RSH issues first consumer ratings to three councils in latest round of regulatory judgements
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has issued first consumer ratings to three councils and downgraded the governance rating of a Cornish housing association in its latest round of regulatory judgements.
RSH issues first consumer ratings to three councils in latest round of regulatory judgements #UKhousingBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in Dorset received a consumer grading of C1 following an inspection by the RSH.
St Albans City and District Council in Hertfordshire and the City of Wolverhampton Council in the West Midlands both received C2 gradings, meaning there are “some weaknesses” in their delivery of the outcomes of the consumer standards, the regulator said.
The City of Wolverhampton Council needs to improve data on its homes, and while its repairs service meets requirements, it needs to improve its communication with tenants, including on repairs timescales.
As for St Albans, the RSH found that while it has a good understanding of its homes and the vast majority meet the Decent Homes Standard, there were some weaknesses in its oversight and reporting of remedial actions from health and safety checks.
It also needs to make improvements in meeting its target in relation to the timely completion of routine repairs.
Ocean Housing Group, a 4,800-home landlord based in St Austell, Cornwall, saw its governance rating downgraded one notch from a G1 to G2, which is still compliant.
According to the RSH, the provider needs to improve its oversight and management of strategic risks associated with its subsidiary, developer Gilbert and Goode.
The RSH said the landlord also had not ensured an effective approach to procurement, contract management and budgetary control in relation to its repairs service. Weaknesses in procurement of works and contract monitoring resulted in “unknown overspends” against its repairs budget.
Jitinder Takhar, chief executive of Ocean Housing said: "Whilst clearly disappointing, we accept the Regulator of Social Housing’s decision to revise our governance rating and are committed to regaining G1.
The RSH said that while the landlord has the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of adverse scenarios, it needs to manage “material risks to its viability” to ensure continued compliance.
RSH also published stability check outcomes for five other landlords, all of which retained their current governance and viability gradings. These were Broadacres Housing Association, Gloucester City Homes, Places for People, Plus Dane Housing and Sovereign Network Group.
Kate Dodsworth, chief of regulatory engagement at the RSH, said: “While it is encouraging to see more landlords achieve C1 gradings as our regulation drives improvements across the sector, there is nevertheless no room for complacency – even for those landlords that receive the highest grades. We will continue to root out issues through our inspections, stability checks and other regulatory tools.
“Social landlords are facing intensifying risks so good governance remains more important than ever. Weaknesses in governance can undermine a landlord’s ability to maintain financial viability or to provide good homes and services to tenants.
“We will continue to engage constructively with these landlords where there are issues to ensure things are put right promptly.”
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