Council undergoes its first Regulator of Social Housing Inspection
The Regulator of Social Housing has confirmed that St Albans City and District Council has been given a C2 grading following its inspection carried out in October 2025 and completed in January 2026.
In Hertfordshire there are four councils that retain ownership of their Council stock, and three of the four have now had their first inspections and have all been awarded the C2 grading. The fourth council has yet to have its inspection.
The gradings mean:
C1: Delivering all outcomes, with robust systems to fix issues quickly.
C2: Some weaknesses, requiring improvement.
C3: Serious failings, needing significant improvement.
C4: Very serious failings, requiring fundamental changes.
A breakdown of the gradings so far (December 2025) awarded to councils which continue to manage their own social housing stock is as follows, placing the Council’s performance in the upper half of Local Authority providers.
| Regulator of Social Housing Grade | Number of Councils where the grade has been awarded (Dec 2025) | Percentage of Councils where the grade has been awarded (Dec 2025) |
| C1 | 7 | 10.3% |
| C2 | 23 | 33.8% |
| C3 | 33 | 48.5% |
| C4 | 5 | 7.4% |
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) is a relatively new body. The Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 established the initial framework and the RSH became a separate entity in 2018, separating from Homes England and replacing previous bodies like the Tenant Services Authority. Its purpose is to regulate registered providers (housing associations and local authorities). Following the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, the RSH has increased powers to carry out regular inspections and impose penalties to improve housing quality.
During inspections, four consumer standards are considered: Safety and Quality Standard, Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Tenancy Standard, and the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.
As part of the Council’s inspection the Regulator’s team attended a meeting of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and a meeting of the Tenant and Leaseholder Forum. They also met with involved tenants, officers, the leader of the Council, the chair of the Housing and Inclusion Committee and the vice-chair of the Planning Policy and Climate Committee. They interviewed staff and reviewed a wide range of documents provided by the Council. The regulatory judgement is based on a review of all the relevant information they obtained during the inspection as well as analysis of information supplied by the Council in its regulatory returns and other regulatory engagement activity.
The regulator will continue to monitor the work of the Council as it works towards achieving a C1 rating.
Cllr Simon Johns, Lead Councillor for Housing, and Chair of the Council’s Housing and Inclusion Committee at St Albans City and District Council said: “I would like to thank the Social Housing Regulator inspectors for their feedback, and all the tenants, staff, fellow Councillors and partner contractors for their involvement during our detailed inspection.
“This was our first inspection, and while we aspire to achieve a C1 grading in time, we have found the process to be very helpful in providing clarity as to what we now need to do to achieve that. I am confident that with the road map this provides, this can be achieved, with the support of our partners and stakeholders.”
Cllr Paul de Kort, Leader of the Council, and Chair of the Council’s Strategy and Resources Committee said: “The Council has made great leaps in the quality of our housing services over the last three years, making the necessary investment in people, homes, systems and processes, and improving engagement with our tenants. I look forward to seeing continued improvements in the service over the next couple of years and thank everyone involved for their hard work and commitment.”
Further information from the Regulator of Social Housing has been released and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/st-albans-city-and-district-council/st-albans-city-and-district-council-26ug-regulatory-judgement-28-january-2026.
Contact for the media: Claire Wainwright, Strategy, Policy and Communications Manager claire.wainwright@stalbans.gov.uk.