administration’s focus centers on bringing all existing assets up to statutory compliance levels regarding fire, electrical, water, and gas safety before expanding municipal housing footprints.

Prediction: How this development can affect social housing tenants and leaseholders

This administrative turn and regulatory overhaul will directly affect Wandsworth’s thousands of council tenants and leaseholders across several operational areas:

• Accelerated Repair Schedules: Residents can expect an increase in property inspections and sub-contractor visits as the council rushes to resolve historical backlogs in electrical safety testing and fire door remediations.
• Shift in Living Standards: Existing tenants residing in aging properties affected by damp, mould, or delayed structural maintenance are likely to see prioritized funding allocations aimed at bringing their units up to the Decent Homes Standard.
• Reduced Availability of New Municipal Stock: Low-income residents on the housing waitlist or those currently living in overcrowded temporary accommodation will face prolonged waiting periods for permanent council housing, as the cancellation of local new-build schemes diminishes the future pipeline of municipal properties.
• Heightened Leaseholder Costs: Leaseholders may experience financial impacts, as estate-wide remediation works and delayed major structural fixes often result in higher service charge demands passed on to property owners under standard lease terms.
• Cultural Shift in Service Delivery: Frontline council communications are expected to undergo formal monitoring, offering residents clearer recourse pathways for housing complaints and less bureaucratic friction during emergency repair requests.