Decision

Bolton at Home Limited (4568) - Regulatory Judgement: 17 December 2025

Updated 17 December 2025

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.	Based on previous assessment	September 2024
Governance	G2 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements but needs to improve some aspects of its governance arrangements to support continued compliance.	Assessed and unchanged	December 2025
Viability	V2 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements. It has the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of adverse scenarios but needs to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance.	Assessed and unchanged	December 2025

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Bolton at Home Limited (Bolton at Home) following a stability check completed in December 2025.

This regulatory judgement confirms a governance grade of G2 and a financial viability grade of V2. Bolton at Home has a consumer grade of C2 from a planned inspection completed in September 2024.

Summary of the decision

Based on the relevant information and evidence we reviewed in carrying out the stability check, our judgement is that Bolton at Home meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of adverse scenarios. However, it needs to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance. We have therefore concluded the landlord’s grade is unchanged and issue a V2 grade for Bolton at Home.

From the stability check, there is no evidence to indicate a change in governance grade is required. Bolton at Home’s governance grade remains G2.

This regulatory judgement is based on a stability check which does not include a reassessment of Bolton at Home’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for Bolton at Home were last updated in February 2025 following a stability check and responsive engagement to issue a governance grade of G2 and a financial viability grade of V2. Bolton at Home’s consumer grade of C2 was issued in September 2024 following a programmed inspection.

Through the inspection, we considered all four of the consumer standards: the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, the Safety and Quality Standard, the Tenancy Standard, and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

During the inspection we observed a board meeting and a customer scrutiny panel, spoke with tenants, held meetings with Bolton at Home including with its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Bolton at Home.

How we reached our judgement

We carried out a stability check of Bolton at Home as part of our annual stability check programme.

Our judgement about how well Bolton at Home is delivering the viability outcomes of our Governance and Financial Viability Standard is based on a review of a range of documents provided by Bolton at Home, as well as analysis of information supplied by Bolton at Home in its regulatory returns.

In confirming Bolton at Home’s governance grade as part of the stability check, our work was limited to verifying that the information contained in Bolton at Home’s regulatory returns did not appear inconsistent with its existing published governance grade.

Our stability checks do not assess a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.  

Summary of findings

Consumer – C2 – September 2024

Below are the findings of our most recent regulatory judgement about Bolton at Home’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards, which assessed Bolton at Home’s consumer grade as C2. The regulatory judgement was issued in September 2024 following a programmed inspection.

During the inspection, Bolton at Home provided evidence-based assurance that it has a good understanding of the current condition of its homes through a range of processes including stock condition surveys, damp, mould and condensation work, home safety inspections, checking and repairing empty homes before they are let to new tenants and responsive repairs surveys. Bolton at Home evidenced a comprehensive level of information, including on compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, based on physical surveys of individual homes.

The inspection identified weaknesses in the provision of an effective, efficient and timely repairs and maintenance service. At the time of the inspection, Bolton at Home had identified and started to implement changes to improve performance to ensure repairs are completed to agreed timescales. Bolton at Home was also having to manage an ongoing significant number of damp and mould cases and needed to improve its performance reporting on this, and repairs more widely, so that the board could have effective oversight and provide appropriate challenge.

During the inspection, Bolton at Home demonstrated a good understanding of its compliance with landlord health and safety requirements with a high level of reported compliance with legal obligations. Bolton at Home evidenced that it is managing the risks posed by the type of homes and buildings it has through its fire risk assessment programme and addressing any actions coming out of those. Bolton at Home’s board has been proactive in seeking additional information on performance in this area to strengthen reporting to improve its oversight, including on fire risk assessment remedial actions. 

In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, we gained assurance during the inspection that Bolton at Home works in partnership with relevant organisations to deter and manage anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods that it provides social housing. Bolton at Home undertakes analysis of anti-social behaviour and hate crime incidents and is currently improving its reporting to its board on this.

During the inspection, Bolton at Home demonstrated that, in relation to the Tenancy Standard, it seeks to offer tenures that are appropriate for the homes it lets, taking into account the purpose of the accommodation, the needs of individual households, the sustainability of the community and the efficient use of social housing. 

In relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, we gained assurance through the inspection that Bolton at Home takes tenants’ views into account in decision-making about how services are delivered and communicates how tenants’ views have been considered. Bolton at Home had a variety of opportunities for its tenants to engage with it and influence decisions that impact upon them, including the customer scrutiny panel and resident voices channel.

We have assurance that Bolton at Home treats its tenants and prospective tenants with fairness and respect, addresses complaints fairly, effectively and promptly, and delivers fair and equitable outcomes for tenants.

We continue our engagement with Bolton at Home while it delivers its intended improvements to the delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

Governance – G2 – December 2025

From the stability check, there is no evidence to indicate that a change in governance grade is required.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, we issued a regulatory judgement in February 2025 following a stability check and responsive engagement with Bolton at Home. Below are our findings in relation to Bolton at Home’s delivery of our governance requirements.  

Based on relevant information and evidence gained from the responsive engagement and stability check, we gained assurance that Bolton at Home’s governance arrangements meet the requirements of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.

We found evidence through the inspection in September 2024, and subsequent responsive engagement that Bolton at Home’s risk and control framework is not always operating as documented, leading to significant delays in major projects not being communicated to the board on a timely basis.

During the inspection, we saw evidence that there is regular and appropriate consideration of alternative options to deliver value for money and make best use of resources. We also found evidence through the inspection that improvement is needed in the board’s financial management and planning and that Bolton at Home needs to develop a business plan that is more sustainable and resilient. The board needs to consider how its strategic financial planning and delivery of strategic objectives aligns with Bolton at Home’s capacity and risk appetite.

We also identified weaknesses in reporting to the board, with insufficient information to allow effective oversight of improvement to tenant services. Bolton at Home recognises these issues and has started to improve reporting.

We continue our engagement with Bolton at Home while it delivers its intended improvements around some aspects of its governance requirements.

Viability – V2 – December 2025

Based on evidence gained from the stability check, we have assurance that Bolton at Home meets the viability requirements of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard and has the financial capacity to withstand a reasonable range of adverse economic scenarios.

We have concluded that Bolton at Home’s financial plan is consistent with and supports the delivery of its strategic objectives. Bolton at Home’s business plan is adequately funded and has access to sufficient liquidity and security.

Bolton at Home is continuing to invest in existing homes and these pressures, alongside new developments and the delivery of efficiency savings, mean that financial capacity is reduced.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

According to the 2025 statistical data return Bolton at Home owns 19,050 homes in 16 local authorities, mainly in the North West.

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 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