Sunderland housing provider Gentoo given top marks by regulator
Gentoo has been awarded the highest grading following an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing.
The housing association was inspected in four key areas: the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, Safety and Quality Standard, Tenancy Standard and Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.
The regulator concluded that Gentoo meets the Consumer Standards and given the highest grading of C1. Gentoo also continues to meet the Governance and Financial Viability requirements with gradings of G1 and V2, respectively.
Gentoo, which manages 28,500 homes across Sunderland on behalf of 60,000 customers. It is one of the first social housing providers in the region to be assessed against these new consumer standards.
The Regulator's judgement said Gentoo provided “an effective, efficient and timely repairs service”.
There was also assurance that the social housing group works to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour and took steps to “ensure all properties are let in a fair and transparent way”.
Louise Bassett, chief executive at Gentoo, said: “I am pleased the regulator has recognised the strength of our governance and the improvements in our financial performance.
"We have been on a journey over the past 18 months to improve our service to customers and I am delighted to see this has also been recognised by the regulator.
“However, whilst we are making good progress, there is still much to do.
"More than ever, I am committed to continuing to improve our services to customers and deliver on our Customer Promise and I will not rest until we have achieved this.
"I am enormously proud of our colleagues who have worked tirelessly to improve our governance, financial performance, and our services to customers. Without their incredible work and commitment to Gentoo we would not have achieved this outcome.
"We have set up a Customer Committee and are listening to customer feedback more than ever to improve our services. They are influencing our decisions, and we value their feedback.
"We do not get everything right and when we receive complaints and feedback, we take this very seriously.
“Gentoo is committed to improving our customers’ homes and our services as we continue our journey to provide excellent services to customers and help the communities of Sunderland thrive.”
A full copy of the Regulatory Judgement can be read on the Government’s website.