Regulator of Social Housing praises borough council on consumer standards turnaround

Guildford was graded C3 in July 2024 after a self-referral in December 2023. RSH said this was a result of its engagement with the council that focused on the Safety and Quality Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

After carrying out an improvement plan in agreement with RSH and following a planned inspection of the council, Guildford “has now demonstrated that it is delivering the outcomes across the consumer standards”.

RSH said Guildford is now also making effective use of systems to identify and address potential issues and areas for further improvement at the standard required for a C1.

Other gradings announced this week include a C2 for Leeds City Council and a C1 for Hyde Housing, which also saw unchanged governance and viability grades of G1/V2.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “Our role is to hold landlords to account and drive continuous improvement, to ensure tenants live in good quality homes and receive effective services.

“Guildford Borough Council is a strong example of how landlords can work with us to put things right - and working to address failings identified through a responsive C3 judgement to achieving a C1 judgement following an inspection shows significant progress.

“A C1 grading means landlords are meeting the minimum standards we expect, so there is always room for improvement even in landlords with the highest grade.”

Responding to the regrading, Pedro Wrobel, Joint Chief Executive Officer at Guildford Borough Council and Waverley Borough Council, said: "We welcome the findings from the Regulator, which demonstrates the significant progress we've made in improving our housing services over the last two years. 

"This is all about our residents, and our determination to ensure that we provide them with the homes and services they deserve. This C1 rating is the result of extraordinarily hard work by our landlord services team, wider staff and partners, and I pay tribute to them for their commitment, professionalism and dedication. I'm incredibly proud of them, and it's fantastic to see their work recognised in this way demonstrating just how far we've come. I'm hugely grateful to the Regulator for their support and challenge ensuring we get things right.

"Over the past two years, the passion and commitment shown by every member of the team has transformed our landlord service into the strong, resident focused service we are delivering today. We know we have more to do, and we remain fully committed to ensuring our residents' homes are safe, decent and of the standard they deserve."