The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has published six regulatory judgements, including a serious C4 grading for Basildon Borough Council. This follows an inspection revealing significant failings in the council’s management of tenant services and compliance with safety standards.

Basildon Borough Council receives C4 grading

Basildon Borough Council has been assigned a C4 grading by the RSH after inspectors uncovered very serious shortcomings. Key issues identified include poor data assurance concerning legal health and safety requirements, with no reliable system ensuring remedial actions are recorded or completed promptly. Additionally, the council lacks accurate information on the condition of tenants’ homes, particularly regarding the monitoring of potential hazards.

The inspection also highlighted serious failings in tenant engagement. The council does not provide meaningful opportunities for tenants to scrutinise landlord services, policies, or strategies. Furthermore, there is insufficient assurance over repairs performance and inadequate oversight of contractors responsible for maintenance.

Concerns were raised about the council’s Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) reporting, with no evidence of analysis or learning from the results to improve services. Notably, Basildon Council failed to self-refer to the RSH despite an external review in March 2025 revealing it was not meeting several consumer standards. The regulator described this lack of self-referral as a very serious failing given the scale and severity of the issues.

Regulator’s response and next steps

Basildon Council must now implement fundamental changes to improve tenant outcomes. While the council has been engaging constructively with the RSH, it still needs to fully understand the risks faced by tenants and the root causes of the failings. This understanding is essential for developing an effective improvement plan and driving the necessary reforms.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, emphasised the importance of landlords self-referring when problems arise. She said: “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.”

Dodsworth 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, the RSH published judgements for five other landlords. YMCA Thames Gateway has been added to the gradings under review list as investigations continue into potential serious failings related to governance, financial viability, and consumer standards.

Worthing Homes was downgraded from G1 to G2 following an inspection. While it meets overall governance and financial viability requirements, improvements are needed in governance aspects such as data reliability and completeness. Worthing Homes also received C2 and V2 gradings.

One Vision Housing Limited was also downgraded from G1 to G2. The provider meets governance requirements overall but must improve board reporting to enhance oversight of safety and quality outcomes for tenants, alongside improvements in stress testing. It retains C1 and V1 gradings.

Norwich City Council received a C1 grading, indicating compliance with consumer standards. Inspectors found it maintains an accurate understanding of tenants’ homes, proactively complies with health and safety legislation, provides an effective repairs service, and offers extensive tenant engagement opportunities that influence service delivery.

Torus62 Limited was upgraded from C2 to C1 after delivering an improvement plan following a May 2025 inspection. The provider has strengthened oversight of health and safety compliance and assured the delivery of an effective repairs service. Its G1 and V1 grades remain unchanged.

Incommunities Limited was awarded G1, V2, and C2 grades. It meets governance and financial viability requirements but has some weaknesses in consumer standards delivery, which it is actively addressing.

Context of regulatory changes

Since 1 April 2024, the RSH has implemented new consumer standards for social housing landlords, aimed at driving long-term improvements. These changes stem from the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 and include stronger powers to hold landlords accountable. The RSH’s inspection programme and regulatory approach focus on ensuring landlords deliver safe, well-managed homes and effective tenant engagement.

What this means for landlords

The Basildon case underscores the critical importance of robust data management, tenant engagement, and timely self-reporting of issues to the regulator. Landlords must maintain accurate records of health and safety compliance and ensure tenants have meaningful opportunities to influence service delivery. Prompt self-referral to the RSH when problems arise is essential to protect tenants and avoid escalated regulatory action.

Governance and oversight of contractors and repairs services must be rigorous to meet regulatory expectations. The range of judgements published highlights that while many landlords meet standards, continuous improvement in governance and consumer outcomes remains a priority across the sector.

Source: Based on reporting from Regulator of Social Housing

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