[MargaretR]

They know that many people are desperate for a roof over their heads and will accept anything.

When I accepted tenancy of this flat (councii owned, before HH took over) -
1 -Three of the hardboard doors were damaged (holes and deep scratches)
2 -The prev tenant had hacked a chunk off the edge of a kitchen work surface.
3 - there was a 3" round hole in a plasterboard wall
4 - the grotty worn and stained/stinking carpets were still in.
5 - kitchen cupboard doors had peeling melamine exposing woodchip.
6 - I got flea bites when attempting to remove carpets.

I was desperate to move and so accepted the tenancy.
Some the faults were corrected after I moved in, but I had to postpone moving until after fumigation (still paid rent for that time). The kitchen cupboard doors were replaced at MY expense.

Since HH took over, standards have improved a little due to the statutory obligation of housing associations to ensure that property meets set standards before re-letting.

If a paint job and a deep clean are all that is needed, you are lucky.
I had decoration done by HH as part of a disabled bathroom refurb. An apprentice made a slap happy job of it - I could have done better myself.