Eastlight Community Homes (L4499) - Regulatory Judgement: 30 July 2025
Updated 30 July 2025
Applies to England
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| 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. |
First grading | July 2025 |
| Governance | G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements. |
Assessed and unchanged | July 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 | July 2025 |
Reason for publication
We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Eastlight Community Homes Limited (Eastlight) following an inspection completed in July 2025.
This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grade of C2, a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V1.
Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for Eastlight 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 evidence and assurance gained during the inspection, it is our judgement that there are some weaknesses in Eastlight delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed, specifically in relation to our Safety and Quality Standard. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C2 grade for Eastlight.
Our judgement is that Eastlight meets our governance requirements. Eastlight has provided evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of its governance arrangements and that it continues to effectively manage the risks of its activities, allowing it to deliver its strategic and charitable objectives. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a G1 grade for Eastlight.
Our judgement is that Eastlight meets our financial viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios. Eastlight has a strong financial profile and stress testing demonstrates that financial capacity is built into its business plan. Eastlight has provided appropriate assurance that it has access to sufficient liquidity and adequate funding is in place. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a V1 grade for Eastlight.
How we reached our judgement
We carried out an inspection of Eastlight 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 Customer Influence Committee, spoke with tenants, interviewed staff and board members, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Eastlight.
Our regulatory judgement is based on a review of all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection as well as analysis of information supplied by Eastlight as part of its regulatory reporting.
Summary of findings
Consumer – C2 – July 2025
During the inspection, Eastlight 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. It also demonstrated that it has a good understanding of its compliance with landlord health and safety requirements. Eastlight’s performance information demonstrated a good level of reported compliance with legal obligations, and it has recent third-party assurance that its control environment in this area is operating effectively. Eastlight is making further improvements in reporting to its board as part of tracking the completion of remedial actions identified through its programme of landlord health and safety checks.
Eastlight maintains an accurate and up to date record of the condition of its homes through a programme of physical stock condition surveys of all homes at an individual property level. This is supplemented by a range of ongoing activities including block inspections, healthy homes visits and by use of complaints data.
We found evidence of weaknesses in the provision of an effective, efficient and timely repairs service. Eastlight has put plans in place to improve its repairs service. Tenant satisfaction, complaints and performance information demonstrate that the service is improving, but continued, consistent improvement is required to demonstrate sufficient evidence of improved outcomes for tenants. The board’s oversight of Eastlight’s overall performance reporting does not include a wide range of performance metrics, and this is an area for improvement. Through our ongoing engagement we will continue to seek assurance from Eastlight that sufficient progress is being made to ensure that outcomes for tenants are improved and maintained.
In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard we gained assurance that Eastlight is working in partnership with appropriate partners to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where it provides homes.
In relation to the Tenancy Standard, Eastlight provided evidence that it seeks to offer tenures that are appropriate for its homes, considering the purpose of the accommodation, the needs of individual households, the sustainability of the community and the efficient use of social housing. Eastlight works with local authorities to assist them in meeting their homelessness duties and provides support to tenants to maintain their tenancies.
Overall Eastlight’s approach is delivering the outcomes of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Eastlight provided evidence that it treats tenants with fairness and respect and is continuing to increase its understanding of its tenants. Eastlight demonstrates an active approach to considering tenants’ diverse needs in the design and delivery of services and monitors its performance in continuing to deliver outcomes to tenants in this area.
We saw evidence that Eastlight regularly reviews performance information on complaints handling. It provided evidence that it learns from information on complaint types and outcomes, using this to make improvements.
Eastlight has demonstrated that the design of engagement and scrutiny arrangements provides a wide range of meaningful opportunities for tenants to share their views and provide scrutiny. There is evidence that feedback from tenants and scrutiny reviews have influenced Eastlight’s decision making, including how Eastlight manages anti-social behaviour cases, damp, mould and condensation and complaints.
Governance – G1 – July 2025
Eastlight’s board has a clear purpose, supported by its strategic plan and business plan. The strategic direction of Eastlight is regularly reviewed by the board. There are arrangements in place for the board to review reporting on its strategic delivery, oversight of its financial risks, success of its development strategy, landlord health and safety, and building safety. We saw evidence that the board, supported by its committees, applies appropriate scrutiny and oversight to the performance of the organisation.
An appropriate risk management and control framework is in place and is aligned with the activities of the organisation. Eastlight’s board seeks and gains appropriate levels of assurance across a range of areas. The board seeks regular assurance that Eastlight is performing in line with its risk appetite.
Eastlight had identified some areas for strengthening board ownership and oversight of health and safety compliance and has implemented changes to its performance reporting framework. Eastlight had also carried out a review which resulted in a new data strategy and as part of this has sought assurance on its data in preparation for the implementation of a digital compliance system in 2025.
Eastlight provided evidence that it has established and maintains clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities within its leadership and governance structure, including well established roles for residents. There is evidence that the relationship between the board and committees is working in line with its delegations to strengthen assurance in key areas of risk and compliance. The most recent external review of Eastlight’s governance took place in June 2024 and Eastlight has delivered the recommendations apart from a planned review of its current committee structure.
Board members’ skills, experience and knowledge are aligned with the activities of the organisation and there is a structured approach to effectiveness reviews and the development and appraisal of skills. We have seen evidence of this through board observation, meetings with non-executive directors and executive team members, as well as reviewing relevant documents including meeting minutes.
Eastlight’s board has demonstrated that it regularly considers alternative structures to deliver value for money and make best use of resources.
Viability – V1 – July 2025
Based on the evidence gained from the inspection we have concluded that Eastlight’s financial plans are consistent with, and support the delivery of, its financial strategy. Eastlight has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place to support its financial plans, and is forecast to continue to meet its lenders financial covenants under a wide range of adverse scenarios. Eastlight’s board has effective oversight of its financial position.
Eastlight’s forecasted financial position is weaker than in previous years, primarily due to increased management costs and significant investment in its existing homes. However, financial capacity is built into the business plan and strong levels of headroom over its lenders financial covenants are forecast, with no reliance on the sale of homes.
Eastlight continues to develop new homes whilst also investing in existing stock, and stress testing demonstrates that financial capacity, including sufficient liquidity, is built into its plans. Board ownership of stress testing and mitigation strategies is evidenced and is used to inform decisions, supplementing the wider control framework. Reporting to the board provides sufficient detail to ensure effective oversight.
Background to the judgement
About the landlord
Based on unaudited accounts for 2024/25, Eastlight Community Homes owns 12,747 homes in the East of England.
At 31 March 2025, Eastlight employed 455 full-time equivalent staff and annual turnover was £110.2m. Eastlight’s 2025 business plan aims to deliver approximately 1,200 homes in the East of England by 2030
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.