In a new report to be considered by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee later this month, the council has outlined a new approach to managing and investing in its council homes and estates, aimed at delivering the improvements residents need and deserve.
At the heart of the document is the proposed adoption of Lambeth’s Asset Management Framework (AMF) 2025–2030—a data-led approach to protecting residents’ safety, investing in homes, and making the best use of tenants’ rents. The council has produced a data led programme of investment, informed by detailed stock condition surveys – delivering on a key commitment set out in Lambeth’s Housing Strategy.
The AMF, using the results of the council’s stock condition surveys, has identified that over £3.4 billion of investment would be required over the next 30 years to make all homes modern, warm and closer to Lambeth’s net zero ambitions. This level of funding is unaffordable under the current policy arrangements for councils set by the government, and the Lambeth will continue to lobby the government to bring forward a new Green and Decent Homes programme to deliver the level of investment needed.
Lambeth Council is the second largest local authority landlord in London with 23,600 socially rented homes, as well as 10,000 leasehold properties. The council is committed to ensuring all residents live in homes that are safe, secure, and of high quality.
The council’s Housing Revenue Account is under mounting pressure due to years of underfunding through a combination of rent freezes and caps imposed by previous governments and the introduction of extra regulatory requirements with no additional funding.
Word from the Cabinet
Cllr Danny Adilypour, Deputy Leader of Lambeth Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, Investment and New Homes said:
“The most important duty as a local authority landlord is to ensure the safety of residents, something the government’s own regulator acknowledged we are already doing to a high standard.
“We will continue to prioritise residents’ safety, investing £20 million over the next four years, including new fire doors and communal gas safety upgrades.”
The report outlines a phased programme of disposals to release more funds to invest into homes. The focus is on under-performing assets, such as garages and long-term untenanted (void) properties that are no longer cost-effective to refurbish. This means that were the council to invest in bringing these properties up to a lettable standard, the costs of the improvements would be far greater than the amount the council would ever receive in rents. Effectively, other tenants’ rent would be used to subsidise costly assets that are not delivering value.
Each proposed disposal site will be rigorously assessed and where there is a proposal to dispose of an amenity such as a garage, impacted residents will be consulted first.
The sale of these properties will be used to generate income that will enable the council to invest in current and future housing stock and reduce borrowing. Cllr Adilypour explained:
“We are committed to making the best use of tenants’ rents and ensuring that our assets do not become a financial burden.
“Where we have land or older properties that cost too much to develop or refurbish, we will use those assets to generate income that enables us to invest in more decent homes, support building new ones and reduce borrowing so more money goes into housing, not interest payments.”
Lambeth remains committed to investing in decent, modern homes but Cllr Adilypour stressed the need to “face the reality of the financial challenges in social housing. This framework gives us the tools to make sound, evidence-based decisions so we can protect and improve homes for the long term.
“If we fail to make these decisions now, we risk worsening our financial position, which could lead to the need for even more drastic measures.”
The proposed approach aligns with Lambeth’s Empty Homes and Voids Action Plan, speeding up the process of bringing empty homes back into use.
The Asset Management Framework 2030 builds on this work by targeting limited resources where they are most needed, guided by robust data. Lambeth will continue to lobby the government to deliver the investment required to help councils modernise social housing at scale.
Notes
The CMDDR seeks approval for three key decisions, to be implemented from 8 August 2025:
- Adoption of the Housing Asset Management Framework 2025–2030 – establishing a clear, transparent strategy for investment and maintenance over the next five years
- Adoption of a new policy and process for the Disposal of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Assets – aligned with the AMF’s strategic decision-making principles
- Approval of the proposed tranche of housing-related asset disposals – including non-residential sites that don’t represent good value for money such as garages and vacant land subject to resident consultation where required
