RSH hands council C3 grade and downgrades three HAs to G2

Comments from the landlords

Harlow Council – C3

Dan Swords, leader of Harlow Council, said: “This historic issue has not been dealt with well or quickly enough by the council. For several years, we have not carried out enough fire risk assessments and that is why this moment will be a very clear turning point.

“We are already working closely with the regulator to make specific improvements against these new requirements, and we are making rapid progress to that effect.

“We will also bring forward an action plan which will be considered by the cabinet at the very first opportunity to ensure we are taking every step necessary to right this historic failure.

“I am absolutely confident that as a result of the actions we have already put in place and those which are to be considered by the cabinet, we will resolve this issue and at the next round of review, the council will not be in a C3 position.”

Mr Swords added: “All Harlow Council tenants should know that the whole cabinet and I take this matter extremely seriously. That’s why one of our corporate missions is to transform Harlow’s housing and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure we deliver on that mission.

“This action comes on top of many others we are already taking to transform our council housing, including the 100 per cent specialist stock condition survey of all our properties, the fact we have cleared the backlog in repairs, which are now at the lowest level in well over a decade, introduced proactive tenancy audit inspections of council properties, totally overhauled the way we deal with damp and mould, and reformed the way we allocate council housing to name just a few.”

Bolton at Home – G2/V2/C2

Noel Sharpe, group chief executive of Bolton at Home, said: “Following a routine, periodic inspection by the regulator, we remain compliant with all regulatory standards.

“To retain our compliant V2 grading in challenging economic conditions for the housing sector, and at a time when we’re investing significantly more into improving homes, this demonstrates our commitment to being a financially secure organisation that is always working to provide customers with value for money. 

“We recognise the need to make improvements in specific areas and understand the reasons for the change to our governance grading to a compliant G2 grading. We’re already working to improve aspects of our governance arrangements with a view to getting back to the highest grading as quickly as possible.”

Ms Sharpe added: “Our compliant C2 grading for the new consumer standard means we have other improvements to make. However, the regulator was complimentary about many aspects of our service and recognises our ongoing work to improve customer experience.

“We want to reassure our customers that this judgement does not affect the services they can expect from us, and our day-to-day operations continue as normal.”

Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association – G2/V2

Mervyn Jones, chair of ISHA, said: “ISHA was deeply saddened to discover it was the victim of collusive fraud between some of its staff and a contractor.

“Notoriously difficult to spot, this fraud showed a weakness in our management of bulk refuse, which we have now addressed. We are confident that the additional controls we have put in place have been effective and we will continue to review and refine them.

“We look forward to demonstrating as soon as possible that we meet the highest standards of governance, and stewardship of the assets we hold in trust for the communities we serve. A forensic examination of service charges has determined there was minimal impact to a limited number of our residents and we are refunding relevant costs in full.”

Great Places Housing Group – G1/V2/C2

Alison Dean, chief executive of Great Places, said: “We are pleased to retain our G1/V2 gradings, which are important to our continued growth and for delivering great services to our customers.

“Preparing for the new approach to consumer regulation has given us the opportunity to reflect on where we can make improvements. We have already taken steps towards this by including planned improvements in our recently launched three-year corporate plan named Here For Our Customers and we were able to share our plans with the regulator during the inspection process.

“I would like to thank the regulator for working with us and I look forward to working with our board, leadership team and talented colleagues, to make these changes with the involvement and for the benefit of, our customers.”

Mosscare St Vincent’s – G1/V2/C2

Charlie Norman, chief executive of Mosscare St Vincent’s (MSV), said in a statement on the landlord’s website: “The inspection process including new consumer standards is so important in ensuring quality homes and respectful services for social housing customers.   

“We very much welcomed working with the inspection team and the positive feedback we received on customer safety, governance, financial viability, customer voice and meeting so many of the expectations set out within the new consumer standards. It is important to continue to focus on this.  

 “We are also focused on achieving the targets required with our stock condition survey programme, and we recognise that sound data-driven decision-making is vital. We currently hold first-hand stock condition data for 92 per cent of our customers’ homes within the last six years, 65 per cent of this within the last two years. We are confident we will meet the targets in place with our planned programme of inspections.”  

Ms Norman added: “MSV is investing significantly in customers’ homes, with almost £70m set to be spent over the next five years on improvements and decarbonisation work. This is the right thing to do as we look to provide even higher-quality, warmer and more affordable homes for customers. 

“We are pleased to have retained the G1 and V2 gradings which demonstrate compliant governance and financial stability, and we will continue to work with our customers to design and provide truly inclusive services that meet all regulatory expectations, including the consumer standards.” 

Rooftop Housing Group – G1/V2/C2

Boris Worrall, group chief executive of Rooftop Housing Group, said: “We are pleased that following a recent inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing, we have retained the top rating of G1 for governance, and the compliant financial rating of V2 for viability.

“A compliant C2 rating under the new consumer standards has identified areas for improvement, which we are committed to addressing. 

“In particular, we will continue to focus on reducing waiting times for repairs and improving complaint-handling. We also look forward to developing the work we are doing to expand the opportunities for our customers to influence how we deliver services.”

Saxon Weald – G1/V2/C2

Steven Dennis, chief executive of Saxon Weald, said: “We are pleased with our regulatory judgement, which reflects our effective governance, sound financial management and customer-focused approach.

“We acknowledge that we have areas for improvement and have solid plans in place to address these. In many cases, we have made good progress in the short time since our inspection was completed. We look forward to continued engagement with the regulator and aspire to achieving C1 levels of assurance in the near future.”

Havebury Housing Partnership – G1/V2/C1

Andrew Smith, chief executive of Havebury Housing Partnership, said: “We’re delighted that the Regulator of Social Housing has recognised the strength of our governance and financial performance, with our continued investment in our existing homes and our ambitious programme to deliver around 210 new homes a year.

“It also recognised how we engage with our residents, understand their needs, and work with them when things go wrong to put things right and learn.”

Calico Homes – G2/V2/C2

Anthony Duerden, chief executive at Calico, said: “We are reassured that we remain compliant with regards to our governance, and that we already had robust plans in place for all the issues raised.

“While we are disappointed to be rated as G2, we recognise that there is clearly still work to do in providing all the reassurance the regulator seeks for us to be a G1 organisation, particularly around our wider group services, how this best meets the needs of our customers and operating environment, and the continued investment in the quality of our properties.

“In coming months, we are confident that we will demonstrate that we are well led, responding effectively to challenging local needs through close partnership working, and, in doing so, delivering the right outcomes for our customers and communities.

“We also recognise improvements are still needed to our services and we consider C2 is a fair outcome. It reflects the hard work our teams have made in readiness for the recent introduction of the consumer standards, and their continuing focus on the quality of service we provide to our customers at such a challenging time.”