Decision

B3 Living Limited (L4455): Regulatory Judgement - 24 September 2025

Updated 24 September 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.	First grading	September 2025
Governance	G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.	Assessed and unchanged	September 2025
Viability	V1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios.	Assessed and unchanged	September 2025

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for B3 Living Limited (B3Living) following an inspection completed in September 2025.

This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grade of C1, a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V1.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for B3Living were last updated in December 2024, following a stability check to confirm a G1 grade for governance and a V1 grade for financial viability. This is the first time we have issued a consumer grade in relation to this landlord.

Summary of the decision

From the assurance gained during the inspection, based on the evidence provided by the landlord, we have concluded that B3Living is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for B3Living. 

Our judgement is that B3Living meets our governance requirements. B3Living has provided evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of its governance arrangements and that it continues to manage the risks of its activities effectively, allowing it to deliver its strategic and charitable objectives. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a G1 grade for B3Living.

Our judgement is that B3Living meets our financial viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios. B3Living has a strong financial profile and its stress testing demonstrates that financial capacity is built into its business plan. B3Living has provided appropriate assurance that it has access to sufficient liquidity and adequate funding in place. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a V1 grade for B3Living.

How we reached our judgement

We carried out an inspection of B3Living to assess how well it is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and meeting our governance and financial viability requirements, as part of our planned regulatory inspection programme. During the 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 board meeting and a formal tenant scrutiny panel meeting, spoke with tenants, held meetings with B3Living including with its non-executive directors, interviewed staff, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by B3Living.

Our regulatory judgement is based on a review of all of the relevant information we obtained during the inspection, as well as analysis of information supplied by B3Living in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.

Summary of findings 

Consumer – C1– September 2025 

During the inspection, B3Living provided evidence-based assurance that it has appropriate systems in place to ensure the health and safety of its tenants in their homes and associated communal areas, delivering the outcomes of the Safety and Quality Standard.

We saw evidence that B3Living keeps an accurate and up-to-date record of the condition of its homes through physical surveys and has a process for keeping this information up to date. B3Living uses its understanding of the quality and safety of its tenants’ homes to make decisions on the planning of future investments to maintain and improve its homes.

We gained assurance that B3Living provides an effective, efficient and timely repairs, maintenance and planned improvements service to tenants. We saw evidence that B3Living’s approach to repairs is informed by the needs of its tenants, and that it makes use of tenants’ information that it holds to tailor its services appropriately.

In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, we gained assurance that B3Living works with relevant partners, including the local authority, police, and local charities, to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where it provides homes. We saw evidence that a recent focus on ASB case handling and resulting changes put in place by B3Living had improved performance and tenant satisfaction with the landlord’s approach.

In line with the outcomes required by the Tenancy Standard, B3Living provided evidence that it allocates and manages its homes to ensure all properties are let in a fair and transparent way. B3Living reviews the outcomes of its lettings and allocations processes. It considers the purpose of the accommodation, the needs of individual households, the sustainability of the community and the efficient use of social housing, and the board monitors this through a range of key performance indicators. B3Living deploys a range of methods to promote tenancy sustainability, and the success of these measures was demonstrated by evidence of better outcomes for tenants.

We gained assurance that B3Living’s approach is delivering the outcomes of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. B3Living provided evidence that it treats tenants with fairness and respect. The landlord is continuing to increase its understanding of its tenants’ vulnerabilities and diverse needs and uses this information to help tailor services. An example of this is through proactive referrals to support services for vulnerable tenants. 

We saw evidence that B3Living ensures complaints are addressed fairly, promptly and effectively, and recent investment had improved the service for tenants. An appropriate level of accessible and relevant information is provided to enable tenants to access landlord services, support and advice.

We gained assurance that B3Living gathers tenants’ views in a range of formal and informal ways, and that tenants are provided with meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise strategies, policies and services. A recently established Customer Advisory Panel will strengthen arrangements for direct influence of board decision making and widen existing opportunities for tenant-led scrutiny of performance.

Governance – G1 – September 2025

Based on evidence gained through the inspection, there is assurance that B3Living’s governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage its risks and adequately control the organisation, allowing it to deliver its strategic objectives.

B3Living’s board demonstrated that it provides challenge on performance against its targets and that it actively considers its risk appetite in strategic decision making. We saw evidence that B3Living seeks appropriate assurance that effective controls are in place to manage risks, including through a programme of internal audits and its approach to stress testing.

B3Living provided evidence that it undertakes a regular robust review of its approach to making the best use of its resources to deliver against the organisation’s purpose. This includes B3Living’s board regularly undertaking an appraisal of alternative options to ensure strategic value for money.

Continuing improvement is evidenced through annual effectiveness reviews and in-depth periodic external governance reviews. The most recent external review took place in May 2025, and we saw evidence of the recommendations being implemented as a result. 

Board members’ skills, experience and knowledge are aligned with B3Living’s activities. There is a structured approach to effectiveness reviews, and skills appraisals are carried out to manage its succession planning.

Viability – V1 – September 2025

B3Living continues to meet our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with adverse scenarios.

Based on the evidence gained through the inspection we have concluded that there is appropriate assurance that B3Living’s financial plans are consistent with, and support, its financial strategy.

We gained assurance that B3Living has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place to support its financial plans and is forecast to meet its financial covenants under a reasonable range of adverse scenarios.

We have assurance that B3Living’s board has good oversight of covenant compliance, and there is evidence of strong levels of forecast headroom with no reliance on sales income. Financial performance continues to be strong and B3Living has made prudent provision for future investment in new and existing homes.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

B3Living is a registered charity operating primarily in Broxbourne, with a small number of homes located elsewhere in Hertfordshire and Essex. It provides 5,598 homes.

At 31 March 2025 it employed 169 full-time equivalent staff and its turnover was £43.6m. B3Living’s corporate plan is to develop 400 new homes between 2024 and 2027.

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