This report provides an update on the performance of RBCs Housing Landlord Service delivered year to date, up to and including December 2025 and seeks endorsement of the themes and programmes of the service improvement plan against the consumer standards.

Further to Minute 23 of the meeting held on 12 November 2025, the Committee received a report providing an update on the performance of Reading Borough Council’s Housing Landlord Service delivered year to date, up to and including December 2025, following the inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) which had concluded in April 2025.

The report explained that the Service had received positive feedback via monthly meetings with the RSH regarding the progress made to date on the Service Improvement Plan. The Regulator was confident in the improvements that had been delivered so far and was assured by the actions the Service had taken to address the root causes of the issues that had been identified. Based on the evidence submissions, the Regulator had confirmed that the Service was moving closer to achieving sustainable, long?term change and they were considering reducing the frequency of meetings.

The report provided assurance to the Committee that the Service was delivering against the strategic objectives of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for current and future tenants of social housing.

The report explained that a working group had been established to compile and carry out a tenant census, with the aim of ensuring that the Service held up-to-date information on tenants including protected characteristics to ensure that any additional needs or reasonable adjustments were recorded and used to inform service delivery and achieve equitable outcomes. It was intended to launch the tenant census in April 2026 and this would remain open for up to six months to encourage widest possible participation. The census would initially be available online through the Housing Online Portal and officers were also exploring the option of making the census accessible via the corporate Go Vocal platform to increase digital participation. In addition, officers across the service would support data collection through door?knocking, completing the census digitally with tenants. As a final alternative, paper forms would be issued where required.

The report also stated that the Tenant Engagement Team was currently working with a group of engaged tenants to scrutinise two priority areas of the Housing Service identified by the Tenant Voice Panel, the Repairs Service and the handling of Housing Complaints. Ten tenants were taking part in this scrutiny project with six sessions, running through to April 2026. Tenants would review specific aspects of these services and produce written recommendations for service improvement. These findings would be shared with the Regulator of Social Housing and via this Committee. The tenants would be focusing their scrutiny of the Repairs Service on how the Service communicated with tenants throughout the repairs process, as well as reviewing the full tenant journey from the point a repair was first reported to the Council. For Housing Complaints, the group was examining whether there were further opportunities to reduce complaint volumes and to strengthen the way the Service managed and resolved complaints.  Work was also underway to develop a wider Tenant Engagement programme. The project plan would be finalised in May 2026 having been agreed by the Tenant Voice Panel, with the intention of launching new engagement activities from that point including obtaining the Tenant Quality Mark on all Housing Landlord webpages. The new Tenant Engagement Programme for 2026 to 2027 would include facilitated focus groups to scrutinise key areas within Tenancy Management and Antisocial Behaviour.

The report also set out details of complaints, response times and Housing Ombudsman complaints for the period April 2025 to December 2025.

Resolved -

(1)           That the Housing Landlord Service Performance and key achievements delivered year to date, up to and including December 2025 be noted;

(2)      That the themes and programmes of the service improvement plan against the consumer standards be endorsed.