Empowering People Inspiring Communities Limited (L4167) - Regulatory Judgement: 30 July 2025
Updated 30 July 2025
Applies to England
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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 | July 2025 |
| Governance | G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements. |
Upgrade | July 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 | July 2025 |
Reason for publication
We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Empowering People Inspiring Communities Limited (EPIC) following an inspection completed in July 2025 and responsive engagement that focused on improvements to EPIC’s governance arrangements following its upgrade to G2 in May 2023. EPIC had previously been downgraded to G3 in August 2021.
This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grading of C1, a governance upgrade to G1 and a financial viability grading of V2.
Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for EPIC were last updated in November 2024 following a stability check, to confirm grades of G2 and V2.
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 overall EPIC is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for EPIC.
Our judgement is that EPIC meets our governance requirements. EPIC has provided appropriate assurance that it has sufficiently addressed the governance weaknesses previously identified and that EPIC’s governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage the risks of its activities and adequately control the organisation, allowing it to deliver its strategic objectives. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a G1 grade for EPIC.
Our judgement is that EPIC meets our financial viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of adverse scenarios, but it does need to manage material risks to ensure continued compliance. EPIC has provided appropriate assurance that it has sufficient liquidity. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a V2 grade for EPIC.
How we reached our judgement
We carried out an inspection of EPIC 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 tenant ambassadors meeting. We also spoke with tenants, held meetings with EPIC including with its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by EPIC.
In response to the earlier governance downgrade we carried out responsive engagement with EPIC that focused on its governance arrangements, including its financial planning and risk management.
Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection as well as analysis of information supplied by EPIC in its regulatory returns and other regulatory activities, including the responsive engagement in relation to the governance downgrade.
Summary of findings
Consumer – C1 – July 2025
During the inspection, EPIC provided assurance that it has appropriate systems in place to ensure the health and safety of tenants in their homes and associated areas. There is evidence that EPIC keeps an accurate record of the condition of its homes through physical surveys and has a process for keeping this information up to date and validated. EPIC has increased its capacity to deliver its programme of stock condition surveys and has demonstrated it uses this information to inform its decisions on future investment and the provision of good quality, well maintained and safe homes for residents. This includes ensuring its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard.
EPIC has demonstrated it provides an efficient, effective and timely repairs service to tenants. EPIC continues to review its repairs and maintenance service, working with tenants to further improve the service and outcomes for tenants.
In relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, we gained assurance EPIC is delivering the required outcomes. EPIC demonstrated that it treats tenants with fairness and respect, and specific actions are taken to deliver fair and equitable outcomes for tenants and meet diverse needs. EPIC regularly reviews performance information on complaints handling. We saw evidence that it learns from complaints to inform service delivery and to make improvements.
We saw evidence that EPIC gathers tenants’ views in a range of formal and informal ways, and tenants are provided with opportunities to influence and scrutinise strategies, policies and services. We saw evidence that feedback has led to service improvements. EPIC has identified that there could be further improvements made to its tenant engagement and scrutiny mechanisms, and it is continuing to focus on this.
EPIC provided assurance that it is delivering the outcomes of the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, including through its partnership working with other organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents.
EPIC has an allocations policy that sets out its approach to ensuring all properties are let in a fair and transparent way and it is taking action to further improve its approach and outcomes for residents. We also saw evidence that EPIC supports tenants to sustain their tenancies in collaboration with relevant organisations.
Governance – G1 – July 2025
EPIC’s governance grade was downgraded to G3 in August 2021 and upgraded to G2 in May 2023, with weaknesses in financial planning and risk management remaining, together with a need to strengthen leadership capacity and strategic oversight of the board.
From the evidence-based assurance we saw throughout the responsive engagement process and during the inspection, we have assurance that EPIC has strengthened its governance arrangements. Board membership has been refreshed, and effectiveness reviews support a continued focus on governance arrangements. The board has set a clear strategic direction and is focused on hearing its tenants’ voices.
The board has strengthened its risk management and control framework, supporting the delivery of its corporate objectives. EPIC’s board actively seeks and gains an appropriate level of assurance across a range of areas and looks to continually improve its approach to scrutinising risks. There is evidence that this assurance has been used to make continuous improvements to its landlord services to mitigate against risks, including its approach to damp and mould, and landlord health and safety. It also seeks and obtains appropriate assurance across key areas, including whether it is achieving value for money and making the best use of available resources.
We saw evidence that the board is effectively managing and scrutinising its financial position, with appropriate oversight and approval of financial plans and strategies. There is also evidence of robust board challenge and regular review of financial performance, including stress testing and mitigation strategies.
Viability – V2 – July 2025
Based on the evidence gained from the inspection, we have concluded that there is appropriate assurance that EPIC’s financial plans are consistent with and support its financial strategy. EPIC has access to sufficient liquidity, an adequately funded business plan and is forecasting to continue to meet its financial covenants. Performance against golden rules and covenants is closely monitored and regularly reported to board.
EPIC continues to meet our viability requirements but has material risks to manage including ongoing investment in homes to improve quality and energy efficiency. We have assurance that EPIC has reporting and oversight in place to manage delivery within its stated risk appetite, and that its stress testing shows that there is financial capacity in the business plan to mitigate a reasonable range of adverse scenarios.
Background to the judgement
About the landlord
Formed following a stock transfer from Stoke-on-Trent City Council in 1998, EPIC is a charitable community benefit society. It has around 1,400 homes, the majority of which are general needs.
EPIC is the only RSH registered entity. It has one dormant unregistered subsidiary, EPIC Regeneration Services Limited.
At 31 March 2025, EPIC employed 33 full-time equivalent staff. Turnover for the year ended 31 March 2025 was £6.8m.
EPIC has no current plans to develop new homes, instead it is investing in its existing stock.
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.