Decision

Bromsgrove District Housing Trust Limited (LH4415) - Regulatory Judgement: 12 November 2025

Updated 12 November 2025

Applies to England

Our Judgement

	Grade/Judgement	Change	Date of assessment
Consumer		Not assessed yet
Governance	G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.	Assessed and unchanged	November 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	November 2025

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (bdht) following a stability check completed in November 2025.

This regulatory judgement confirms a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V2.

Summary of the decision

Based on the relevant information and evidence we reviewed in carrying out the stability check, our judgement is that bdht 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 bdht.

From the stability check, there is no evidence to indicate a change in governance grade is required. bdht’s governance grade remains G1.

This regulatory judgement is based on a stability check which does not include an assessment of bdht’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for bdht were last updated in July 2025 following responsive engagement to issue a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V2.

We carried out responsive engagement which focused on bdht’s risk management and internal control framework, and the board’s oversight of business and financial planning. Our engagement included reviewing documents provided to us by bdht, along with follow-up meetings and discussions with bdht’s executive team, and an observation of the board.

How we reached our judgement

We carried out a stability check of bdht as part of our annual stability check programme.

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

In confirming bdht’s governance grade as part of the stability check, our work was limited to verifying that the information contained in bdht’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

Governance – G1 - November 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 July 2025 following responsive engagement with bdht. Below are the findings in that judgement about bdht’s delivery of our governance requirements.

Based on the evidence gained through our responsive engagement, we have concluded that we have appropriate assurance that bdht’s governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage its risks and adequately control the organisation, allowing it to deliver its objectives.

bdht has strengthened its governance arrangements, specifically its risk management and internal control framework as well as aspects of its financial governance arrangements. Changes to board membership, and ongoing development of bdht’s board have added organisational capacity and improved the oversight and management of strategic risks.

bdht has improved its stress testing and mitigation strategies to meet our governance requirements. This includes considering the impact of sufficiently severe stress testing against its golden rules, lenders’ covenants and headroom. We saw evidence that this is reported to bdht’s board with identified mitigation strategies which support the board in its decision making and risk management. These improvements have strengthened the board’s oversight and ability to assess and respond to any presenting challenges and changes in its financial position. 

bdht has also reviewed the effectiveness of its corporate and governance structures, simplifying these to enable greater board efficiency and oversight.

Overall, we consider that bdht has provided appropriate assurance that it has sufficiently addressed the governance weaknesses we previously identified. Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.

Viability – V2 - November 2025

Based on evidence gained from the stability check, we have assurance that bdht meets the viability requirements of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.

bdht’s financial plans are consistent with, and support, its financial strategy. bdht has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place and is forecast to continue to meet its financial covenants.

bdht has material risks and exposures that it needs to manage. It is increasing investment in its existing homes while delivering a development and sales programme. bdht anticipates generating surpluses from the shared ownership sales, which represents an uncertain cashflow and a risk to delivering the planned financial position. Delivery of this investment reduces bdht’s covenant headroom and impacts its capacity to respond to adverse events.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

According to the 2025 statistical data return bdht owns 4,098 homes in the West Midlands.

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