Work to repair “neglected” council homes in a part of Nottingham will take place between now and next April, the city council has said.
In January, residents on the Eddleston Drive estate in Clifton said their homes had been plagued with rotting window frames, peeling render, damp, and poor insulation for years.
Their concerns were raised as the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), the independent body responsible for overseeing standards, found serious problems with Nottingham City Council’s housing stock after an inspection.
The Labour-run authority has now confirmed repair work to fix issues in Eddleston Drive – as well as similar problems in nearby Fairisle Close and Lerwick Close – will begin this month and finish next April.
Cllr Kevin Clarke, the leader of the Nottingham Independents and Independent Group who represents the tenants’ ward, said: “It has been a long-time coming.
“It all looks very, very promising. I’ve been told temporary work will take place on some homes this winter, and after Christmas will take place in full.”
The social housing regulator said it uncovered almost 1,000 live cases of repairs, which had become a “significant driver of complaints”, following an inspection in October 2024.
It said problems also included gaps in checks on smoke and carbon monoxide detection measures, while tenants were not being properly involved in decisions.
The council was awarded the second-lowest standards rating possible as a result.
The regulator has been investigating all social landlords after new consumer standards came into force in April 2024.
It can award four consumer standards grades; C1, C2, C3 and C4.
C1 is the highest grade, while C4, the lowest grade, is given when there are very serious failings which the landlord must make “fundamental changes so that improved outcomes are delivered”.
The council has been given a C3 rating.
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “Between now and April, we plan to carry out remediation works to properties in Eddleston Court, Fairisle Close and Lerwick Close.
“We have engaged an architect to draw up plans for a permanent solution to fully address the issues with these properties; we anticipate that works to deliver this will start in April next year.
“The works will be funded through the Housing Revenue Account and potentially also by funding allocated by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Wave 3 scheme.
“Residents will receive a letter telling them about the remedial works and then be fully consulted with regard to further details once we have a detailed programme with costings in place.”
The council now manages its housing services itself, after it brought its housing services back under its control in April 2023 from arms-length management organisation Nottingham City Homes.
It says it is currently in the process of undertaking a full condition survey of all 25,000 council homes, and a dedicated team to address problems with damp and mould and clear the repairs backlog is also being set up.
