Decision

North East Derbyshire District Council (17UJ) - Regulatory Judgement: 29 October 2025

Updated 29 October 2025

Applies to England

Our Judgement

	Grade/Judgement	Change	Date of assessment
Consumer	C1 Our judgement is that overall the landlord is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. The landlord has demonstrated that it identifies when issues occur and puts plans in place to remedy and minimise recurrence.	Upgrade	October 2025

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for North East Derbyshire District Council (North East Derbyshire DC) after a period of responsive engagement following its first inspection completed in August 2024.

This regulatory judgement upgrades our previous published assessment of North East Derbyshire DC’s consumer grade from C2 to C1.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, North East Derbyshire DC’s most recent consumer grade was C2, which was issued in August 2024 following a planned regulatory inspection.

Summary of the decision

From the evidence and assurance gained during the responsive engagement, it is our judgement that overall North East Derbyshire DC is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for North East Derbyshire DC.

How we reached our judgement

We carried out an inspection of North East Derbyshire DC in 2024 as part of our planned regulatory inspection programme, to assess how well it was delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards.

Following the inspection, we published a regulatory judgement in August 2024. Based on the evidence and assurance gained during the inspection, it was our judgement that there were some weaknesses in North East Derbyshire DC’s delivery of the outcomes of the consumer standards and that improvement was needed, specifically in relation to the outcomes of the Safety and Quality Standard. Based on that assessment, we concluded a C2 grade. This was the first time we had issued a consumer grade in relation to this landlord.

Following the inspection, we engaged with North East Derbyshire DC on the delivery of its improvement strategy. During our engagement we have seen evidence of the improvements in North East Derbyshire DC’s understanding of the condition of its homes and the consequent improved outcomes for tenants. We have concluded an upgrade to C1 based on this assurance.

Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection in August 2024 and subsequent responsive engagement process. We also considered information supplied by the landlord in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.

Summary of findings 

Consumer – C1 – October 2025 

Following the publication of our regulatory judgement in August 2024, we engaged with North East Derbyshire DC to understand how it was addressing areas of weakness identified during our inspection. The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to have an accurate record at an individual property level of the condition of their homes based on a physical assessment of all homes, and to ensure that its homes meet the requirements of the Decent Home Standard. North East Derbyshire DC did not have records at an individual property level of the condition of all of its homes. It also acknowledged that it needed to improve its transparency on lessons learnt and improvements made as a result of complaints.

Through our responsive engagement, we have assurance that North East Derbyshire DC now has records on the condition of the majority of its homes at an individual property level, from which it can identify the investment it needs to make to ensure tenants live in good quality, well maintained and safe homes. We have also seen evidence that North East Derbyshire DC has improved the way it communicates with its tenants regarding stock condition surveys. As a result, it has been able to undertake more surveys of its homes than in previous years. North East Derbyshire DC has also improved its transparency on lessons learnt and improvements made because of complaints.  

We have reviewed the information contained in North East Derbyshire DC’s published performance information and regulatory returns to gain assurance that this information is consistent with an assessment of a consumer grade of C1.

Through our inspection in August 2024, we gained evidence-based assurance across the consumer standards as set out below.

We gained assurance that North East Derbyshire DC is delivering an effective, efficient and timely repairs service. We saw evidence that the repairs and maintenance performance is in line with its targets and that tenants’ views have been sought on how the service is designed and delivered. North East Derbyshire DC provided evidence-based assurance that it has appropriate systems in place to manage its health and safety responsibilities and to ensure the health and safety of tenants in their homes and associated communal areas. We saw evidence that the landlord is managing the risks associated with damp and mould and that it has resourced and prioritised remedial works. 

In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, North East Derbyshire DC demonstrated effective oversight of the number of anti-social behaviour (ASB) cases and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where it provides homes. We also gained assurance that it provides prompt and appropriate action in response to reported ASB and hate incidents, working in partnership with relevant organisations. It uses a multi-agency software system to deliver a victim-centred approach, which it also uses to identify vulnerable tenants and those subject to repeat incidents.

In relation to the Tenancy Standard, we saw evidence that North East Derbyshire DC was offering tenancies or terms of occupation that were compatible with the purpose of its accommodation, the needs of individual households, the sustainability of the community, and the efficient use of its housing stock. We gained assurance that North East Derbyshire DC allocates and lets its homes in a fair and transparent manner that considers the needs of tenants and prospective tenants. North East Derbyshire DC further demonstrated that it supports tenants to maintain and sustain their tenancies. 

The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requires landlords to provide information so tenants can use landlord services, understand what to expect from their landlord, and hold their landlord to account. It also requires landlords to ensure complaints are addressed fairly, effectively, and promptly. During the inspection we observed a respectful approach to tenants and saw evidence that North East Derbyshire DC understands the diverse needs of its tenants when delivering housing services to deliver fair and equitable outcomes for tenants. 

We gained assurance that North East Derbyshire DC offers a range of opportunities for tenants to hold it to account. Tenants we spoke to felt strongly that their involvement was meaningful and that their scrutiny reports influenced decision making, which we saw evidence of during our inspection. 

North East Derbyshire DC demonstrated that it regularly provides a range of relevant and accessible information to tenants, including its performance in delivering landlord services. We saw also evidence that complaints are handled effectively and promptly addressed.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

North East Derbyshire DC owns around 7,500 homes.  

North East Derbyshire DC has contracted its arms-length management organisation, Rykneld Homes Limited (RHL), to provide day-to-day housing management services on its behalf. 

Our role and regulatory approach

We regulate for a viable, efficient, and well governed social housing sector able to deliver quality homes and services for current and future tenants.

We regulate at the landlord level to drive improvement in how landlords operate. By landlord we mean a registered provider of social housing. These can either be local authorities, or private registered providers (other organisations registered with us such as non-profit housing associations, co-operatives, or profit-making organisations).

We set standards which state outcomes that landlords must deliver. The outcomes of our standards include both the required outcomes and specific expectations we set. Where we find there are significant failures in landlords which we consider to be material to the landlord’s delivery of those outcomes, we hold them to account. Ultimately this provides protection for tenants’ homes and services and achieves better outcomes for current and future tenants. It also contributes to a sustainable sector which can attract strong investment.

We have a different role for regulating local authorities than for other landlords. This is because we have a narrower role for local authorities and the Governance and Financial Viability Standard, and Value for Money Standard do not apply. Further detail on which standards apply to different landlords can be found on our standards page.

We assess the performance of landlords through inspections and by reviewing data that landlords are required to submit to us. In Depth Assessments (IDAs) were one of our previous assessment processes, which are now replaced by our new inspections programme from 1 April 2024. We also respond where there is an issue or a potential issue that may be material to a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our standards. We publish regulatory judgements that describe our view of landlords’ performance with our standards. We also publish grades for landlords with more than 1,000 social housing homes.

The Housing Ombudsman deals with individual complaints. When individual complaints are referred to us, we investigate if we consider that the issue may be material to a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our standards.

For more information about our approach to regulation, please see Regulating the standards

Further information

• Regulating the standards

• Regulatory standards for landlords

[IF RELEVANT – DELETE IF NOT APPLICABLE

Related documents

• Decent Homes Standard