Regulator of Social Housing issues five more social landlords with their first consumer standards gradings

The Regulator of Social Housing has assigned ‘C2’ ratings to Southern Housing and Bolsover District Council in its initial assessment of how they are meeting the new consumer standards which were introduced on 1 April this year.

A ‘C2’ grading means that the housing provider meets the consumer standards, but there are some weaknesses in how they are delivering the standards’ outcomes and that improvement is needed.

Southern Housing’s governance rating has been upgraded from G2 to G1, after it received interim grades of G2 for governance and V2 for financial viability following its merger with Optivo in December 2023.

In today’s judgement, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has given Southern a ‘C2’ grading due to issues with providing an efficient and timely repairs service and failures to meet its complaint-handling timescales.

The judgment mentioned that the issues with handling complaints are partially due to a backlog from before its merger with Optivo.

>> See also: Regulator of Social Housing issues second set of judgements from planned inspections

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The regulator also highlighted that Southern Housing has “a high proportion of high-rise blocks,” including buildings over 18 metres.

Fire risk assessments have been completed for all of these buildings. The assessments have resulted in a significant number of fire safety remedial actions, some of which are overdue, including high-risk actions.

Southern Housing stated that it is already making progress toward improving its C2 rating by expanding and centralising its complaints team, bringing repair calls in-house in London, and re-procuring two repair contracts.

In addition, repairs services for around 10,500 homes in Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire, and Hampshire will be brought in-house later this year.

Paul Hackett, chief executive of Southern Housing, said the landlords’ new board and executive team were determined to secure a G1 grading at its first regulatory inspection and are delighted with the rating.

Hackett added: “This is just the beginning of our journey and we’re resolute in pushing forward with delivering the services our residents tell us they want.

“We’ve not shied away from taking decisive action in our drive to achieve our ambitious plans, including replacing under-performing contractors.”

He also said that Southern has four resident places on its strategic board and that strong resident representation on regional panels, its resident strategy, scrutiny and co-creation groups “will ensure residents’ priorities remain at the heart of our decision-making”.

Bolsover District Council has also received a ‘C2’ grading based on how well it is meeting the consumer standards outcomes. The regulator noted that Bolsover District Council (DC) identified issues with the accuracy of its records for replacing components for around 700 homes, which prompted the local authority to report these homes as non-decent.

Bolsover DC is undertaking a full physical stock survey to update its understanding of the condition of its homes and carry out necessary improvements. Bottom of Form

The regulator’s judgement added that Bolsover DC needs to strengthen its approach to tenant engagement.

Specifically, the report noted that the council had not provided evidence of analysing complaint trends. In addition, tenants lack access to performance information for all of the council’s landlord services, which affects their ability to hold the council accountable.

Sunderland-based Gentoo, along with Weaver Vale Housing Trust and Phoenix Community Housing Association, has received a ‘C1’ rating for its performance on consumer standards.

However, the regulator has downgraded Phoenix Community Housing Association’s governance rating from G1 to G2. The inspection revealed that the 7,700-home housing association needs to enhance its internal controls in several areas and strengthen its strategic oversight of risk.

Gentoo and Weaver Vale Housing Trust’s financial viability and governance grades remain unchanged.

Gentoo’s financial viability rating stays at ‘V2’. The regulator noted that, while the 29,000-home association can handle a range of adverse scenarios, it faces financial risks from its planned spending on home improvements, energy efficiency, and new developments.

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