Aspire Housing Limited (L4238) - Regulatory Judgement: 29 January 2025
Updated 29 January 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 | January 2025 |
| Governance | G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements. |
Upgrade | January 2025 |
| 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 2025 |
Reason for publication
We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Aspire Housing Limited (Aspire) following an inspection completed in January 2025 and earlier responsive engagement that focussed on Aspire’s governance arrangements following the downgrade of its governance grading to G2 in January 2023.
This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grading of C1, a governance upgrade from G2 to G1 and a financial viability grading of V2.
Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for Aspire were last updated in October 2023 following a stability check to confirm grades of G2 and V2. 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 Aspire is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for Aspire.
Our judgement is that Aspire meets our governance requirements. Through the inspection and earlier responsive engagement, Aspire has provided evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of its governance arrangements and that it manages the risks of its activities, allowing it to deliver its strategic objectives. Based on this assessment, we concluded that Aspire has provided evidence to demonstrate that it has strengthened its governance since it was previously downgraded to G2 in January 2023 to now be assessed as a G1 grading.
Our judgement is that Aspire meets our financial viability requirements and has the financial capacity to manage a reasonable range of adverse scenarios. Aspire has a number of financial risks that need to be managed as it continues to develop new homes alongside increased investment in its existing homes. Aspire has provided appropriate assurance it has access to sufficient liquidity and adequate funding in place and is forecast to continue to meet its financial covenants. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a V2 grade for Aspire.
How we reached our judgement
We carried out an inspection of Aspire to assess how well it is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and meeting our governance and financial viability requirements. 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, the tenant group and scrutiny panel, we spoke to tenants, held meetings with Aspire, including with its non-executive directors, and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by Aspire.
In response to the earlier governance downgrade in January 2023, we carried out responsive engagement with Aspire that focussed on its governance arrangements including its financial planning and risk management.
Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection and responsive engagement process as well as analysis of information received from Aspire through its regulatory returns.
Summary of findings
Consumer – C1 – January 2025
During our inspection Aspire provided evidence-based assurance that it has appropriate systems in place to ensure the health and safety of tenants in their homes and associated communal areas. Aspire also demonstrated that it understands the condition of its homes and has a process in place for keeping this information up to date. Aspire 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.
We saw evidence that Aspire has an effective repairs service for emergency repairs and has recently made improvements in the timeliness of non-urgent repairs to deliver better outcomes for tenants.
In relation to the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard we saw evidence that Aspire is delivering the required outcomes. The tenant voice was evident through its strategies, policies, and decision making, with meaningful opportunities for tenants to influence and scrutinise services.
Aspire demonstrated that it treats tenants with fairness and respect; and that specific actions are taken to deliver fair and equitable outcomes for tenants and meet diverse needs. We saw evidence that Aspire regularly reviews performance information on complaints handling, that it learns from information on complaint types and outcomes, and uses this to shape the design and delivery of services to make improvements in outcomes for tenants.
Governance – G1 – January 2025
Aspire was downgraded to G2 in January 2023 following weaknesses in financial planning and risk control that meant the board was not fully sighted on the financial exposures associated with a loss-making subsidiary. This subsidiary was closed at a cost to Aspire. Aspire also committed to additional expenditure on net zero carbon works that were outside its business plan in order to access grant funding. The additional costs arising from these decisions meant that Aspire needed to secure the agreement of its funders to maintain covenant compliance.
From the evidence-based assurance we saw throughout the responsive engagement process and the inspection, we have assurance that Aspire has strengthened its governance arrangements, which has improved its oversight of risks. Board membership has been refreshed and effectiveness reviews support a continued focus on governance arrangements. Following a fundamental review of its strategic objectives we saw evidence that Aspire’s board has a clear strategic focus with enhanced oversight of activities and plans. The board has strengthened its risk management and control framework supporting the organisation in the delivery of its updated corporate objectives. The board considers alternative options to ensure it is achieving value for money in maximising resources.
During our inspection we gained assurance that the board has set a clear strategic direction and is focused on hearing its tenants’ voices. Reporting to board provides clear information that facilitates effective oversight of key risks and supports effective decision making. Aspire provided evidence that the 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, maintaining and improving homes, meeting building safety requirements and providing new homes.
Viability – V2 – January 2025
Based on the evidence gained from this inspection, we have concluded that there is appropriate assurance that Aspire’s financial plans are consistent with and support its financial strategy. Aspire has an adequately funded business plan, with access to sufficient liquidity and security.
Aspire’s business plan includes future development and significant investment in its homes to improve their quality and energy efficiency. This means that whilst Aspire has the capacity to respond to a reasonable range of adverse scenarios, it will need to manage material risks.
Background to the judgement
About the landlord
Aspire is a charitable community benefit society and asset-owning group parent. Its activities relate to the provision of social housing, including low-cost home ownership.
Aspire is the only RSH registered entity in the group. Aspire operates across the north Midlands and Cheshire in eight local authorities. It owns and manages 9,364 homes.
At 31 March 2024, Aspire reported a turnover of £53.1m and employed 375 full-time equivalent staff.
Aspire aims to deliver around 488 new homes up to 2029/2030. The new homes will be a mixture of social and affordable rent, shared ownership.
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.