The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has published six regulatory judgements, highlighting serious concerns with Basildon Borough Council, which has been assigned a C4 grading following an inspection. This grading reflects significant failings in the council’s management of tenant services and compliance with safety standards.

Basildon Borough Council receives C4 grading

Basildon Borough Council was found to have very serious shortcomings in several key areas. The RSH identified poor data assurance relating to legal health and safety requirements, with inadequate recording and timely action on remedial measures. Furthermore, the council lacked accurate information on the quality of tenants’ homes, particularly concerning the monitoring of potential hazards.

Engagement with tenants was also deemed seriously deficient. The council failed to provide meaningful opportunities for tenants to scrutinise landlord services, policies, and strategies. Additionally, there was insufficient assurance of repairs performance and ineffective oversight of contractors responsible for maintenance.

Issues were also noted in the council’s Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) reporting, with no evidence of analysis, learning, or actions taken to improve services based on tenant feedback. Notably, Basildon Council did not self-refer to the RSH following an external review in March 2025 that identified failures to deliver a range of consumer standard outcomes. The regulator described this lack of self-referral as a very serious failing, given the scale and severity of the issues uncovered.

Regulator’s response and next steps

Basildon Council is now required to make fundamental changes to improve outcomes for tenants. While the council has engaged constructively with the RSH, it must develop a comprehensive understanding of current risks and the root causes of its failings. This understanding is essential to formulate an effective improvement plan and drive the necessary changes.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, emphasised the importance of landlords self-referring when problems arise, stating: “We are working intensively with Basildon Council to make sure it understands the risks to tenants and takes prompt action to put things right – prioritising the highest risk issues.” She added, “This case reinforces the importance of landlords self-referring to us when they find problems – either themselves or through external reviews. This is a fundamental requirement of our consumer standards. By flagging issues to us at an early stage, landlords can solve them more quickly and, in doing so, protect tenants and improve services.”

Other regulatory judgements published

Alongside Basildon Borough Council’s judgement, the RSH published five other regulatory outcomes. Worthing Homes was downgraded from G1 to G2 due to governance concerns, including the reliability and completeness of information held, although it continues to meet overall governance and financial viability requirements. It also received C2 and V2 gradings.

One Vision Housing Limited was similarly downgraded from G1 to G2. While it meets governance requirements overall, improvements are needed in board reporting and stress testing to enhance oversight of tenant safety and quality outcomes. It retained C1 and V1 grades.

Norwich City Council received a C1 grading, indicating compliance with consumer standards. The council demonstrated accurate knowledge of tenants’ homes, proactive health and safety compliance, effective repairs services, and strong tenant engagement that influences service delivery.

Torus62 Limited was upgraded from C2 to C1 after delivering an improvement plan that strengthened health and safety oversight and repairs service assurance. Its governance and viability grades remain at G1 and V1.

Incommunities Limited was awarded G1, V2, and C2 grades. It meets governance and financial viability requirements but has some weaknesses in consumer standards delivery that it is working to address.

Additionally, YMCA Thames Gateway was added to the RSH’s gradings under review list as investigations continue into potential serious failings concerning governance, financial viability, and consumer standards.

Context and implications for landlords

The RSH’s recent judgements underscore the regulator’s strengthened role following the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, which introduced new consumer standards and enhanced powers to hold landlords accountable. These changes aim to drive long-term improvements in social housing by ensuring landlords maintain robust governance, financial viability, and tenant-focused services.

For landlords and agents, the Basildon case highlights the critical importance of rigorous health and safety compliance, transparent tenant engagement, and prompt self-reporting of issues to the regulator. Early identification and resolution of problems can prevent escalation and protect tenant welfare, while supporting continuous service improvement.

Source: Based on reporting from the Regulator of Social Housing

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