Two local authorities, Castle Point Borough Council and North Kesteven District Council, have recently been upgraded in their consumer regulatory judgements by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). These improvements reflect progress in addressing tenant safety and housing standards, though some challenges remain.

Upgrades for Castle Point and North Kesteven

Castle Point Borough Council, located in Essex, has been upgraded from a C4 to a C3 consumer rating. This marks a significant improvement following a previous downgrade in December 2024, when the council was found to have very serious failings in delivering consumer standards, particularly after failing to collect and report Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs).

Despite the upgrade, the council still faces serious failings and must continue to make substantial improvements. The RSH highlighted progress in tenant safety but emphasised the need for Castle Point to embed and sustain changes effectively. This includes securing the right skills and expertise, ensuring strong oversight from councillors and senior leaders, and implementing robust data management systems to improve service delivery.

North Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire has also seen an upgrade, moving from a C3 to a C2 consumer rating. This reflects the council’s improved understanding of the condition of its homes and compliance with the Decent Homes Standard, signalling better management of housing quality and tenant outcomes.

Other Notable Consumer Judgements

In addition to the local authorities, several housing associations received their first consumer gradings. The Guinness Partnership Limited achieved a C1 rating, indicating it meets consumer standards effectively, while Peabody Trust was graded C2, showing some weaknesses in delivering consumer outcomes. Both maintain their governance and financial viability ratings at G1 and V2 respectively.

City of York Council and Newlon Housing Trust were also awarded initial consumer grades of C2, with Newlon’s governance and viability ratings unchanged. Meanwhile, Portus Supported Housing Limited received an interim regulatory judgement due to recent organisational changes, with governance and financial viability graded at G3 and V3. The regulator noted serious failings in how Portus is delivering the outcomes of the Rent Standard but acknowledged ongoing engagement to address these issues.

Regulator’s Perspective on Consumer Standards

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, emphasised the importance of landlords having the capacity and skills to diagnose issues and implement credible action plans promptly. She stated, “Safety of tenants’ homes is our clear priority and where we identify serious failings, we expect landlords to act quickly to protect their tenants by prioritising the most urgent health and safety issues.”

Dodsworth also noted that fundamental changes take time to embed and that rebuilding relationships with tenants is a gradual process. However, this period offers landlords a valuable opportunity to involve tenants and secure lasting improvements in service delivery.

Context of Regulatory Changes

These judgements come as part of the RSH’s new consumer standards introduced on 1 April 2024, following the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023. The updated framework aims to drive long-term improvements in social housing by strengthening regulatory powers and increasing accountability. The RSH now conducts landlord inspections and uses a grading system to assess consumer standards, governance, and financial viability.

Local authorities receive consumer gradings only, while housing associations are assessed across all three areas. The regulator’s approach focuses on ensuring landlords deliver safe, well-managed homes and maintain effective governance and financial health.

What this means for landlords

For landlords and managing agents, these regulatory updates underscore the importance of maintaining robust systems for tenant safety, satisfaction, and housing quality. The progress seen in Castle Point and North Kesteven demonstrates that even after serious failings, improvement is achievable with targeted action and sustained commitment.

Landlords should prioritise embedding changes fully, ensuring that governance structures provide effective oversight and that staff have the necessary skills to manage compliance and tenant engagement. The regulator’s emphasis on timely, credible action plans highlights the need for proactive management to prevent serious failings and protect tenants.

Source: Based on reporting from Regulator of Social Housing

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