Decision

Weaver Vale Housing Trust Limited (L4341) - Regulatory Judgement: 12 November 2025

Updated 12 November 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.	Based on previous assessment	August 2024
Governance	G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements.	Unchanged	November 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	November 2025

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Weaver Vale Housing Trust Limited (Weaver Vale) following a stability check completed in November 2025.

This regulatory judgement confirms a governance grade of G1 and a financial viability grade of V1. Weaver Vale has a consumer grade of C1 from a planned inspection completed in August 2024.

Summary of the decision

Based on the relevant information and evidence we reviewed in carrying out the stability check, our judgement is that Weaver Vale meets our viability requirements and has the financial capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios. We have therefore concluded the landlord’s grade is unchanged and issue a V1 grade for Weaver Vale.

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

Weaver Vale’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards has not been assessed as part of this stability check.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, the landlord’s most recent consumer, governance and viability grades were C1, G1 and V1, which were issued in August 2024 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 tenant influence and scrutiny panels, spoke with tenants, held meetings with Weaver Vale and its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Weaver Vale.

How we reached our judgement

We carried out a stability check of Weaver Vale as part of our annual stability check programme.

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

In confirming Weaver Vale’s governance grade as part of the stability check, our work was limited to verifying that the information contained in Weaver Vale’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 – August 2024

Below are the findings of our most recent regulatory judgement about Weaver Vale’s delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards, which assessed Weaver Vale’s consumer grade as C1. The regulatory judgement was issued in August 2024 following a programmed inspection.

During the inspection Weaver Vale provided evidence-based assurance that it has a good understanding of its compliance with health and safety requirements and has appropriate systems for ensuring the health and safety of its tenants in their homes and associated communal areas.

There is evidence that Weaver Vale 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. Weaver Vale has provided evidence that it uses its understanding of the quality and safety of tenants’ homes to make decisions on future investment to maintain and improve homes.

Weaver Vale has demonstrated that it provides an effective repairs service to tenants and takes action to improve the service and outcomes for tenants when issues occur. Weaver Vale has made proactive, tenant focused improvements to the repairs service to deliver better outcomes for tenants.

Weaver Vale has provided appropriate evidence that it is making effective use of its performance and insight information to shape services. Weaver Vale regularly reviews performance information on complaints handling. It has provided evidence that it learns from information on complaint types and outcomes and uses it to make improvements.

In relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard, we saw evidence that Weaver Vale provides a wide range of opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise its strategies, policies and services. There are clear arrangements in place for tenant engagement that are well supported by Weaver Vale. There is also evidence that feedback from tenants has been used to help shape the design and delivery of services, and that Weaver Vale actively considers tenants’ diverse needs.

Governance – G1 – November 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 August 2024 following a programmed inspection of Weaver Vale. Below are findings of that judgement about Weaver Vale’s delivery of our governance requirements.

Based on the evidence gained from the inspection, there is assurance that Weaver Vale’s governance arrangements enable it to effectively manage its risks and adequately control the organisation, allowing it to continue meeting its objectives.

We saw evidence that Weaver Vale has a risk management and control framework that aligns to its strategic risks. There is evidence of risk being managed effectively in practice. There is also evidence of board discussion and challenge on Weaver Vale’s performance against its strategic objectives, and board oversight of controls and assurance on its strategic risks.

Weaver Vale provided appropriate assurance that it has established and maintains clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities within its leadership and governance structure. There is evidence that the relationship between its board and committees is working in line with its delegations to strengthen assurance in the main areas of risk and compliance.

Weaver Vale provided evidence of annual board effectiveness reviews and periodic in-depth external governance reviews to support continuous improvement of its governance arrangements. The most recent external governance review took place in July 2023 and we saw evidence that Weaver Vale has implemented its recommendations.

Weaver Vale’s board actively seeks and gains an appropriate level of assurance across a range of areas. There is evidence that this assurance has been used to make continuous improvements to its landlord services, including its approach to damp and mould, and landlord health and safety.

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, which feeds into succession planning. We have seen evidence of this through board observation, meetings with non-executive directors and executive team members as well as reviewing relevant documents including meeting minutes.

Viability – V1 – November 2025

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

Weaver Vales’s financial plans are consistent with, and support, its financial strategy. Weaver Vale has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place and is forecast to continue to meet its financial covenants under a wide range of adverse scenarios.

Weaver Vale forecasts strong interest cover, while continuing to deliver its development programme and investing in existing stock. Stress testing illustrates capacity to deal with a wide range of adverse scenarios.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

According to the 2025 Statistical Data Return Weaver Vale owns 6,592 homes in Cheshire West and Chester, with a small number located in the North West.

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