Decision

Home Group Limited (L3076) - Regulatory Judgement: 28 October 2026

Updated 28 October 2026

Applies to England

Our Judgement

	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	October 2026
Governance	G2 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements but needs to improve some aspects of its governance arrangements to support continued compliance.	Downgrade	October 2026
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	October 2026

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Home Group Limited (Home Group) following an inspection completed in October 2026.

This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grade of C2, a governance grade of G2 and a financial viability grade of V2.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for Home Group were last updated in December 2025 following a stability check to confirm a G1 grade for governance and a V2 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 assurance gained during the inspection, based on the evidence provided by Home Group, we have concluded that there are some weaknesses in how Home Group is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed, specifically in relation to the outcomes in our Safety and Quality Standard, Neighbourhood and Community Standard, and Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C2 grade for Home Group.

Our judgement is that Home Group meets our governance requirements but needs to improve some aspects of its governance arrangements to support continued compliance, specifically in relation to the quality of board reporting to enable effective oversight of key risk and compliance areas, and to strengthen the effectiveness of its risk management framework. Based on this assessment we have concluded that a downgrade to G2 is appropriate.

Our judgement is that Home Group meets our financial 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 V2 grade for Home Group.

How we reached our judgement

We carried out an inspection of Home Group 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 the June 2026 board meeting and National Customer Committee meeting, spoke with tenants, held meetings with Home Group including its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Home Group.

Our regulatory judgement is based on a review of all of the relevant information we obtained during the inspection as well as analysis of information supplied by Home Group in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.

Summary of findings  

Consumer – C2 – October 2026

During the inspection we gained assurance that Home Group is delivering some of the outcomes required in relation to the Safety and Quality standard. However, some weaknesses were identified and improvement is required. Home Group has appropriate systems in place to ensure the health and safety of tenants in their homes and associated communal areas. Home Group demonstrated that it meets legal requirements relating to the health and safety of tenants in their homes, although improvements are needed in the management and monitoring of some of the issues it identifies in its homes. Home Group also needs to continue to improve its compliance position in relation to homes managed by external managing agents.

Home Group has arrangements in place to maintain records of the condition of its homes through a programme of physical surveys. However, weaknesses remain in how complete and up to date the information it holds about tenants’ homes is. While the majority of its homes have had a recent survey, some homes either lack survey information or rely on surveys that are more than 10 years old. In addition, board oversight of the condition of its homes requires improvement and would benefit from more robust management information to support effective scrutiny and decision making. Home Group provided evidence that it uses the records it does hold alongside other information to inform its understanding of the quality and safety of tenants’ homes, and to make decisions on the planning of future investments to maintain and improve its homes.

While Home Group has improved the timeliness and effectiveness of its repairs, maintenance and planned improvements services, improvements are required to ensure the level of overdue repairs is reduced further. We also identified weaknesses in its management of damp, mould and condensation cases, including high case volumes and evidence that reports are not always responded to within appropriate timescales. Home Group also needs to continue to improve how repairs and maintenance services are tailored to tenants’ needs and vulnerabilities, and how it ensures that tenants are kept appropriately informed about repair and maintenance activity.

While Home Group has taken steps to reduce both the level of overdue repairs and the number of damp, mould and condensation cases, it must demonstrate that these actions will deliver sustained improvements in performance. In addition, improvements are required in the information reported to the board on repairs and damp, mould and condensation performance. Reporting should provide greater clarity to support effective oversight and informed decision making, and to enable the board to monitor whether service improvements are being maintained.

In relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, we found evidence that Home Group treats its tenants fairly and with respect. Home Group has demonstrated that it uses tenant information to inform service adjustments. However, it is still strengthening the quality and completeness of its tenant information and the arrangements for collecting it, which limits its ability to demonstrate how this information is used to deliver fair and equitable outcomes across its landlord services.

Home Group makes information available to its tenants via its website and tenant magazine and provides a range of meaningful opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise its strategies, policies and services. However, there are weaknesses in how the outcomes of tenant engagement are communicated more widely to tenants and how service performance is made available for its tenants to hold it to account.

We observed that Home Group handles complaints fairly, effectively and in a timely manner. However, it needs to demonstrate more clearly how it learns from complaint outcomes, uses this learning to drive service improvements, and communicates resulting actions to tenants.

In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, we saw evidence that Home Group works in partnership with appropriate organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where it provides social housing. Home Group has identified opportunities to strengthen its approach to performance management and has plans in place to improve reporting on the effectiveness of interventions, and to capture and embed lessons learned. It has plans to compare anti-social behaviour performance information with wider organisational performance metrics to improve outcomes for its tenants and in its communities.

There is evidence that Home Group is delivering the outcomes of the Tenancy Standard. It allocates its homes in a fair and transparent way and has effective arrangements in place to support tenancy sustainability and minimise tenancy failure. Home Group also demonstrated that it has controls in place to prevent and address tenancy fraud.

We will continue to actively engage with Home Group to monitor its progress in improving its delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

Governance – G2 – October 2026

Based on evidence gained from the inspection, we have assurance that Home Group meets our governance requirements but needs to improve some aspects of its governance arrangements to support continued compliance with the Governance and Financial Viability Standard.

Home Group’s governance arrangements are aligned with its size and the scope of activities it undertakes, with evidence that these have historically been effective in delivering its strategic objectives, social purpose and value for money. Its governance structure, formal delegations and committee arrangements are established, however, it has not demonstrated consistent oversight across a number of important consumer and compliance risk areas. Home Group provided assurance that it considers alternative options to deliver value for money and make best use of its resources.

Home Group has appropriate reporting on the overall delivery of its strategy and financial governance, and the board demonstrated effective challenge when considering clear and robust information. However, the inspection identified weaknesses in board reporting on the level of information about the condition of its homes, building safety, health and safety, damp and mould, repairs, and tenant accountability. Reports did not always make the scale, age and risk of outstanding issues clear, limiting board oversight and impacting on its scrutiny of performance and board’s ability to ensure improvements required are delivered. Home Group has already started to make necessary improvements to its reporting framework.

Home Group has a clearly defined risk management and controls assurance framework, and we saw evidence through our board observations and meetings with non-executive directors that there is an understanding of the risks facing the organisation and the controls in place to mitigate them. External advice is also sought as appropriate. However, Home Group needs to strengthen board oversight of assurance findings and review activity, ensuring that sufficient attention is given to the recommendations from reviews and assurance work, including third-party assurance. This would enable the identification of common themes, underlying causes, and recurring issues. Home Group should also enhance oversight and scrutiny of the implementation of these recommendations to ensure that actions are completed effectively and within agreed timescales. Strengthening this approach will help accelerate the pace of improvement and provide assurance that improvement plans, reviews, and new systems have been fully embedded and are delivering sustained outcomes for tenants.

Home Group maintains a clear governance framework with defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities across its leadership and governance structures. We saw evidence that the board and its committees operate in accordance with delegated authorities, and that the board periodically reviews the effectiveness of its governance arrangements. Board members collectively demonstrate skills, knowledge and experience that are broadly aligned to Home Group’s activities. However, there is scope to strengthen the board’s capacity and expertise further to ensure it has sufficient capability and time to provide effective challenge and scrutiny of key strategic, operational and compliance risks. Home Group is committed to the continuous improvement of its governance arrangements through robust succession planning, annual appraisals and regular effectiveness reviews.

Through the inspection we found that there is evidence of effective oversight of Home Group’s financial position and effective governance in managing its viability risks. We saw evidence of board ownership and understanding of stress testing and mitigation strategies and gained assurance that stress testing is aligned with wider business planning and includes consideration of emerging risks.

We will continue to actively engage with Home Group to monitor its progress in improving its delivery of the outcomes of our governance standard.

Viability – V2 – October 2026

Based on the evidence gained through the inspection, we are assured that Home Group’s financial plans are consistent with and support its financial strategy. Home Group has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place, and is forecast to continue to meet its financial covenants under a reasonable range of adverse scenarios.

We have assurance that Home Group is able to withstand a reasonable range of adverse scenarios, however it needs to manage material risks, particularly those associated with investment in its existing homes and delivery of its development programme, in order to sustain financial viability. We have assurance that the assumptions within the financial plan are appropriate, with no reliance on sales or efficiencies to maintain covenant compliance.

Stress testing shows resilience to a reasonable range of adverse scenarios and Home Group has identified a range of mitigation strategies to protect liquidity and maintain covenant compliance.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

Home Group owns around 52,811 social homes and operates predominantly in the north and south-east of England. Home Group also owns homes in Scotland.

Home Group reported a turnover of £499m for the year ended 31 March 2026 and employed the full-time equivalent of 3,408 staff.

Over the next three years, Home Group aims to develop 2,559 affordable homes.

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

Related documents

• Decent Homes Standard