Karibu Community Homes today shares the outcome of our recent inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), which has resulted in our first-ever Consumer Standard grading of C2.
This marks an important milestone in our journey as a newly merged organisation and reflects the regulator’s assessment of how well we are delivering services to our residents.
What the C2 Grade Means
The regulator’s C2 grade means that while we meet many of the expected outcomes for residents, there are some weaknesses where improvements are needed, particularly in relation to:
- Safety and Quality
- Transparency, Influence and Accountability (including how we listen to and work with tenants)
The regulator found that Karibu is taking reasonable steps to keep residents safe and that our homes meet the Decent Homes Standard. However, we must strengthen the assurance we receive where third parties manage safety in communal areas. We are already working on this and have improvements underway.
What the Regulator Found About Our Services
During the inspection, the RSH identified several strengths across Karibu, including:
- A strong understanding of the condition of our homes and a commitment to providing safe, good‑quality homes for residents.
- Evidence that we record and learn from complaints, and that recent improvements in complaints handling are beginning to have a positive impact.
- Positive resident engagement, including meaningful opportunities for tenants to scrutinise services and influence decisions.
- Active partnership work to address anti‑social behaviour and hate incidents in our communities.
The regulator also noted areas that require further improvement:
- Our repairs service, where performance is improving but needs to be more consistent and timely. We are redesigning this service with residents and embedding new arrangements.
- The formal mechanisms we use to ensure residents’ views are consistently taken into account.
- The need for a strategy to better use tenant data to tailor and improve outcomes.
Our Commitment to Residents
Your experience as a resident is at the heart of everything we do. The findings from this inspection reflect challenges that we are already working hard to address, and we welcome the regulator’s feedback as an opportunity to accelerate improvements.
We are now focused on:
- Ensuring the redesigned repairs service delivers the reliable, timely, and high‑quality experience residents expect
- Strengthening how we gather, understand, and act on resident feedback
- Improving our assurance processes, especially around communal safety responsibilities
- Embedding improvements in complaints handling so residents see consistent outcomes
These improvements are a priority for our board and leadership team.
Financial and Governance Ratings
Alongside the C2 grade, Karibu received a G2 governance rating and a V2 viability rating.
- G2 means we meet governance requirements but need to strengthen some internal controls and our stress‑testing approach.
- V2 confirms we remain financially viable, with a strong enough position to manage a reasonable range of challenges, though our capacity has reduced due to significant investment in improving our homes.
A Message from Karibu
“We are committed to delivering safe, high‑quality homes and services that residents can trust. This first consumer grade provides a clear baseline for where we are today, and a roadmap for the improvements we are already making. We will continue to involve residents every step of the way as we strengthen our services and embed long‑term positive change.”
Find Out More
Residents can read the full regulatory judgement on our website by downloading a copy from Downloads section or use ReciteMe toolbar to access the document in 100+ languages.
We will continue to share updates as we deliver our improvement plans and strengthen services for all Karibu residents.
