How we are regulated

As a social landlord, we operate in a highly regulated sector. This means we must meet strict legal and regulatory standards designed to ensure our homes are safe, well managed, and that our tenants are treated fairly.

We are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), an independent government body for England. Their role is to make sure:

• Homes are safe and good quality
• Landlords are well-run and financially secure
• Tenants are treated fairly and listened to

As a tenant, you have the right to:

• Be treated with respect and fairness
• Know how we are performing
• Make a complaint and have it investigated
• Escalate issues to the Housing Ombudsman if needed

We are also required to measure and publish our Tenant Satisfaction Measures, so you can see how well we are doing. This is available by viewing our Performance Reports.

The Regulator sets standards that all registered social landlords must meet. There are two types of standards:

Consumer standards

These standards focus on your experience as a tenant and apply to all social landlords. There are four standards that cover the consumer standard as a whole. For each, we must:

Safety and Quality Standard

• Keep your home safe and in good repair
• Meet safety requirements (e.g. gas, fire, electrical safety)
• Deal with issues like damp and mould promptly

Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard

• Be open about our performance
• Listen to your views and act on feedback
• Have a clear and fair complaints process

Neighbourhood and Community Standard

• Help keep neighbourhoods clean, safe and well managed
• Work with partners to tackle anti-social behaviour

Tenancy Standard

• Allocate homes fairly
• Provide clear, secure tenancy agreements
• Support tenants to sustain their tenancy

Governance and Financial Viability Standard

This standard focuses on how we are run as an organisation, rather than the day‑to‑day service you receive. This means we must:

Be well governed

• We must have strong leadership, clear decision-making, and effective oversight to ensure we are doing the right thing for our tenants

Be financially secure

We must manage our finances carefully so we can:

• Maintain your home
• Deliver services
• Invest in improvements and new homes

Manage risks effectively

• We must identify and manage risks (such as safety, financial pressures, or service failures) so that tenants are protected

Be accountable and compliant:

• Follow all legal and regulatory requirements
• Be open with the regulator
• Act quickly if something goes wrong

Our regulatory judgement

The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) independently reviews how well we operate as a social landlord. This covers how effectively we are run, how strong our finances are, and how well we deliver services to our tenants.

Bernicia is currently rated G1/V1. This means:

• G1 (Governance): we meet the Regulator’s highest standards for how the organisation is managed and overseen
• V1 (Viability): we are financially sound and well placed to meet our current and future commitments

In 2024, the RSH expanded its inspections to include consumer standards. These focus on the quality of homes and services, and how landlords listen and respond to tenants. Bernicia has not yet been formally assessed under these standards. When this happens, we will also receive a Consumer (C) grade, ranging from C1 (highest) to C4.

If you would like to find out more, you can read our full regulatory judgment by visiting Bernicia Group (4868) – Regulatory Judgement: 12 November 2025 – GOV.UK