Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association Limited L0457 - Regulatory Judgement: 8 July 2026
Updated 8 July 2026
Applies to England
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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 | July 2026 |
| Governance | G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements. |
Assessed and unchanged | July 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 | July 2026 |
Reason for publication
We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association Limited (Islington and Shoreditch HA) following an inspection completed in July 2026.
This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grade of C2, a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V2.
Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for Islington and Shoreditch HA 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, it is our judgement that there are some weaknesses in how Islington and Shoreditch HA is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed, specifically in relation to outcomes in our Safety and Quality Standard, Neighbourhood and Community Standard and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C2 grade for Islington and Shoreditch HA.
Our judgement is that Islington and Shoreditch HA meets our governance requirements. Islington and Shoreditch HA 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 objectives. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a G1 grade for Islington and Shoreditch HA.
Our judgement is that Islington and Shoreditch HA meets our financial viability requirements. Islington and Shoreditch HA has sufficient liquidity and continues to forecast compliance with its lenders’ covenants. While it has the financial capacity to withstand a reasonable range of adverse scenarios, it is exposed to financial risks associated with reliance on sales of high-value empty homes to fund investment in existing homes, including building safety, and to support a modest development programme. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a V2 grade for Islington and Shoreditch HA.
How we reached our judgement
We carried out an inspection of Islington and Shoreditch HA 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 meeting of the Resident Scrutiny Panel, spoke with tenants, held meetings with Islington and Shoreditch HA including its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Islington and Shoreditch HA.
Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection, as well as analysis of information supplied by Islington and Shoreditch HA in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.
Summary of findings
Consumer – C2 – July 2026
In relation to the Safety and Quality Standard, Islington and Shoreditch HA provided evidence that it has appropriate systems in place to identify and meet legal requirements that relate to the health and safety of tenants in their homes and communal areas. However, we identified some weaknesses in ensuring that all of the required actions arising from fire risk assessments are carried out within appropriate timescales. We gained assurance that Islington and Shoreditch HA deploys mitigations where required, has made progress in completing existing overdue actions and has plans to complete the remaining ones within reasonable timescales, but this needs to be an area of sustained focus for the board. We will continue to work with Islington and Shoreditch HA as it delivers on these improvements for tenants. Islington and Shoreditch HA evidenced that it is making good progress in delivering its building safety remediation programme for its higher risk buildings.
There is evidence that Islington and Shoreditch HA keeps an accurate and up-to-date record of the condition of its homes at an individual property level through physical surveys of all homes and has a process for keeping this information up to date. These surveys include an assessment of compliance with the Decent Homes Standard. Islington and Shoreditch HA has demonstrated that it uses its understanding of the quality and safety of its tenants’ homes to make decisions on future investment to maintain and improve homes.
Islington and Shoreditch HA evidenced that it is making progress in delivering an effective, efficient and timely repairs, maintenance and planned improvements service across its homes including those related to the remediation of damp and mould. It has made several improvements to its repairs service to increase the visibility and robustness of operational data, which has enhanced the monitoring and oversight of contractor performance. Islington and Shoreditch HA is seeking to increase its level of knowledge about the diverse needs of its tenants to effectively tailor services and will also need to monitor outcomes being delivered by the repairs service to ensure they are equitable.
In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Islington and Shoreditch HA evidenced that it works in partnership with appropriate organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where it provides homes. However, it recognises that its approach to anti-social behaviour, while clearly set out in policy, continues to require improvement given the low levels of tenant satisfaction. Islington and Shoreditch HA is taking steps to improve aspects of its communication in relation to how it keeps tenants informed about the progress of their case and when a case is closed.
Islington and Shoreditch HA has identified that there are weaknesses in how it works co-operatively with tenants, other landlords and relevant organisations to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of shared spaces. These are spaces associated with a registered providers’ homes and used by their tenants that are not the direct responsibility of the landlord. While Islington and Shoreditch HA does not have direct responsibility for these areas it has plans in place to formalise how it works with partners, and to establish a database of shared spaces that it does not own.
There is evidence that Islington and Shoreditch HA meets the outcomes of the Tenancy Standard. It has a transparent approach to lettings and allocations, and measures are in place to ensure terms of tenancy are appropriate and meet the needs of tenants and support tenancy sustainment. These include outreach and support services to help tenants access financial support. Islington and Shoreditch HA evidenced it has a range of ways to deter and tackle tenancy fraud.
In relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard we gained assurance that Islington and Shoreditch HA is committed to treating its tenants and prospective tenants with fairness and respect and recognises that its improvement work will strengthen this further. It is in the process of increasing the level of information it holds about the diverse needs of its tenants in order tailor its services more effectively and gain assurance that outcomes from services are being delivered equitably.
Islington and Shoreditch HA evidenced that it listens to its tenants and provides a range of opportunities for tenants to influence its strategies, policies and services. It is developing a new tenant engagement strategy and has committed to increasing the level of support to its Resident Scrutiny Panel. While there are examples where feedback from tenants is used to inform the provision of services, it could improve how it assures itself that its tenant engagement is meaningful and directly contributes to delivering better outcomes for its tenants.
Islington and Shoreditch HA is undertaking improvements to its complaints service to ensure complaints are addressed fairly, effectively and promptly. Evidence shows improvement in the timeliness of addressing complaints. However, Islington and Shoreditch HA has recognised that the low levels of tenant satisfaction and high proportion of stage two complaints indicates that further improvements are required to address the quality of its responses and general communication regarding complaints.
We will continue to engage with Islington and Shoreditch HA to ensure improved outcomes for tenants.
Governance – G1 – July 2026
Based on evidence gained from the inspection, we have assurance that Islington and Shoreditch HA’s governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage its risks and adequately control the organisation in line with its strategic objectives. Islington and Shoreditch HA’s board demonstrated that it monitors strategic delivery, challenges performance against strategic targets and considers its risk appetite in decision making.
Islington and Shoreditch HA demonstrated that the board is overseeing the management of a challenging financial position while delivering a modest development programme and the ongoing remediation of its higher risk buildings. It has an established approach to delivering value for money and effectively demonstrated that it has arrangements in place to ensure it makes the most of its available resources.
Islington and Shoreditch HA maintains clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities within its leadership and governance structure. We have assurance that the board periodically reviews the effectiveness of its governance structure. Its approach to continuous improvement of its governance arrangements is evidenced through board member appraisals, internal effectiveness reviews and periodic external reviews, the most recent was completed in 2025.
Islington and Shoreditch HA has undergone changes to its executive and non-executive leadership and there was evidence that board members’ skills and experience are aligned with the activities of Islington and Shoreditch HA and there is a structured, skills-based approach to succession planning.
Islington and Shoreditch HA has a risk management and control framework that is aligned to its strategic risks. There is evidence of appropriate challenge and discussion by the board to ensure that controls are designed and operating effectively and that risks are being effectively mitigated. The board, supported by its committees, is active in seeking and gaining assurance from a range of independent sources and that outcomes from assurance activities are used to drive improvement.
Islington and Shoreditch HA demonstrated appropriate financial governance. We saw evidence of robust stress testing against the main risks and combination of risks that it faces, with appropriate ownership and scrutiny by the board and a credible range of mitigations. Board reporting provides sufficient detail to ensure appropriate oversight of the financial and commercial risks that arise from its activities.
Viability – V2 – July 2026
Based on evidence gained through the inspection, we have concluded that there is appropriate assurance that Islington and Shoreditch HA’s financial plans are consistent with, and support, its financial strategy. It has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security capacity, and is forecast to meet its financial covenants under a reasonable range of adverse scenarios. The board demonstrates a clear understanding of the organisation’s financial position and associated risks, with appropriate oversight of covenant compliance.
Islington and Shoreditch HA has stabilised its financial position following the impact of elevated building safety costs through actions including securing additional liquidity, revising covenant arrangements and implementing a programme of selective disposal of empty homes. Going forward, access to the government Building Safety Fund is expected to support remediation costs across its medium and high‑rise portfolio.
However, material risks remain. The business plan continues to rely on high‑value sales of empty homes to support investment in existing homes and services and to deliver a modest development programme. Stress testing indicates that Islington and Shoreditch HA can withstand a reasonable range of adverse scenarios, although resilience is partly dependent on the effective delivery of planned mitigations, particularly the continued performance of sales of empty homes.
Background to the judgement
About the landlord
Islington and Shoreditch HA operates in North London and owns around 1,800 social housing homes.
Islington and Shoreditch HA is the only registered entity in the group and has no active unregistered subsidiaries.
At 31 March 2025 Islington and Shoreditch HA’s turnover was £30.6m and it employed 91 full-time equivalent staff.
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.