Decision

Places for People Group Limited (L4236) - Regulatory Judgement: 28 January 2026

Updated 28 January 2026

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.	Based on previous assessment	March 2025
Governance	G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.	Assessed and unchanged	January 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	January 2026

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Places for People Group Limited (Places for People) following a stability check completed in January 2026.

This regulatory judgement confirms a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V2. Places for People has a consumer grade of C1 from a planned inspection completed in March 2025.

Summary of the decision

Based on the relevant information and evidence we reviewed in carrying out the stability check, our judgement is that Places for People 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. We have therefore concluded the landlord’s grade is unchanged and issue a V2 grade for Places for People.

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

This regulatory judgement is based on a stability check which does not include a reassessment of Places for People’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the landlord’s most recent consumer, governance and viability grades were C1, G1 and V2, which were issued in March 2025 following an inspection.

During the inspection, we considered all four of the consumer standards: the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, the Safety and Quality Standard, the Tenancy Standard, and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

During the inspection we observed a board meeting, attended a National Customer Group meeting, spoke with tenants, held meetings with Places for People’s management and its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Places for People.

How we reached our judgement

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

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

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

Our stability checks do not assess a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

Summary of findings

Consumer – C1 – March 2025

Below are the findings of our most recent regulatory judgement about Places for People’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards, which assessed Places for People’s consumer grade as C1. The regulatory judgement was issued in March 2025 following a programmed inspection.

During the inspection Places for People provided evidence that it has appropriate systems in place to ensure the health and safety of tenants in their homes and associated communal areas, meeting the outcomes of the Safety and Quality Standard. Places for People provided evidence-based assurance that its systems accurately record its current compliance position with landlord health and safety requirements, and that it has effective mechanisms to give its board assurance that controls are operating effectively.

Places for People owns and manages homes in tall buildings. We gained assurance that it understands the risks associated with these buildings, receives appropriate advice, and has mitigations in place whilst programmed works are planned or underway. Places for People communicates regularly with tenants living in buildings where risks are presented and provided evidence-based assurance that its mitigations are effective at managing these risks.

We saw evidence that Places for People has an accurate understanding of the condition of its homes by triangulating information from a range of sources including physical surveys and is proactive in using different strategies to identify where repairs are needed. Places for People demonstrated it has effective processes to maintain the accuracy of information about the condition of its homes and that this reliably informs business planning decisions, including by using a variety of supplementary data sources to enable a comprehensive understanding of the condition of its homes.

Places for People has evidenced that it maintains an effective, efficient, and timely repairs and maintenance service. There is performance monitoring that supports our assurance Places for People is delivering the timescales it sets for the completion of repairs, maintenance and planned improvements. A programme of work is underway to make further improvements to the service it provides. We saw evidence that Places for People’s approach to repairs is informed by the needs of its tenants, and that it uses tenant information to tailor its services. Places for People also provided examples of how it learns lessons when issues arise with its repairs service and puts in place plans to remedy and minimise recurrence, including tackling root causes.

In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Places for People works internally and with relevant external partners to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and that it is committed to understanding the effectiveness of its approach. We saw evidence that engaged tenants can challenge performance on anti-social behaviour at the National and Regional Customer Groups.

In line with the outcomes required by the Tenancy Standard, Places for People deploys a range of methods to promote tenancy sustainability and supports tenancies through its community-based model. Tenancies are allocated in a fair and transparent way and the board is able to monitor performance through a variety of tenancy and customer related metrics. There is evidence that Places for People is operating in line with its lettings policy.

Places for People’s approach is delivering the outcomes of the Consumer Standards in relation to transparency, influence and accountability. The landlord has a good understanding of its tenants’ vulnerabilities and diverse needs and uses this information to help design and deliver services, for example, through an updated approach to engaging with tenants in advance of planned works.

Overall, we found Places for People ensures complaints are addressed fairly, promptly, and effectively and understands the impact on tenants when it gets things wrong. Places for People has recently invested in its approach to handling complaints. Whilst the full benefits of the investment have yet to be realised we saw evidence that the landlord has identified weaknesses and seeks to improve the way it learns from complaints to deliver better outcomes for tenants. We also gained assurance that the board receives detailed performance information to support its oversight of improvement in its approach to complaints.

We gained assurance that Places for People is committed to treating tenants with fairness and respect, although it acknowledges that it will need to continue to drive improvements so that the strong corporate emphasis on listening to tenants is reflected at all levels of the Group. Places for People provides an appropriate level of accessible and relevant information to enable tenants to access a range of landlord services, support and advice. Published performance information on the website is reasonable but limited to the Tenant Satisfaction Measures and there are plans to improve the level and frequency of reporting to enable tenants to understand how their landlord is performing.

Places for People gathers tenants’ views in a range of formal and informal ways, and tenants are provided with meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise strategies, policies and services. We saw evidence that tenant feedback and scrutiny has positively impacted service delivery in a number of areas including asset investment and customer vulnerability. We observed how members of the National Customer Group are able to challenge and inform the delivery of services and there was evidence that feedback from tenants had directly and positively impacted outcomes. Tenants are given access to an appropriate level of performance information to support effective scrutiny.

Governance – G1 – January 2026

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 March 2025 following a programmed inspection of Places for People. Below are the findings in that judgement about Places for People’s delivery of our governance requirements.

Based on the evidence gained from the inspection there is assurance that Places for People’s governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage risk and adequately control the organisation, allowing it to deliver its strategic objectives. Places for People’s board demonstrated it monitors and challenges performance against strategic targets and considers its risk appetite during decision making.

The inspection provided assurance that Places for People board proactively reviews its approach to delivering against its purpose and routinely considers alternative methods of delivering its strategic objectives. Places for People has an embedded approach to achieving value for money and effectively demonstrated that it has arrangements that facilitate robust challenge on the extent to which it derives which it derives optimal benefit from its available resources.

Places for People maintains clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities within its leadership and governance structure. There is assurance its board and committees work in line with its delegations and that the board periodically considers the adequacy of its governance structure.

Places for People’s approach to continuous improvement is evidences through board member appraisals, annual internal effectiveness reviews and periodic external effectiveness reviews. The most recent external review of Places for People’s governance effectiveness took place in February 2025.

Board member skills, experience and knowledge are appropriately aligned with the activities of Places for People and there is a structured approach to developing and appraising skills to support succession planning.

Places for People has a risk management and control framework that is aligned to its strategic risks. There is evidence of discussion and board challenge of the controls deployed to mitigate strategic risks and of the assurance provided that key controls are designed and operating effectively. Board, supported effectively by its committees, is active in seeking and gaining appropriate levels of assurance across a range of areas. There is evidence that assurance activity is used to make improvements to services including repairs, managing complaints, anti-social behaviour and damp and mould.

We saw evidence that the board has clear ownership of stress testing and mitigation strategies. Wider governance over risks through regular and structured review of golden rules is evident. Board reporting provides sufficient detail for the board to ensure effective oversight of Places for People’s financial and commercial risks that are part of its structure.

Viability – V2 – January 2026

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

We have concluded that there is appropriate assurance that Places for People’s financial plans are consistent with, and support, its financial strategy. Places for People has evidenced that it has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place to support its financial plans and is forecast to meet its financial covenants under a reasonable range of adverse scenarios. Places for People’s board has effective oversight of covenant compliance with regular reporting in place on its actual and forecast position.

Places for People continues to meet our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a reasonable range of 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.

Places for People plans to generate surpluses from the sale of homes in the medium term and is reliant on this income to meet covenant requirements in the short-term. Given this reliance on sales income Places for People does need to manage its exposure to financial risks.

We have assurance that Places for People has reporting and oversight in place to manage the risks of its sales programme. Stress testing demonstrates that financial capacity, including sufficient liquidity, is built into its plans for development and investment in its homes, and that there is adequate funding in place. However, when set in the context of economic pressures, the above factors significantly impact on Places for People’s capacity to respond to adverse events.

We will continue to engage with Places for People as it delivers its financial plans and ensures it has a financially sustainable strategy going forward.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

According to the 2025 statistical data return Places for People owns 69,437 homes across England.

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