Housing Plus Group has received its first full regulatory grading from the Regulator of Social Housing.
The regulator has awarded Housing Plus Group a Governance grading of G1, a Viability grading of V2, and a Consumer grading of C2.
The regulator recognised all the progress we’ve made with the integration of our new Group over the last two years. They picked out a number areas where we have made great progress, including:
- Our approach to customer safety – with tens of thousands of compliance checks completed and a strong understanding of the needs of our customers
- Our governance arrangements and financial resilience – demonstrated by our recent £961 million funding package
- Improvements in complaint handling – with handling times reduced and numbers of complaints also coming down
- Aligning our systems – having bought all of our services in to one housing management system inside our first year of operations
The outcome also identifies areas where we need to improve further. We are already taking action in these areas, such as:
- Repairs – where we are taking action to introduce a same day repairs service for all customers
- Customer information – where we are actively developing a new website to remove duplication and enhance customer experience
- Tenant scrutiny – where we have introduced a new Scrutiny Panel and we look forward to seeing the outcomes of the members work
We are already acting in a number of these areas and will continue to work closely with customers, colleagues, and partners to drive further improvements.
Wayne Gethings, Group Chief Executive of Housing Plus Group, said: “The inspection recognised the significant progress we’ve made since bringing our organisations together, but bringing two organisations together was never just about creating a larger organisation. It was about creating better services, investing in our homes, and building stronger communities. While we’re pleased that the regulator has recognised many of the strengths within Housing Plus Group, we’re focused on continuing to improve.
“What matters most is the experience customers have when they contact us, need a repair, raise a complaint, or access support. That’s where we’ll continue to focus our efforts and where customers will see the difference.
“The regulator confirmed that we remain financially viable and well governed, while setting out a clear framework for further improvements to services. We will continue working with customers, colleagues, and stakeholders to deliver those improvements and strengthen services across the communities we serve.”