Southampton City Council has pledged to enhance its housing services following a report by the Regulator of Social Housing.

The report, published on November 27, was the regulator's first inspection of the council's housing service, resulting in a C3 grade.

The regulator noted "serious failings" in the council's adherence to consumer standards, stating "significant improvement is needed."

Among the identified issues was the council's failure to meet the Decent Homes standard, and a lack of accurate insight into the condition of its properties.

The report also revealed the need for the council to provide more effective, efficient, and timely repairs.

It pointed out that health and safety inspections were not consistently completed on schedule.

Further failings were highlighted in the council's communication and engagement with tenants.

The report stated that performance information about the service was not accessible to tenants and staff, which hindered tenants' ability to hold the authority accountable.

An inadequate handling of complaints was also noted.

The report acknowledged the council's transparency regarding the challenges faced by its housing service and its commitment to improving services for tenants.

Councillor Lorna Fielker, leader of Southampton City Council, said: "On behalf of the council, I would like to apologise to all those tenants who have not received the standard of service they should expect and deserve.

"A good home is the foundation on which happy and healthy lives are built and it is clear that as a landlord, we have let our tenants down. I am committed to ensuring the regulator’s findings are addressed and that our improvement plans are delivered as soon as possible."

Jamie Brenchley, director of housing, said: "We fully acknowledge and accept the regulator’s findings and are committed to improving the service that we provide to tenants.

"We are making improvements as quickly as we can and welcome the opportunity to work closely with the regulator, and most importantly our tenants, as we deliver our improvement plan."

In light of the regulator's findings, an updated Housing Improvement Plan is set to be presented to the council's Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee and the Cabinet in December.