Decision

Great Places Housing Group Limited (L4465) - Regulatory Judgement: 17 December 2025

Updated 17 December 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.	Upgrade	December 2025
Governance	G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.	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 Great Places Housing Group Limited (Great Places) following a stability check and responsive engagement completed in December 2025.

This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer upgrade to C1, a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V2. 

Summary of the decision

From the assurance gained during the responsive engagement, based on the evidence provided by Great Places, we have concluded that overall Great Places is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. Great Places has strengthened its assurance and oversight of landlord health and safety risks. This includes the quality of information it uses to understand and monitor remedial actions and compliance. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for Great Places.

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

Our judgement is that Great Places 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. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a viability grade of V2 for Great Places.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the landlord’s most recent consumer, governance and financial viability grades were C2, G1 and V2, which were issued in September 2024 following an inspection.

How we reached our judgement

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

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

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

In addition we undertook responsive engagement that focused on weaknesses in Great Places delivering the outcomes of the Safety and Quality Standard. This responsive engagement included discussions with Great Places and reviewing evidence demonstrating the improvements made in Great Places’ understanding of the condition of its homes and the consequent improved outcomes for tenants.

Our regulatory judgement is based on all of the relevant information we obtained during the responsive engagement process and an analysis of information supplied by Great Places in its regulatory returns.

Summary of findings  

Consumer – C1 – December 2025

Following a programmed inspection that concluded in September 2024, we engaged with Great Places to understand how it was addressing the key issues identified. These related to weaknesses in Great Places’ approach and oversight of health and safety risks, which included the quality of information used to understand and monitor remedial actions and compliance. Great Places had identified these issues prior to the inspection. The landlord also planned to improve its stock condition information through increasing the number of its homes with a recent stock condition survey.

Through our responsive engagement, we have assurance that Great Places has improved its understanding of the condition of its homes. It will use this information to identify the investment needed to ensure tenants live in good quality, well maintained and safe homes.

We have also reviewed the information contained in Great Places’ published performance information and regulatory returns to gain assurance that this information is consistent with an assessment of a consumer grade of C1. In a number of areas we have not changed our view of assurance gained during the 2024 regulatory inspection.

Our inspection in 2024 found that in relation to the Safety and Quality Standard, Great Places has appropriate systems in place to ensure the health and safety of its tenants in their homes and associated communal areas. During the inspection we saw evidence that Great Places keeps an accurate record of the condition of its homes through physical surveys and has a process for keeping this information up to date.

Great Places also demonstrated through the inspection that it provides an effective and timely repairs service to tenants, providing evidence it takes action to improve the service and outcomes for tenants when issues occur. However, Great Places identified that its repairs service was a significant cause of complaints received and as a result has made changes to the way tenants can engage with the repairs service.

In the 2024 inspection we found that when tenants make complaints, Great Places demonstrated it made service improvements in response. It has processes that mean its board is updated on the type of complaints received and there is an approach in place to ensure learning from complaints.

Through the inspection we gained assurance that Great Places prioritises the safety and security of its communities. It had sought external assurance over its approach to managing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and hate incidents and made changes to improve its oversight of ASB performance to allow scrutiny in this area. Great Places provided evidence to demonstrate how it works in partnership with relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB in its neighbourhoods.

In relation to the Tenancy Standard, Great Places’ allocations policy sets out its approach to ensuring all properties are let in a fair and transparent way, with the most recent policy approved by the board after being reviewed by tenants. We saw evidence during the inspection of Great Places ensuring tenants are supported in sustaining their tenancies.

In relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, Great Places provided evidence through the inspection that it is delivering the outcomes required. Great Places has put in place training and development of its staff to further develop a culture of fairness and respect. It demonstrated an active approach to considering tenants’ diverse needs in the design and delivery of services and presented appropriate assurance that the tenant information it holds is used to support the delivery of fair and equitable services.

Great Places demonstrated that it provides a wide range of opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise its strategies, policies and services. There are clear arrangements in place through which Great Places hears from tenants. There is also evidence that feedback from tenants has directly and positively impacted service delivery. Great Places has provided appropriate assurance that it makes effective use of its performance data to shape services and provides a range of information to tenants to support effective scrutiny.

Governance – G1 – 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 September 2024 following a programmed inspection with Great Places. Below are the findings in that judgement about Great Places’ delivery of our governance requirements.

Based on the evidence gained from the inspection there is assurance that Great Places’ governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage its risk and adequately control the organisation, allowing it to deliver its objectives. Great Places’ board demonstrated that it provides challenge on performance against the organisation’s strategic targets and consideration of risk appetite in strategic decision making.

Great Places has provided appropriate assurance that its board proactively reviews its approach to delivering against its purpose and regularly considers alternative options to ensure it is achieving value for money in making best use of resources.

Great Places was able to provide evidence that it has established and maintains clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities within its leadership and governance structure. The relationship between its board and committees is working in line with its delegations to strengthen assurance in key areas of risk and compliance.

Continuing governance improvement is evidenced through annual effectiveness reviews and in-depth periodic external governance reviews. The most recent external review took place in February 2024 and recommendations have informed an action plan being monitored by the board.

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

Great Places has a risk management and control framework that aligns to its strategic risks. There is evidence of robust discussion and board challenge of the controls and assurance on strategic risks and of risks being managed effectively in practice.

Great Places’ board actively seeks and gains an appropriate level of assurance across a range of areas. There is evidence of how this assurance has been used to make improvements including on the approach to anti-social behaviour, stock condition information, and damp and mould.

Board ownership of stress testing, mitigation strategies and wider governance over risks through regular and structured review of golden rules is evident. Reporting to board provides sufficient detail for the board to ensure effective oversight.

Viability – V2 – December 2025

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

Great Places continues to meet our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with adverse scenarios. Its recent financial performance indicates it has delivered a sustainable financial position throughout a period of economic uncertainty, and it continues to forecast generating a positive operating margin. However, its forecast financial profile is weaker than in previous years due to increases in investment in its existing homes while continuing to develop new homes.

In addition to this investment, Great Places anticipates being able to generate surpluses from the sale of some of its assets, including homes developed for sale. They represent an uncertain cashflow for the organisation and a risk to delivering the planned financial position.

We have assurance that Great Places has reporting and oversight in place to manage the identified risks and to track financial performance, However, when set in the context of economic pressures, the above factors impact on Great Places’ capacity to respond to adverse events.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

According to the 2025 statistical data return Great Places owns 22,175 homes primarily across North West England, Yorkshire and Humber, and the East Midlands. Its largest property holding is across the Greater Manchester area.

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