The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has published the outcome of our recent inspection.
RSH is the body responsible for overseeing registered social housing providers. It rates providers based on their governance, financial viability and compliance with consumer standards.
Our rating following our recent inspection is G2, V2, C2. This means that we remain compliant with the regulator’s standards and the judgement recognises our strengths and the progress we have made in core areas of service delivery. The regulator has also removed the Regulatory Notice which it issued in 2021, recognising the improvements we have made to building safety.
Our Chief Executive, Ruth Cooke said: “We are thankful for the opportunity to work with the Regulator of Social Housing during our inspection. We remain compliant with the regulator’s standards and the judgement recognises our strengths and the progress we have made in core areas of service delivery.
“We are pleased that the regulator has removed the outstanding Regulatory Notice in recognition of the progress we have made in improving the safety of our homes.
“While we are disappointed to have our governance rating downgraded to G2, we fully accept the regulator’s findings and recommendations and recognise we still have work to do to realise the ambitions set out in our 2023-28 strategy and, most importantly, to continue to improve outcomes for our customers.
“As the regulator confirms in its judgement, we already have plans in place for many of the areas identified for improvement. We are committed to taking forward the recommendations and we will work closely with the regulator to demonstrate our progress.”
Here is a breakdown of each rating within the judgement and our approach:
Our governance rating has been downgraded from G1 to G2. While we are disappointed to be downgraded from the top governance rating, G2 is still a compliant rating. It recognises we meet the regulator’s governance requirements with some areas for improvement. The regulator recognised the progress made under our Simpler, Stronger, Better strategy and noted that our Board is engaged and responsive at a strategic level. It found some areas for improvement in operational oversight and risk management, and this links to the work we know we need to do to improve our customer services, as well as systems and data. We are already working hard to improve our data and implement systems to drive process improvements, and we will continue this important work in the coming months.
We retained a V2 rating for financial viability, which confirms we meet the regulator’s requirements. The judgement notes our business plan is well-funded, and we have good access to funds and are compliant with the rules set by our lenders to ensure we are financially healthy. Increased investment in our existing homes has put pressure on our finances as we anticipated. We’re confident in our financial strategy, and we’ll continue to monitor performance closely.
We received a C2 grading for consumer standards, the first time we have had a C rating since the regulator introduced this in 2024. A C2 rating means we are compliant, with some areas for improvement in how we’re delivering services to customers.
The regulator acknowledged the progress we have made in delivering fire safety improvements across our properties and the significant reduction in the number of outstanding fire actions, noting we are on target to have the remaining overdue actions completed by April 2026.
Our repairs service is improving, with quicker turnaround times, however we have some more work to do on managing our backlog of repairs, which will be important as we move into the winter months.
On the condition of our homes, the regulator praised our strong understanding of our homes through regular surveys and said we’re proactively tackling issues like damp and mould - though we need to strengthen how we report and oversee this work.
The regulator also said that we treat customers with fairness and respect, and that our Customer Panel is active, recognising we need to continue to demonstrate how customer feedback is shaping our services.
Meanwhile, though our complaints handling is improving, as evidenced from the positive feedback we received from the Housing Ombudsman recently, the volume of complaints shows we must continue our focus on delivering better outcomes.
Reaching the mid-point of our Simpler, Stronger, Better strategy is a good opportunity to reflect on our progress. This inspection has given us validation that we have the right strategy in place and have made significant strides forward in becoming a great social landlord. The judgement also confirms there is more to do, and we are committed to continuing our work to improve outcomes for our customers.
You can read a full copy of the regulatory judgement following our inspection here.