Kinsman Housing Limited has been found guilty by the Regulator of Social Housing of breaching the Home Standard, which includes requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order to assess and take precautions to the risk of fire.

A third party informed the Regulator that Kinsman had not adequately responded to potential issues with the structural safety of a number of its homes, along with concerns about the safety of gas, fire and electrical installations.

A survey carried out in December 2018 identified some serious and wide-ranging defects and repair issues, leading to major concerns in relation to fire safety.

Although a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) for the building (dated January 2018) concluded that the risk was at a tolerable level, there were a number of follow up actions necessary to ensure the property and its tenants were safe, demonstrating how slow Kinsman was to act.

Taking into account the seriousness of the issues, and the duration for which tenants were potentially exposed to risk, Kinsman was found to be in breach of the Home standard.

It was also decided that there was a risk of serious detriment to tenants during this period.

A programme of works with the regulator and Kinsman is being carried out to rectify failures before a decision is made on whether to take further action.

Original Source
Regulator of Social Housing