Surrey council turns around housing service to land top rating

A Surrey council has become the first in the country to jump from a low rating to the top grade for its housing services, marking a major turnaround in how it looks after its residents.

Guildford Borough Council was handed the highest possible consumer standards rating by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) after a recent inspection found its services are now safe, well-run and meeting the expected standards. The watchdog confirmed this is the first time any council made the leap from C3 (serious failings and significant improvement needed) to C1 (delivering to consumer standards and remedying issues) since new housing rules were introduced in April 2024.

Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “A C1 grading means landlords are meeting the minimum standards we expect, so there is always room for improvement even in landlords with the highest grade.”

Guildford council was previously graded C3 in July 2024 after referring itself to the regulator over concerns about its housing service. At the time, the regulator flagged that thousands of homes were not safe and secure, alongside ‘serious’ health and safety failings.

Since then, the authority has carried out a major improvement plan agreed with the regulator. Inspectors now say it is not only meeting the required standards but is also better at spotting and fixing problems early.

Tenants themselves said the changes are already being felt. Chair of the Tenant Engagement Group, Alan Wood, said there is now a “real culture of openness” with residents having a genuine say in decisions. He added tenants feel more listened to and confident in the council acting transparently.

Joint Chief Executive Officer at Guildford Borough Council and Waverley Borough Council, Pedro Wrobel, said the result reflects “extraordinarily hard work” over the past two years. He said: “This is all about our residents, and our determination to ensure that we provide them with the homes and services they deserve.” Mr Wrobel added that while progress has been significant, more work still lies ahead to get things right.

Julian Higson, the council’s joint strategic director for housing, said the C1 rating is “the baseline residents rightly expect” and stressed the authority will continue improving services and tenant engagement.

The social housing watchdog said Guildford’s progress shows how landlords can turn things around when they work constructively with oversight bodies. The regulator said its role is to push landlords to improve, noting that even a top C1 rating still leaves room to do better.