“Thank you for your support, guidance, advice and of course your constructive challenge. It was all taken on board during the mock inspection and actual inspection preparation. Engaging with HQN in advance of, and during the planned inspection was invaluable. Having an independent organisation sense-check our approach and provide coaching for interviews really helped ensure we showcased the positive work we do, and fully prepared to explain areas which we have identified for further improvement.”

Samantha Donigan, Head of Assurance, Stockport Homes

“The team at HQN, and Mark Henderson in particular, assisted us with a full review of our service charges, starting with the policy right through to the information we send to tenants. Mark’s knowledge and expertise was invaluable, and he has helped us to provide assurance on our approach and identified actions to improve even further”

Chris Flannery, Assistant Director for Housing Quality, Development and Landlord Services at Melton Borough Council

“HQN has been invaluable in supporting the Council’s improvement journey, resulting in the C1 ratings achieved in April 2026. From the initial setup through to the final report, HQN consultants demonstrated clarity, approachability, and genuine engagement. Crucially, they provided constructive challenge to our thinking, understanding, and evidence: embodying the role of a true critical friend. Their relevant backgrounds and extensive experience combined with their willingness to share insights ensured that performance analysis was accompanied by practical recommendations for improvement.”

Davina Howe, Executive Director of Communities and Housing, Norwich City Council

“As part of our work to be ready for consumer standards inspection HQN gave us ‘critical friend’ support as we completed a routine review of our self-assessment, and then provided additional support after our inspection was announced, including briefings for key officers and supporting preparedness for interviews. Throughout the process we found HQN’s team to be very professional and knowledgeable. They provided invaluable challenge in a supportive way that helped us focus on what was most important, as well as useful guidance and advice based on their experience and understanding of the inspection process. Thank you to the team! ”

Laura Giles, Director of Strategy, Barnet Homes

“Achieving our recent C1 judgement marks a significant milestone for Guildford Borough Council and HQN’s support has been a key part of that journey. The mock inspection provided a highly realistic and constructive experience, giving us valuable assurance while also identifying areas where we could strengthen our approach. The team’s deep understanding of the regulatory landscape, combined with their practical and tailored advice, helped us navigate the new consumer standards with confidence. Their professional yet approachable style made them a pleasure to work with throughout.  We have taken forward a great deal of learning from this process, which will continue to support our ongoing improvement as a council.”

Meena Lota, Housing Insight and Improvement Senior Specialist, Guildford Borough Council

“HQN has significantly supported BCP Homes in undertaking a comprehensive self‑assessment against the consumer standards last year. In addition to providing expert external challenge, they then supported our preparation for inspection through targeted coaching, oversight of our evidence and helping to ensure that our self‑assessment was robust, honest, and well‑evidenced. They have been a valuable critical friend throughout our improvement journey. BCP Homes received a C1 consumer rating 12 months after our work started with HQN and the inspectors praised our strong self‑awareness and clear, positive plans for improvement. There is real credit in this due to the HQN team alongside the commitment and hard work of the BCP team. I would not hesitate to recommend HQN to other organisations seeking meaningful support ahead of inspection or as part of their wider improvement work.”

Kelly Deane, Director of Housing and Public Protection Wellbeing, BCP Council 

“We found HQN’s knowledge, support, and expertise invaluable in helping us shape and deliver our strategic housing goals. Their input was instrumental in producing a robust Housing Strategy that reflects local priorities and challenges, and this work was positively acknowledged by our elected members. The consultancy team was professional, responsive, and brought real insight to the process.”

Daniel Khan, Housing Advice and Enabling Manager, Communities and Homes, Rugby Borough Council

“GLH thanks HQN for undertaking a thorough mock inspection exercise, providing us with a realistic experience of the whole process. Through the process we found each member of the HQN team to be very professional. They challenged us in a supportive way and provided guidance and advice as we moved through the process. Each member of the team was clearly very knowledgeable and the learning and reflection we gained from the whole process have been invaluable.”

Jenny Ross, Head of Governance, Risk and Procurement, Golden Lane Housing

“May I take this opportunity to thank HQN for working with us on the mock inspection over the past few months. HQN’s approach was incredibly professional and efficient replicating a real inspection, and they offered plenty of flexibility to ensure that we got the very best out of the mock inspection. Thanks to everyone at HQN for being so easy to work with. It has been a very interesting and rewarding experience, and we can take away lots of learning and insight from here on as we continue our improvement journey as a council.”

Abul Hussain, Improvement Manager, Housing Strategic Business Planning and Investment, Housing Operations, Homes and Neighbourhoods, Islington Council  

“HQN came in as a critical friend, helping us take a step back and reflect. They didn’t just review documents—they spent time understanding our services, visited void properties, listened in to customer calls, and explored how we manage complaints, anti-social behaviour, and our homes and communities. Their “reality checks” brought an extra layer of perspective.”

Annette Brandwood, Director of Governance and Assurance, Cobalt Housing

“A key ingredient for achieving certainty is independent advice, check and challenge, which is where HQN are playing a key role in supporting Warwick District Council’s improvement journey through professional advice, being a critical friend and a valuable sounding board.”

Darren Knight, Deputy Chief Executive, Warwick District Council

“HQN supported our involved customers through the inspection process. Damian did a presentation to customers to help them understand the process, what to expect and generally helped to improve their confidence.

“Dare I say it, but it was a semi-pleasant experience!”

“We were very happy with HQN’s support. The whole thing was tailored to what we needed and never felt off the peg. Damian and Ian were so helpful and responsive. If we had any queries, we knew we were going to get a response the same day.

Jess Hyland, Corporate Head of Governance, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership

“The external challenge and scrutiny provided by HQN were instrumental in strengthening our approach to comply with the new consumer standards. Their insights ensured we were inspection-ready and helped us amplify the positive outcomes of our transformation work.”

Jane Martin, Acting Corporate Director of Housing, London Borough of Waltham Forest

“Damian [Roche] was brilliant, we really valued his support especially his work on the consumer standards and working with our engaged customers.”

Katie Finch, Director of Assurance and Business Services, Citizen Housing

“Just wanted to say a big thank you for the work you did in preparing us for inspection. It really helped having your insights and getting us in the head space that we needed to be in. We feel that we wouldn’t have approached the inspection any differently and a large part of that is the preparation work which you were instrumental in providing.”

Darren Reynolds, Interim Head of Regulatory Assurance, London Borough of Tower Hamlets

“Having HQN review our Improvement Plan has been a crucial step in our journey. It has helped us validate the work done so far and supports the development of robust reporting mechanisms moving forward.”

Rebecca Ward, Housing Policy and Regulation Officer, East Suffolk Council 

“HQN Consultant Wayne Hughes has been a professional pleasure to work with. He has left us with a sound platform of findings to begin our Repairs and Maintenance transformation. It is not the end of our relationship as we will be calling on him again soon ”

Karen Connell, Interim Head of Housing, North West Leicestershire District Council