Decision

Cross Keys Homes Limited (LH4428) - Regulatory Judgement: 26 November 2025

Updated 26 November 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.	Based on previous assessment	March 2025
Governance	G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.	Assessed and unchanged	November 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	November 2025

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Cross Keys Homes Limited (Cross Keys) following a stability check completed in November 2025.

This regulatory judgement confirms a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V1. Cross Keys has a consumer grade of C1 from a planned inspection completed in March 2025.

Summary of the decision

Based on the relevant information and evidence we reviewed in carrying out the stability check, our judgement is that Cross Keys meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios. We have therefore concluded the landlord’s grade is unchanged and issue a V1 grade for Cross Keys.

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

This regulatory judgement is based on a stability check that does not include a reassessment of Cross Keys’ delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the landlord’s most recent consumer, governance and viability grades were C1, G1 and V1, which were issued in March 2025 following an inspection.

During 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 tenant scrutiny panel, spoke to tenants, held meetings with Cross Keys and its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Cross Keys.

How we reached our judgement

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

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

In confirming Cross Keys’ governance grade as part of the stability check, our work was limited to verifying that the information contained in Cross Keys’ 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 – C1 – March 2025

Below are the findings of our most recent regulatory judgement about Cross Keys’ delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards, which assessed Cross Keys’ consumer grade as C1. The regulatory judgement was issued in March 2025 following a programmed inspection.

During the inspection, Cross Keys provided evidence-based assurance that it has appropriate systems in place for ensuring the health and safety of tenants in their homes and associated communal areas. Cross Keys provided appropriate assurance that it has a good understanding of its compliance with its landlord health and safety requirements. Cross Keys has sought adequate assurance over these processes and data as part of the board’s commitment to take all reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of tenants.

We saw evidence that Cross Keys 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. Cross Keys uses its understanding of the quality and safety of its tenants’ homes to make decisions on future investment to maintain and improve homes, such as improvements to its approach in resolving cases of damp and mould.

Cross Keys provides an effective, efficient and timely repairs, maintenance and planned improvements service to tenants and continues to implement actions to improve the service and outcomes to tenants. We saw evidence that customers are satisfied with the repairs service contracted by Cross Keys. We reviewed evidence that gave us assurance that Cross Keys’ 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.

Cross Keys’ board and tenants receive reporting on complaints handling performance and insight, and we saw evidence that this performance data is used by Cross Keys to improve its services.

In meeting the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Cross Keys has demonstrated that it works in partnership with relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB in the neighbourhoods where it provides social housing. We saw evidence that Cross Keys has learnt from resident feedback and previous outcomes to shape how anti-social behaviour services are delivered. We saw that Cross Keys has a range of community partnerships and initiatives that promote the social, environmental and economic wellbeing in the neighbourhoods and communities that it serves.

Overall, Cross Keys’ approach is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards in relation to transparency, influence and accountability. Cross Keys provides a wide range of opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise its strategies, policies and services. Cross Keys has arrangements in place to seek the views of tenants, which have directly influenced how Cross Keys delivers services to improve outcomes for tenants.

Tenant engagement is well structured and supported. Cross Keys acknowledges the need to continue to focus on its communication with tenants and to capture the views from a range of tenants, with strategies developed to deliver in these areas.

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 March 2025 following a programmed inspection of Cross Keys. Below are our findings in that judgement about Cross Keys’ delivery of our governance requirements.

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

We saw evidence of board challenge on performance regarding Cross Keys’ strategic objectives, and robust consideration of risks in its decision making.

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

Cross Keys provided appropriate assurance that it has established and maintains clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities within its leadership and governance structure. There is evidence that the relationship between its board and committees is working in line with its delegations to strengthen assurance in key areas of risk and compliance, and its risk management and control framework is aligned to its strategic risks.

Continuing governance improvement is evidenced through annual effectiveness reviews and in-depth periodic external governance reviews. The most recent external governance review took place in October 2021 and Cross Keys has implemented its recommendations. The next external review is due to commence at the start of the 2025/26 financial year.

Board members’ skills, experience and knowledge are aligned with the activities of the organisation and there is a structured approach to developing and appraising skills that feed into succession planning. We saw evidence of this through board observation, meetings with non-executive directors and executive team members as well as reviewing relevant documents including meeting minutes.

We saw evidence that Cross Keys carries out detailed and robust stress testing against identified risks and combinations of risks, across a range of scenarios with appropriate mitigation strategies in place as a result.

Viability – V1 – November 2025

Based on evidence gained from the stability check, we have assurance that Cross Keys continues to meet the viability requirements of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.

Cross Keys’ financial plans are consistent with, and support, its financial strategy. It has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place and is effectively managing its treasury arrangements. Stress testing demonstrates that financial capacity is built into Cross Keys’ business plan. It forecasts to continue to meet its financial covenants under a wide range of adverse scenarios. Cross Keys’ forecast assumptions are prudent and there is financial capacity in the business plan to increase forecast investment in existing homes if required.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

According to the 2025 statistical data return Cross Keys owns and manages around 13,059 homes across 12 local authority areas, with the majority in Peterborough.

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