South Liverpool Homes Limited (L4230) - Regulatory Judgement: 30 April 2025
Updated 30 April 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 | April 2025 |
| Governance | G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements. |
Assessed and unchanged | April 2025 |
| Viability | V1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios. |
Assessed and unchanged | April 2025 |
Reason for publication
We are publishing a regulatory judgement for South Liverpool Homes Limited (SLH) following an inspection completed in April 2025.
This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grading of C1, a governance grading of G1 and a financial viability grading of V1.
Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for SLH were last updated in February 2024, based on evidence gained from a stability check and responsive engagement to confirm grades of G1 and V1. 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, SLH is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for SLH.
Our judgement is that SLH meets our governance requirements. SLH 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 and charitable objectives. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a G1 grade for SLH.
Our judgement is that SLH meets our financial viability requirements and continues to have the financial capacity to manage a wide range of adverse scenarios. SLH has provided appropriate assurance that it has access to sufficient liquidity and adequate funding in place. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a V1 grade for SLH.
How we reached our judgement
We carried out an inspection of SLH 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 SLH’s Customer Services Committee, which is part of its tenant scrutiny arrangements, and a committee of the board. We also spoke with tenants, held meetings with SLH’s executive and non-executive directors and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by SLH.
Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection as well as analysis of information received from SLH through its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.
Summary of findings
Consumer – C1 – April 2025
During the inspection SLH provided evidence-based assurance that it has appropriate systems in place to ensure the health and safety of its tenants in their homes and associated communal areas. There is evidence that SLH keeps an accurate 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. SLH provided evidence that it uses this information to inform its decisions on future investment and the provision of good quality, well maintained and safe homes for tenants. This includes ensuring its homes meet the Decent Homes Standard.
SLH has demonstrated that it provides an effective, efficient and timely repairs service to tenants and takes action to improve the service and outcomes for tenants when issues occur. SLH has used the recommendations of its tenant scrutiny activities and learning from complaints to improve the outcomes of its repairs service.
We gained assurance that SLH is working in partnership with appropriate partners, including local authority departments, the police and other relevant organisations to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the neighbourhoods where it provides homes. This activity is positively impacting outcomes for tenants.
SLH provided evidence that it seeks to offer tenures that are appropriate for the homes it lets, considering the purpose of the accommodation, the needs of individual households, the sustainability of the community and the efficient use of social housing. The needs of tenants and prospective tenants are considered through the design of tenancy services, including in the development of new homes.
SLH treats tenants with fairness and respect and is continuing to increase its understanding of its tenants. SLH demonstrates an active approach to considering tenants’ diverse needs in the design and delivery of services and monitors its performance in continuing to deliver outcomes to tenants in this area. We saw evidence of SLH using performance data to focus its improvements. This included targeted engagement with certain tenant groups to then use their views to influence improvement plans.
SLH regularly reviews performance information on complaints handling. It provided evidence that it learns from information on complaint types and outcomes, using this to make improvements.
SLH demonstrated that the design of engagement and scrutiny arrangements provides a wide range of meaningful opportunities for tenants to share their views and provide scrutiny. There is evidence that feedback from tenants and scrutiny reviews have influenced SLH’s decision making, including how SLH manages ASB cases, damp, mould and condensation, and complaints.
Governance – G1 – April 2025
Based on the evidence gained from the inspection there is assurance that SLH’s governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage its risk and adequately control the organisation, allowing it to deliver its objectives. SLH’s board provides challenge on performance against the organisation’s strategic targets, monitoring instances of underperformance through clear and timebound improvement plans.
SLH provided appropriate assurance that its board proactively reviews its approach to delivering against its purpose. It is prioritising investment in existing homes and services to tenants. We saw evidence that SLH continues to actively manage its capacity as it looks to increase its development of new homes.
SLH regularly reviews the effectiveness of its corporate structure and how this supports its charitable objects. It has clarity over the assets and liabilities records associated with each entity within the group and we saw evidence that, through regular reporting, SLH’s board takes these records into account in its decision making.
SLH 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 and reflects the voices of its tenants. We saw evidence of this through board observation, meetings with non-executive directors and the executive team, as well as reviewing relevant documents including meeting minutes.
Continuing governance improvement is evidenced through annual effectiveness reviews and in-depth periodic external governance reviews. The most recent external review took place in August 2024, and we saw evidence of the recommendations being implemented.
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 saw evidence of the board considering its skills to reflect changing risks.
SLH has an appropriate risk management and control framework that aligns to its strategic risks. SLH considers its risk appetite in strategic decision making and there is evidence that this flows from SLH’s board through the organisation, with risks being managed effectively in practice. SLH’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 its risks. We saw evidence of board ownership of stress testing and mitigation strategies which is used to inform decision-making, supplementing the wider control framework.
Viability – V1 – April 2025
Based on the evidence gained from the inspection, we have concluded that SLH’s financial plans are consistent with, and support, its financial strategy. SLH has appropriately evidenced that it has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place to support its financial plans and has the financial capacity to absorb a wide range of adverse scenarios. SLH’s board has effective oversight of its financial performance, which includes the use of early warning triggers and golden rules that are regularly monitored.
SLH has a strong financial profile with no reliance on sale income nor efficiencies to meet its funders covenant requirements. The business plan evidences SLH’s financial capacity to deliver its development programme to 2027 whilst continuing to invest in its existing homes, which is based on an up-to-date understanding of the condition of its homes.
Background to the judgement
About the landlord
SLH is a charitable community benefit society. It is the asset owning parent of the group with two subsidiaries;
- SLH Developments Limited undertaking development for SLH
- Avela Services Limited which holds a controlling interest in two partnerships: a 55% stake in Avela Home Service LLP, which delivers the repairs and maintenance activity for SLH and a 51% stake in Avela Developments LLP, which is inactive.
SLH owns or manages around 3,800 homes and intends to develop 280 homes between 2022 and 2027, and a further 500 homes by 2032. Based on accounts at 31 March 2024, SLH employed 179 staff on a full-time equivalent basis and reported turnover of £23m.
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.