By Alistair McIntosh, HQN CEO

It’s a great bank holiday for Community Gateway and Livin as they soar up to C1. Amplius scored C2 at their first inspection – but it shouldn’t be long before they too get an upgrade. We have all seen many inspection reports – so there are no surprises.

At their first inspection, Community Gateway got C2. The RSH team kept in contact with them to check that the service was getting better. The latest report confirms that Community Gateway has “strengthened board oversight of the safety and quality of its homes”. Community Gateway gathers data on the diverse needs of tenants and uses this to “tailor” services.

The repairs service is stronger this time around. You can see that in the TSMs – satisfaction with the speed of repairs is up to 85% from 79%.

Livin also got C2 first time around. The RSH team finds that the association now has a firmer grip on stock data which feeds into their asset management plan. Livin is also improving access rates. Overall satisfaction at Livin is still above 90%! The tenants are happy and so is the RSH.

At Amplius it seems that the repairs service is the main thing holding them back. In particular they need to gear up for the new requirements on damp and mould.

Everywhere else Amplius is doing well. That’s no small feat, as so many associations struggle to get it right after a merger. Here are a few highlights from the report:

  • “Good understanding of compliance with health and safety requirements”
  • “Accurate and up-to-date record of condition of homes” – using this data to “target resources”
  • “Treat tenants with fairness and respect”
  • “Understands and responds to tenants’ diverse needs.”

Amplius has made improvements to its complaints service but must keep going – the RSH team will check that this happens. Overall satisfaction at Amplius is up 5% – so they’re moving in the right direction.

It looks like the RSH is willing to shepherd landlords from C2 to C1 and indeed from C3 to C2. But this depends on landlords delivering their part of the bargain. You can see from the table below that some take longer than others to move on up. C2 runs the gamut from a close miss to a wider gulf in the eyes of the RSH. So, the improvement journey varies. As we always say, the plan must be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Or in other words, who does what and by when and how do you know?

Inspection upgrades via responsive regulation

Landlord First rating New rating
Community Gateway July 25 – C2 August 26 – C1
Livin November 24 – C2 August 26 – C1
Mosscare St. Vincent September 24 – C2 May 25 – C1
Great Places September 24 – C2 December 25 – C1
Together March 25 – C2 January 26 – C1
Willow Tree October 24 – C3 February 26 – C2
Torus May 25 – C2 April 26 – C1
Railway September 25 – C2 May 26 – C1
Sanctuary January 25 – C2 May 26 – C1
Housing 21 May 25 – C2 May 25 – C1
Cobalt August 24 – C2 June 26 – C1
Nottingham City Council January 25 – C3 June 26 – C2
Eastlight July 25 – C2 July 26 – C1
EMH November 24 – C2 August 26 – C1

Guildford Borough: C3 at July 24 following self-referral and responsive engagement; C1 at March 26 after responsive engagement and inspection