Lewisham's council tenants rate their landlord below the London median on all 12 measures. 1,804 homes fail the decency standard and 2,110 damp cases are open.
Only 52% of Lewisham Council’s tenants are satisfied with the service they get from their landlord. That is ten points below the London median, and the council trails its London peers on every one of the 12 satisfaction measures the housing regulator requires.
The figures are in the council’s own Housing Performance Overview for 2025-26, which goes to Mayor and Cabinet on Wednesday 7 October (Lewisham Council, report to Mayor and Cabinet). The council compares itself with other London council and ALMO landlords through the benchmarking club Housemark.
The council is the landlord for 12,305 tenanted homes and about 5,400 leasehold homes. Another 1,223 tenanted homes in Brockley and Ladywell wards are run under a private finance deal that ends in June 2027, and 392 are run by two tenant management organisations. The satisfaction figures cover all of them.
What tenants told the council
The scores come from the council’s annual survey of tenants, with the London median beside each one:
| Tenants satisfied that… | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | London median |
|---|---|---|---|
| the overall service is good | 51% | 52% | 62% |
| the repairs service is good | 58% | 60% | 66% |
| their last repair was done quickly | 53% | 54% | 64% |
| their home is well maintained | 51% | 53% | 65% |
| their home is safe | 61% | 61% | 71% |
| the council listens and acts | 44% | 43% | 54% |
| the council keeps them informed | 66% | 69% | 70% |
| the council treats them fairly and with respect | 62% | 60% | 72% |
| complaints are handled well | 26% | 26% | 28% |
| communal areas are clean and kept up | 61% | 62% | 63% |
| the council improves the neighbourhood | 57% | 62% | 66% |
| anti-social behaviour is handled well | 56% | 55% | 60% |
The report says most of the year-on-year changes are too small to be statistically significant. The one real improvement is the neighbourhood score, up from 57% to 62%. Women were generally less satisfied than men, and tenants aged 25 to 44 less satisfied than older tenants.
Repairs: emergencies on time, routine jobs not
- Emergency repairs: 96% were done on time, up from 93% and above the London median of 95%.
- Routine repairs: 66% were done on time, down from 69% and well below the London median of 86%.
- The backlog: 4,840 repair jobs were open in March 2026, down from 8,359 a year earlier.
- Disrepair cases: 886 were active at the end of the year, down from 1,029.
- Empty homes: 305 were relet, but the average turnaround rose from 80 days to 142 days. The report blames a number of complex major voids.
Damp, mould and hazards
Awaab’s Law came into force in October 2025. It sets deadlines for social landlords to deal with damp, mould and emergency hazards. The report says:
- 2,110 damp and mould cases were open at the end of March 2026, 426 fewer than a year earlier, though new cases were rising month by month
- 45 Category 1 hazards were outstanding, the most serious class under the housing health and safety rating system
- 1,126 Category 2 hazards were outstanding
Homes that fail the decency standard
1,804 homes, or 15.1%, do not meet the Decent Homes Standard. That is down from 17.4% a year earlier, but above the council’s own target of 10% by March 2026 and the London median of 9%. Most fail because key parts of the building, such as kitchens, windows or roofs, have reached the end of their life.
The council says the figure had dropped to about 12% in January 2026 before delays to major works pushed it back up. About 14% of homes could not be surveyed because the council could not get in.
Fire safety and the regulator
The council referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing in December 2023 over non-decent homes, overdue fire safety work and the repairs backlog. The regulator served a regulatory notice in March 2024, and the council has reported to it monthly since.
Overdue fire safety actions fell from over 5,000 to 2,248 by March 2025, then stalled. They ended March 2026 at 2,466. The report says none of the overdue actions were in the most urgent category.
Complaints are answered faster
The council answered 71% of first-stage complaints on time, up from 34% the year before. The London median is 74%. Tenants still rate complaint handling lowest of all the measures, at 26%.
Where the money went
The council spent £40.7 million improving existing homes in 2025-26 and £9.4 million on new homes. The work included:
- 399 new boilers
- 369 new windows
- 192 new kitchens
- 135 new bathrooms
- 107 replacement block and communal doors
- 65 new roofs
More than £60 million was allocated. The report says new Building Safety Act requirements slowed work on high-rise blocks.
What it means for you
- If you are a council tenant waiting for a routine repair, you are not alone: a third of routine jobs were late last year. Chase it through the council’s repairs page.
- If you have damp or mould, report it. Awaab’s Law now sets legal deadlines for the council to investigate and fix serious cases, and the council’s repairs page explains what it must do.
- If a complaint goes nowhere, you can take it to the Housing Ombudsman once the council’s complaints process is finished.
- The report is for noting only. Mayor and Cabinet will not make a decision on it. The meeting is at 6pm on Wednesday 7 October at the Civic Suite, Lewisham Town Hall, Catford (meeting papers).
Paying council tax rather than rent? Our Lewisham council tax bands page has this year’s charges.
Sources
- Lewisham Council, Lewisham Council Housing Performance Overview 2025-26, report to Mayor and Cabinet, 7 October 2026 (Tenant Satisfaction Measures in Appendix 1, repairs, damp and mould, decency, fire safety, investment)
- Lewisham Council, Mayor and Cabinet, 7 October 2026: agenda and papers
- Lewisham Council: council tenant repairs
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