Why we are engaging with Moray Council (Moray)
We are engaging with Moray about its services for people who are homeless 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 Moray in particular about its assessment of homelessness applications.
Moray does not fully comply with electrical safety requirements which came into force in early 2022 and form part of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Moray is progressing inspections to provide Electrical Installation Condition Reports in all of its tenants’ homes.
We are engaging with Moray to monitor its progress in completing this outstanding work as quickly as possible and maintaining future compliance.
What Moray must do
Moray 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;
- by 30 April 2025, send us a plan for how it will complete the outstanding electrical work, including timescales, and how it will maintain future compliance; and
- send us monthly updates on progress on achieving compliance with electrical safety requirements.
What we will do
We will:
- review the information Moray provides about its homelessness service;
- meet with Moray by 31 July 2025 to discuss its homelessness service and engage as necessary;
- meet with Moray to seek assurance if it does not provide temporary accommodation when it should, or if it breaches the Unsuitable Accommodation Order;
- review Moray’s progress with its plan to achieve and maintain compliance with electrical safety requirements and engage as necessary; and
- update our published engagement plan in the light of any material change to our planned engagement with Moray.
Regulatory Returns
Moray 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.