Why we are engaging with Midlothian Council (Midlothian)
We are engaging with Midlothian about its services for people who are homeless, service quality and tenant and resident safety.
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 Midlothian in particular about the following areas:
- how people access the homelessness services provided by Midlothian;
- the provision of temporary accommodation by Midlothian to people who are homeless; and
- outcomes for people who are homeless.
A significant number of Midlothian’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. Midlothian is progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports in all of its tenants’ homes. Midlothian has told us that it will complete this work by October 2025.
We are engaging with Midlothian 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 Midlothian about complaints, repairs and rent arrears.
What Midlothian must do
Midlothian must:
- send us the information we require in relation to its homelessness service;
- tell us about any emerging issues preventing it from fulfilling its statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation when it should and comply with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- complete the outstanding electrical safety work as quickly as possible and by no later than October 2025;
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety requirements; and
- review its performance for complaints, repairs and rent arrears and consider what improvement action it needs to take.
What we will do
We will:
- review the information Midlothian provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with Midlothian by 31 July 2025 to discuss its homelessness service and engage as necessary;
- meet with Midlothian to seek assurance if it does not provide temporary accommodation when it should, or if it breaches the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- review Midlothian’s progress with its plan to achieve and maintain compliance with electrical safety requirements and engage as necessary;
- review Midlothian’s service quality performance as part of our 2025/26 risk assessment; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with Midlothian.
Regulatory Returns
Midlothian 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.