Decision

South Holland District Council (32UF) - Regulatory Judgement: 28 October 2026

Updated 28 October 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.	Upgrade	October 2026

Reason for publication

We are publishing a regulatory judgement for South Holland District Council (South Holland DC) following responsive engagement completed in October 2026.

This regulatory judgement upgrades our previous published assessment of South Holland DC’s consumer grade from C2 to C1.

Prior to this regulatory judgement, South Holland DC’s most recent consumer grade was C2, which was issued in July 2025 following a planned regulatory inspection.

Summary of the decision

Following the inspection completed in July 2025, our subsequent responsive engagement with South Holland DC focused on its progress in improving its delivery of the outcomes of our consumer standards.

From the evidence and assurance provided by South Holland DC during the responsive engagement, we have concluded that South Holland DC has made significant progress in relation to delivering the outcomes of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. Improving its approach to maintaining and using the information it holds about its tenants and how this can be used to understand how tenants access services, how tenants can access information on their landlord’s performance and establishing structured tenant-led engagement arrangements. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 upgrade for South Holland DC.

How we reached our judgement

We carried out an inspection of South Holland DC, which concluded in July 2025, to assess how well it was delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards as part of our planned regulation inspection programme.  During the inspection, we considered all four 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 meetings of South Holland DC’s Performance Monitoring Panel and a Compliance Clinic. We also spoke with tenants, interviewed staff and elected members, including the leader of South Holland DC, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by South Holland DC.

Based on the evidence and assurance gained during the inspection, it was our judgement that there were some weaknesses in South Holland DC’s delivery of the consumer standards and that improvements were needed, specifically in relation to the outcomes of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. This included weaknesses in relation to South Holland DC’s understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants, opportunities for tenants to influence decision-making, and the provision of data and accessible information to tenants. Based on this assessment, we concluded a C2 grade for South Holland DC. This was the first time we had issued a consumer grade in relation to this landlord.

Following the inspection, we engaged with South Holland DC as it carried out improvements to address the identified weaknesses. During our engagement, South Holland DC demonstrated improvements in how it is delivering the outcomes of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard. We have concluded an upgrade to C1 based on this assurance.

As part of our assessment, we observed a meeting of the Tenant Board. Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information obtained through the July 2025 inspection, our subsequent responsive engagement process as well as information provided by South Holland DC in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.  

Summary of findings  

Consumer – C1 – October 2026

Following the inspection which concluded in July 2025, we have engaged with South Holland DC on the delivery of its improvement strategy. Through our responsive engagement we sought to understand how South Holland DC was addressing the main issues identified during the inspection. This included weaknesses around understanding the diverse needs of its tenants, tenant engagement and how performance information is shared with tenants.

The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard requires landlords to provide accessible information so that tenants can use landlord services, understand what to expect from their landlord and hold their landlord to account. It also requires landlords to take tenants’ views into account when making decisions about the delivery of landlord services. At the time of inspection, South Holland DC needed to improve its understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants and carry out further work to ensure it maintained and used this information on a consistent basis, including routine analysis of access to services, to ensure it was providing fair and equitable outcomes for tenants.

During the inspection we gained assurance that South Holland DC was committed to treating tenants with fairness and respect. We saw evidence that South Holland DC had some understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants following a tenant census, but there were some weaknesses. While it was able to provide some examples of how this information has been used to improve service delivery, South Holland DC needed to undertake more work to ensure there was a consistent approach to maintaining and using the information it holds about its tenants, including routine analysis of access to services, in order to ensure that all tenants have equitable access to its services. Through our responsive engagement South Holland DC evidenced improvements to its understanding of the diverse needs of its tenants. It has now completed analysis of access to services, strengthened its approach to equality impacts and demonstrated improvements to how it integrates tenant insight into the design of its services. South Holland DC has also evidenced that it is using the information it holds about its tenants and systems to keep tenant information up to date.

During the inspection, we saw evidence that South Holland DC provides a range of relevant and accessible information to tenants, including its performance in delivering landlord services. Performance is actively monitored at a monthly compliance clinic, attended by the portfolio holder with responsibility for housing, with further reporting to the member scrutiny function and cabinet. However, we found weaknesses as most of the information for tenants was only readily available digitally and there was no formal mechanism to enable effective tenant scrutiny. South Holland DC has taken steps to ensure information is more accessible by diversifying its communication methods. It has increased the amount of information provided in printed formats and developed more in-person engagement work with tenants.

At the time of inspection, South Holland DC did not have a wide range of meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise landlord policies and services. South Holland DC was not able to evidence a range of mechanisms engaging the broader tenant base, and there were no formal scrutiny arrangements in place. Through our engagement, we gained assurance that South Holland DC has established structured, tenant-led engagement arrangements which are linked to governance and decision making. We saw evidence of this through the new Tenant Board, a tenant forum that provides scrutiny and influences service delivery. The tenant chaired group received comprehensive performance information from senior officers with opportunities to challenge as well as prioritising topics where tenants will carry out in-depth scrutiny of specific service areas. South Holland DC has provided a tenant engagement impact report which includes a ‘your voice, we heard’ section, based on discussions in tenant scrutiny meetings.

The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to have an accurate, up to date and evidenced understanding of the condition of their homes at an individual property level based on a physical assessment of all homes and ensure that homes meet the requirements of the Decent Homes Standards. At the time of the inspection, South Holland DC held records at an individual property level of the condition of around 70% of its homes. South Holland DC now holds information on around 96% of its homes and has evidenced progress on its plans to ensure physical surveys of the condition of all its homes is undertaken within target. South Holland DC provided assurance of its stock condition survey programme to ensure its understanding of its homes remains up to date.

The inspection found that overall, South Holland DC was delivering an effective, efficient and timely repairs service but improvement was needed in relation to tenant satisfaction with the service. South Holland DC evidenced improvements in this area. It has developed a repairs transformation programme to improve tenant satisfaction, with tenants helping to influence areas of the service such as a contractor code of conduct and enhanced real time communications with tenants.

In relation to the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, we saw evidence during the inspection that South Holland DC works in partnership with the police and other relevant organisations to seek to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where it provides social housing. Information on how to report anti-social behaviour is available online and in an annual report sent to tenants. However, at the time of the inspection, improvements were needed to strengthen South Holland DC’s reporting and tracking of case handling through the inclusion of anti-social behaviour trends and outcomes. South Holland DC stated that responsibility for reporting was moving from the corporate centre to the landlord service to provide greater focus. Following our engagement, South Holland DC has, in conjunction with tenants, developed a revised anti-social behaviour and hate crime policy, developed a new reporting framework and used information to target its work on preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour.

In several areas we have not changed our view of assurance gained during the July 2025 inspection, and these also support an assessment of a consumer grade of C1.

The Safety and Quality Standard requires landlords to complete all required health and safety checks. South Holland DC provided evidence to show that it is meeting the legal requirements that relate to the health and safety of tenants in their homes and communal areas. Risks and remedial actions identified are completed within timescales and performance is actively monitored by senior officers and councillors. We saw evidence that South Holland DC is managing the risks associated with damp and mould and has introduced a more proactive approach to remedial works in response to tenants’ feedback.

Prior to the inspection South Holland DC identified and implemented improvements to its complaints handling service following feedback from its tenants and response time performance. During the inspection we gained assurance that these changes have impacted positively on response times and tenant satisfaction in relation to complaints. South Holland DC was also able to evidence that it analyses and learns from complaints via a quarterly Housing Complaints Working Group, and that learning from complaints has led to service improvements.

In relation to the Tenancy Standard, we saw evidence that South Holland DC’s allocations policy offers tenancies compatible with the purpose of the accommodation, the needs of individual households, the sustainability of the community, and the efficient use of its homes. We also gained assurance during the inspection about the work that South Holland DC does to help tenants to sustain their tenancies.

Background to the judgement

About the landlord

South Holland DC owns and manages around 3,800 social 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. 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