Decision

Nottingham City Council (00FY) - Regulatory Judgement: 24 June 2026

Updated 24 June 2026

Applies to England

Our Judgement

	Grade/Judgement	Change	Date of assessment
Consumer	C2 Our judgement is that there are some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed.	Upgrade	June 2026

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Nottingham City Council (Nottingham CC) following responsive engagement completed in June 2026.

This regulatory judgement upgrades our previously published assessment of Nottingham CC’s consumer grade from C3 to C2.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the consumer grading for Nottingham CC was first issued in January 2025 following an inspection which concluded a C3 grade.

Summary of the decision

From the evidence and assurance gained during our responsive engagement with Nottingham CC, we have concluded that Nottingham CC has improved its understanding of the condition of its homes and strengthened its oversight and delivery of its repairs and maintenance services, including its management of disrepair cases. The evidence provided also indicates that Nottingham CC has improved the delivery and monitoring of outcomes arising from tenant engagement, insight, and scrutiny activity.

Our judgement is that weaknesses remain in Nottingham CC’s delivery of the outcomes of the consumer standards, and further improvement is needed in some areas, specifically in relation to outcomes of the Safety and Quality Standard. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C2 grade for Nottingham CC.

How we reached our judgement

We published a regulatory judgement for Nottingham CC in January 2025 following an inspection to assess its delivery of the outcomes of the consumer standards as part of our planned regulatory inspection programme. During that inspection, we considered all four of the consumer standards: Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Safety and Quality Standard, Tenancy Standard, and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

During the inspection we observed a Nottingham CC executive housing oversight board meeting (comprising councillors and officers), a tenant anti-social behaviour service improvement meeting and two tenant housing assurance board (scrutiny) meetings. We met with tenants, officers, the leader of Nottingham CC and the councillor who is the portfolio holder for housing. We also reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Nottingham CC.

From the evidence-based assurance gained during the inspection, it was our judgement that there were serious failings in Nottingham CC’s delivery of the outcomes of the consumer standards and that improvements were needed. Based on that assessment, we concluded a C3 grade for Nottingham CC. It was the first time we had issued a consumer grade for this landlord.

Following the inspection, we undertook responsive engagement with Nottingham CC that focused on its delivery of an improvement strategy to address the serious failings and weaknesses identified, focusing in particular on the Safety and Quality Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

Our judgement is based on all relevant information obtained during the responsive engagement, as well as analysis of information received from Nottingham CC through routine regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.

Summary of findings  

Consumer – C2 – June 2026

Following the inspection, which concluded in January 2025, we engaged with Nottingham CC on the delivery of its improvement strategy. Through this engagement, we sought to understand how it was addressing the main issues identified during our inspection. This included a serious failing in its understanding of the condition of its homes at an individual property level, based on physical assessments, and ensuring that homes meet the requirements of the Decent Homes Standard. During the inspection, we identified that Nottingham CC had not surveyed almost 40% of its homes for more than 10 years. However, to address these failings it had commissioned a survey to assess the condition of its homes and implemented a five-year rolling programme.

Through our responsive engagement, we now have assurance that Nottingham CC has a more comprehensive understanding of the condition of its homes, allowing it to identify the investment required to ensure tenants are living in good quality, well-maintained, and safe homes. Nottingham CC has completed surveys of 85% of its homes within the past five years, reflecting an improvement compared to the position at the time of inspection. Nottingham CC provided evidence of its attempts to book and carry out surveys for an additional 13% of properties where it was unable to gain access to homes. Nottingham CC reported that 0.3% of its homes do not currently meet the Decent Homes Standard, and it has established plans to ensure that all of its current non-decent homes meet the standard. We will continue to engage with Nottingham CC in this area for assurance of improved outcomes for tenants.

Through the inspection in 2025, we saw evidence that Nottingham CC was meeting its legal requirements relating to the health and safety of tenants in their homes and communal areas. However, we identified weaknesses in its approach to capped gas supplies where it could not gain access to complete gas safety checks, and in its monitoring of carbon monoxide and smoke detection. We have since seen evidence that Nottingham CC has addressed both areas of weakness and has adopted an improved person-centred approach to managing enforcement cases arising from landlord health and safety checks.

The Safety and Quality Standard also requires landlords to provide an effective, efficient, and timely repairs, maintenance, and planned improvement service for the homes and communal areas for which they are responsible. The inspection in 2025 found that Nottingham CC could not provide assurance that it was delivering an effective, efficient, and timely repairs service, which was a serious failing. This included an inability to accurately report repair times due to system failures, poor management of disrepair with almost 1,000 live cases, and a lack of confidence in the quality, accuracy and completeness of the information held.

Following the inspection, Nottingham CC has implemented an upgraded system for managing its repair and maintenance delivery and has assurance on the accuracy of its information. In addition, Nottingham CC has reorganised its repairs service delivery model to enable a more dynamic approach based on demand. Performance against target timescales and satisfaction with repair services indicate an improving position. Improvements have also been made in the management of disrepair claims, reflected in reduced case volumes, more active management of live cases, and learning from disrepair to prevent recurrence. We will continue to engage with Nottingham CC to ensure that progress against identified actions continues and that this leads to further improvement in outcomes for tenants.

During the inspection in 2025 Nottingham CC provided limited assurance that it was assisting tenants seeking housing adaptations to access appropriate services. Nottingham CC did not have an adaptations policy, and we found weaknesses in how it was working with other council departments to deliver an effective service to tenants. Through our responsive engagement, Nottingham CC has provided evidence of improved outcomes in its adaptations work, reflected in improved delivery times and tenant satisfaction with adaptation works. It is currently working with other council departments to finalise respective roles and responsibilities for delivering adaptation services to its tenants. We will continue to engage with Nottingham CC and seek assurance that progress is sustained to ensure outcomes in this area continue to improve.

The Neighbourhood and Community Standard requires landlords to work in partnership with appropriate local authority departments, the police, and other relevant organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing. Through the inspection in 2025, we saw evidence that Nottingham CC deals effectively with anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in line with its policies and procedures and in partnership with relevant organisations.

In relation to the Tenancy Standard, during the inspection in 2025, we saw evidence that Nottingham CC is offering tenancies or terms of occupation that are 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.

The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requires landlords to take tenants’ views into account in their decision-making, enable tenants to scrutinise and influence how landlord services are delivered, and communicate how tenants’ views have been considered when making decisions about the delivery of landlord services. A respectful approach to tenants was observed during the inspection in 2025, but evidence from surveys and other sources indicated that this was not the experience for every tenant. Through our responsive engagement, Nottingham CC has provided evidence of improved outcomes in this area, including direct tenant feedback and perception survey responses. Nottingham CC routinely contacts tenants who feel they have not been treated with fairness and respect to understand their experiences in more detail, and it has improved operational processes where tenants consistently expressed dissatisfaction, to minimise recurrence. We will continue to engage with Nottingham CC and seek assurance that progress is sustained.

During the inspection in 2025, Nottingham CC could not provide evidence that it was using tenant engagement as a mechanism to influence how it delivers services. Nottingham CC delivered a range of tenant engagement opportunities but could not provide evidence of tenants being meaningfully involved in decision-making or able to challenge decisions. Nottingham CC had developed an improvement plan for tenant engagement, and a new housing assurance board had been established, but improved outcomes arising from these changes were not evident at the point of inspection. In response to the inspection findings, Nottingham CC acted swiftly to formalise evaluation methods across all tenant insight and engagement activities, ensuring demonstrable outcomes were clearly evidenced. Now that changes made by Nottingham CC are embedded and it has a mechanism for tracking outcomes from this work, we consider the issue identified in the inspection has been addressed.

Nottingham CC demonstrated during our inspection in 2025 that it provided some relevant and accessible information so that tenants can use landlord services and know what to expect. However, weaknesses were found in the routine sharing of performance information to enable effective oversight and scrutiny of landlord performance. Following the inspection, Nottingham CC has developed a process of sharing performance information with tenants at regular intervals and has created mechanisms for tenants to engage on the performance information shared.

During the inspection in 2025, Nottingham CC demonstrated that it understood the diverse needs of its tenants and kept this information up-to-date. However, it could not provide evidence of how it used this information to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for tenants. Through our responsive engagement, Nottingham CC has provided evidence of its systematic use of tenant demographic data to gain assurance on accessibility and equity, along with the actions it has taken where this was found not to be the case.

The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard also requires landlords to provide accessible information to tenants about the types of complaints received and how they have learnt from complaints to continuously improve services. Our 2025 inspection obtained assurance that Nottingham CC addresses complaints fairly, effectively, and promptly. We saw that Nottingham CC tracked complaint actions through to completion and learnt from complaints to improve outcomes for tenants.

Nottingham CC has engaged constructively with us, and we will continue to engage with it to monitor its progress in delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards as it addresses the remaining weaknesses summarised in this regulatory judgement. 

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

Nottingham CC is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands. It owns around 24,000 social homes. From 2005 to 2023, Nottingham CC’s homes were managed by Nottingham City Homes, an Arm’s Length Management Organisation (ALMO). In March 2023, the ALMO was closed and management of the homes was transferred back to Nottingham CC. It provides predominantly general needs accommodation, with some supported and sheltered housing.

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. 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

Related documents

• Decent Homes Standard