Coastline Housing and B3Living among four landlords awarded top consumer grade

Andy Walder, chair of B3Living, said: “Our new C1 rating is particularly important to us, as delivering excellent customer experiences is core to our strategy and wider purpose.

“Achieving this rating is a testament to the efforts our teams make every day to consistently put our residents at the heart of everything we do.

“We are also absolutely delighted to have maintained our G1 and V1 ratings. It means we can celebrate being in a strong position to continue to build better futures for the people and communities we serve in the years to come.”

Francesca Rhodes, chair of Coastline Housing, said: “We are very proud of this result and what it means for our customers, colleagues and communities.

"Achieving this rating is testament to the hard work of our teams here and of our customers who have a real voice in shaping our services and giving us feedback, which is invaluable to the way we operate.”

Karbon Homes received a C2 grade under the consumer standards, but was awarded top marks for governance and financial viability.

In comparison to a C1 grade, a C2 means there are some weaknesses in the landlord’s delivery of the outcomes under the consumer standards and improvements are needed.

The results come after last week’s quarterly survey of landlords’ financial health by the RSH found that housing providers are spending heavily on existing stock but investment in new homes has fallen.

In total, the regulator published judgements for 10 landlords following planning inspections.

Bournemouth Churches Housing Association, Habinteg Housing Association, PA Housing and Railway Housing Association each received G1, V2, C2 gradings.

A V2 financial viability grade means the landlord meets the regulator’s requirements, but needs to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance.

Southend-on-Sea City Council was issued a C3 rating after the RSH found “serious failings” in the health and safety of its homes.

Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at the RSH, said: “It is crucial that social landlords have accurate, up-to-date data about tenants’ homes. They must use this information to identify issues and put things right promptly when needed.  

“Social landlords must ensure they are well run, financially viable and provide good-quality homes and services for tenants. We will continue to use a range of tools, including our inspections, to support a sector that builds more and better homes for people who need them.”

This is the latest batch of judgements since a council in Surrey was issued a C4 consumer grade by the RSH last week for “very serious failings”, including not having evidence it was working to deter and tackle hate incidents in the area.