Why we are engaging with Aberdeen City Council (Aberdeen City)
We are engaging with Aberdeen City about its services for people who are homeless, its site(s) for Gypsy/Travellers, service quality, stock quality and tenant and resident safety.
The context in which local authorities are delivering services to people who are experiencing homelessness has become increasingly challenging in the last few years. In our December 2023 update to our thematic report on homelessness services in Scotland we set out that there is a heightened risk of systemic failure in the delivery of some local authorities’ services to people experiencing homelessness. By this we mean that there is a risk that the demands on some local authorities could shortly exceed their capacity to respond. This is the case at Aberdeen City. We will continue to monitor, assess and report on Aberdeen City’s performance in discharging its duties to people who are homeless.
During 2024/25, we reviewed and compared the data for all local authorities from the Scottish Government’s national homelessness statistics. We also spoke to all local authorities to gather further information and assurance about their homelessness services. To assess the risks to people who are threatened with or experiencing homelessness we will engage with all local authorities during 2025/26 with a focus on the provision of appropriate temporary accommodation.
We will engage with Aberdeen City in particular about its provision of temporary accommodation to people who are homeless.
All social landlords who provide Gypsy/Travellers sites must ensure their site(s) meet the Scottish Government’s Minimum Site Standards and all standards and outcomes in the Scottish Social Housing Charter. To gather further information and assurance, we will speak to all site providers during 2025/26 to discuss the management of their site(s).
Aberdeen City has identified reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in some of its homes, and Aberdeen City told us it has a plan in place to manage any associated risks. We are seeking assurance that Aberdeen City is progressing with this plan and that it has a plan to complete any remedial work that is required.
A significant number of Aberdeen City’s tenants’ homes do not fully comply with electrical safety requirements, which came into force in early 2022 and form part of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Aberdeen City is progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports in all of its tenants’ homes.
We are engaging with Aberdeen City to monitor its progress in completing this outstanding work as quickly as possible and maintaining future compliance.
To assess the risk to social landlords we have reviewed and compared the 2023/24 service quality performance of all social landlords to identify the weakest performing landlords. We will therefore engage with Aberdeen City about tenant satisfaction, void management, rent arrears and tenancy sustainment.
What Aberdeen City must do
Aberdeen City must:
- send us the information we require in relation to its homelessness service;
- continue best efforts to meet its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and to comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- keep us updated on its capacity to meet its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and to comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- send us the information we require in relation to the management of its Gypsy/Traveller site(s);
- keep us updated on how it is managing the risks associated with RAAC and its plans to complete any remedial work required;
- complete the outstanding electrical safety work as quickly as possible;
- by 30 April 2025, send us a plan for how it will complete the outstanding electrical safety work, including timescales, and how it will maintain future compliance;
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety requirements; and
- send us the information we require about the actions it is taking to improve its performance on tenant satisfaction, void management, rent arrears and tenancy sustainment.
What we will do
We will:
- review the information Aberdeen City provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with Aberdeen City on a quarterly basis to discuss its homelessness service and engage as necessary;
- meet with Aberdeen City to seek assurance about its best efforts to provide suitable temporary accommodation;
- meet with Aberdeen City to discuss the management of its Gypsy/Traveller site(s);
- review the updates Aberdeen City provides about RAAC in its homes and engage as necessary;
- review Aberdeen City’s progress with its plan to achieve and maintain compliance with electrical safety requirements and engage as necessary;
- review the information that Aberdeen City provides about its work to improve its service quality performance and engage as necessary; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with Aberdeen City.
Regulatory Returns
Aberdeen City must provide us with the following annual regulatory returns:
- Annual Assurance Statement; and
- Annual Return on the Charter.
It should also notify us of any material changes to its Annual Assurance Statement, and any tenant and resident safety matter which has been reported to or is being investigated by the Health and Safety Executive or reports from regulatory or statutory authorities or insurance providers, relating to safety concerns.