A council that is often outspoken in its criticism of rogue private landlords has been slammed for literally thousands of health and safety failings on its social housing.

The Regulator of Social Housing has concluded that the London Borough of Camden has breached standards with over 9,000 fire safety actions overdue in social homes owned by the authority.

The regulator also found that over 9,000 homes do not have a smoke alarm installed and around 4,000 homes do not have a carbon monoxide detector fitted.

A statement from the regulator says: “The evidence demonstrates a failure by the Council to complete all fire safety actions in a timely manner and to mitigate the risks to tenants in the meantime.

“The regulator expects the Council to take urgent action to address these failings. The council is now engaging with the regulator as it works to return to compliance.”

And Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, says: “Through our investigation, we found that Camden Council has failed to address thousands of fire safety actions in its tenants’ homes. 

“This is unacceptable and has put tenants at potential risk of harm. The Council needs to act urgently to put things right, and we will scrutinise it closely as it does this.

“Our findings send a clear message to all social landlords that meeting health and safety requirements is of paramount importance. Tenants deserve to live in safe and decent homes, and we will take action when landlords breach our standards.”