The Regulator of Social Housing has issued a C4 consumer grading to Gosport Borough Council
The Regulator of Social Housing has today (Wednesday 17 December) issued a C4 consumer grading to Gosport Borough Council, meaning there are very serious failings and fundamental changes are needed.
During an inspection of the council, RSH found:
Over 900 overdue fire safety remedial actions, with some that have been overdue since 2012.
Over 300 overdue electrical safety checks and over 100 category 2 electrical safety remedial actions, some of which have been outstanding for up to 7 years.
A lack of accurate and up to date information on tenants' homes, with a 20% sample of stock condition surveys last carried out in 2012. A third of its properties have no survey on record.
It has not used the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to assess potential hazards in tenants' homes.
No planned improvement programme in place since 2023.
Serious failings in the council's understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants.
A lack of assurance on the handling of complaints by its repairs contractor.
Serious failings in how it works to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents.
While Gosport BC has demonstrated a willingness to resolve these issues, RSH found limited evidence that it fully understands the scale and breadth of the issues due to poor monitoring, and limited evidence that it has the capability to effectively address them.
Separately, Great Places had its consumer grading upgraded to C1, after it addressed weaknesses in its oversight of health and safety risks and improved its understanding of the condition of its homes.
Great Places also made changes to the way tenants can engage with the repairs service, having identified that this was a significant cause of complaints.
Sparrow Shared Ownership Limited received C1/G1/V1* gradings following an inspection.
Regulatory notices were removed for the Eldonian Community Based Housing Association , Haringey Council and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust , after RSH concluded that all three landlords had addressed the issues previously identified.
RSH also published annual stability check outcomes for 52 landlords.
Aster Group Limited, Castles & Coasts Housing Association Limited, Industrial Dwellings Society (1885) Limited and Soha Housing Limited were regraded from V1 to V2, while Prima Housing Group Limited was regraded from V2 to V1.
The rest retained their current governance and viability gradings.
Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said:
"The breadth and scale of the failings we identified at Gosport Borough Council are unacceptable and we will be engaging intensively with them as things are put right as soon as possible for tenants.
"Our inspection programme continues to root out issues and drive landlords to improve homes and services for tenants."
Notes
Links to all the regulatory judgements published today are in the table below:
| Landlord | Consumer | Governance | Viability | Engagement Process |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acis Group Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Aster Group Limited | - | G1 | V2 (regrade from V1) | Stability Check |
| Believe Housing Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Beyond Housing Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Bolton at Home Limited | C2 (based on previous assessment) | G2 | V2 | Stability Check |
| bpha Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Castles & Coasts Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V2 (regrade from V1) | Stability Check |
| Cornerstone Housing Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Croydon Churches Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Durham Aged Mineworkers' Homes Association | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Eden Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| First Choice Homes Oldham Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| First Garden Cities Homes Limited | C2 (based on previous assessment) | G2 | V2 | Stability Check |
| ForHousing Limited | - | G2 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Futures Housing Group Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Gateway Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Gentoo Group Limited | C1 (based on previous assessment) | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Gosport Borough Council | C4 (first grading) | - | - | Inspection |
| Great Places Housing Group Limited | C1 (upgrade) | G1 | V2 | Stability Check and Responsive Engagement |
| Greatwell Homes Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Halton Housing | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Home Group Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Housing 21 | C2 (based on previous assessment) | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Hundred Houses Society Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Industrial Dwellings Society (1885) Limited (The) | C2 | G2 | V2 (regrade from V1) | Stability Check |
| Irwell Valley Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Jigsaw Homes Group Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust | C2 (based on previous assessment) | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Leeds Federated Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| LiveWest Homes Limited | C1 (based on previous assessment) | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Magenta Living | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Manningham Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Midland Heart Limited | C1 (based on previous assessment) | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Muir Group Housing Association Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| North Star Housing Group | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| NSAH (Alliance Homes) Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Ongo Homes Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Onward Group Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Orbit Group Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Prima Housing Group Limited | - | G1 | V1 (regrade from V2) | Stability Check |
| Regenda Limited | - | G2 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Richmond Housing Partnership Limited | - | G2 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Riverside Group Limited (The) | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Salix Homes Limited | C1 (based on previous assessment) | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Saxon Weald | C2 (based on previous assessment) | G2 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Soha Housing Limited | - | G1 | V2 (regrade from V1) | Stability Check |
| South Lakes Housing | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Sparrow Shared Ownership Limited | C1*(first grading) | G1*(first grading) | V1* (first grading) | Inspection |
| Thrive Homes Limited | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| Vivid Housing Limited | - | G1 | V1 | Stability Check |
| Watmos Community Homes | C1 (based on previous assessment) | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| West Kent Housing Association | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
| YMCA St Paul's Group | - | G1 | V2 | Stability Check |
On 1 April 2024 RSH introduced new consumer standards for social housing landlords, designed to drive long-term improvements in the sector. It also began a programme of landlord inspections. The changes are a result of the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023 and include stronger powers to hold landlords to account.
