Places for People Group Limited (L4236) - Regulatory Judgement: 26 March 2025
Updated 26 March 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 | March 2025 |
| Governance | G1 Our judgement is that the landlord meets our governance requirements. |
Assessed and unchanged | March 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 | March 2025 |
Reason for publication
We are publishing a regulatory judgement for Places for People Group Limited (Places for People) following an inspection completed in March 2025.
This regulatory judgement confirms a consumer grading of C1, a governance grading of G1 and a financial viability grading of V2.
Prior to this regulatory judgement, the governance and financial viability grades for Places for People were last updated in December 2023 following a stability check, to confirm grades of G1 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 we have concluded that, overall, Places for People is delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and is making effective use of its systems to identify and address potential issues and areas for improvement. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a C1 grade for Places for People.
Our judgement is that Places for People meets our governance requirements. Places for People 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 Places for People.
Our judgement is that Places for People meets our financial viability requirements and has the capacity to deal with a reasonable range of adverse scenarios, however it does have to manage its exposure to financial risks. These include the need to invest in its existing homes, together with the risks associated with its extensive development and sales programme. Together this reduces its capacity to respond to adverse events. Based on this assessment, we have concluded a V2 grade for Places for People.
How we reached our judgement
We carried out an inspection of Places for People 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 and a National Customer Group meeting, spoke to 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.
Our regulatory judgement is based on all the relevant information we obtained during the inspection as well as analysis of information received from Places for People through its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.
Summary of findings
Consumer – C1 – March 2025
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, therefore 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 tenants’ 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 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 improvements to 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 – March 2025
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’s 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 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 evidenced 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 members’ 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. The 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 Peoples’ financial and commercial risks that are part of its structure.
Viability – V2 – March 2025
Based on the evidence gained through the inspection 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 appropriately 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 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 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
Places for People is a company limited by guarantee, a RSH registered entity, and the parent of the group. The majority of social housing assets are held within Places for People Homes Limited and Places for People Living+ Limited.
Places for People has five RSH registered subsidiaries:
- Origin Housing Limited
- Origin Housing 2 Limited
- Places for People Homes Limited
- Places for People Living+ Limited
- Rosewood Housing Limited
The group includes Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association Limited, registered with the Scottish Housing Regulator.
Places for People has a further 126 unregistered subsidiaries. These are primarily held under Places for People Ventures Limited, where activities include housing development, student accommodation, property management, and the operation and management of leisure centres and retirement properties.
The unregistered subsidiaries also include Thriving Investments Limited, a property investment fund manager and two public limited companies that focus on financing and treasury functions: Places for People Treasury plc and Places for People Finance plc. The group also has an interest in 61 joint ventures.
The group operates across the United Kingdom with stock in over 200 local authority areas. It owns or manages around 71,000 social homes. The majority of these are for general needs, but it also provides homes for shared ownership, supported housing, housing for older people and leasehold management.
At 31 March 2024, the group employed 5,937 fulltime equivalent staff. Group turnover for the year ended 31 March 2024 was £831.6m.
Places for People plans for the development of 8,600 homes by 2027.
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.