A 22,000-home housing association has regained the regulator’s top grade for governance and resolved issues that led to it breaching the agency’s Rent Standard.
Bradford-based Incommunities was upgraded to G1 from G2 late last week as the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) said it was satisfied that the landlord had made “necessary improvements”.
The group was downgraded to G2 in October 2020 after the RSH found that two of its subsidiaries had made “incorrect certifications about their rules to lenders”.
The landlord, which operates across Yorkshire, was kept at G2 by the RSH earlier this year, but retained its V1.
However in its latest findings, the regulator said: “Incommunities has strengthened its governance arrangements, which together with changes in leadership has improved its oversight of risks and quality of decision-making.”
Rachael Dennis, a former Taylor Wimpey executive and finance director at Catalyst, took over as Incommunties’ chief executive in 2021 after the long-serving Geraldine Howley retired.
In July 2022, Incommunities was also found to have breached the Rent Standard after it set rents incorrectly for hundreds of its tenants.
However, the regulator’s new judgement said it was satisfied that Incommunities had “addressed the issues”.
The RSH said: “As well as correcting errors and ensuring any overcharges of rent are refunded, Incommunities has gained assurance more widely that it has robust arrangements in place to avoid recurrence.
“Incommunities’ board has increased oversight in this area and plans are in place for periodic assurance that rent-setting controls are effective.”
Ms Dennis said: “We’re really pleased that the regulator has recognised the progress that has been made, and that robust governance is now in place.
“We’ve not only corrected past issues but also put stronger measures in place to prevent them in the future.
“Our G1 grading is a testament to the hard work of both our colleagues and our board, and we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for their dedication in making this happen.”
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