Wandle helps people in south London in housing need by building and managing quality homes. Wandle were founded in 1967 as the Merton Family Housing Trust, and have since grown into an organisation with over 7,000 homes across 9 south London boroughs. Wandle role as a landlord goes way beyond bricks and mortar. Providing a safe, modern, high quality home for a person or family who truly needs it is just the start. Wandle believe that to really help people in housing need, they need to support thriving communities. Wandle Community Investment projects are helping residents to achieve their goals. Set-up and project managed in-house, and delivered by third sector organisations based in the communities where they work, their activity covers six core themes: Neighbourhoods, Volunteering, Young People, Training, Getting Online and Employment. Wandle is a developing housing association, and they’re helping to tackle the shortage of good quality affordable housing. Wandle recent development programmes have provided hundreds of new homes for the people most in need of housing. Wandle are stepping up our development programme and have set themselves a target to build 1,000 much needed affordable homes in south London by 2021.
RSH Narrative Regulatory Judgement
Provider: Wandle Housing Association Limited
Regulatory code: L0277
Publication date: 15 November 2022
Governance grade: G2
Viability grade: V2
Reason for publication: Changed basis for governance and viability grades
Regulatory route: In Depth Assessment
Regulatory judgement
This regulatory judgement confirms the regulator’s existing G2/V2 assessment of Wandle Housing Association Limited’s governance and viability.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (WHA) continues to meet the requirements on governance set out in the Governance and Financial Viability Standard. Following an In Depth Assessment, we have concluded that WHA has strengthened its internal financial controls, revised its business planning framework, and improved its stress testing and management of strategic risks. WHA now has an increased focus on customer services and needs to implement its plans to improve customer outcomes. Additionally, it needs to strengthen the quality of its stock condition information to underpin an updated asset management strategy.
The regulator’s assessment of WHA’s compliance with the financial viability elements of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard is unchanged. WHA has an adequately funded business plan, sufficient security in place and is forecast to continue to meet its financial covenants under a reasonable range of scenarios. WHA’s financial plan does, however, include material exposures in the short to medium term which require effective oversight. While it is able to increase investment in existing and new homes delivering this strategy, coupled with the current economic uncertainty in relation to inflation and interest rates, reduces WHA’s capacity to respond to adverse events.
Other providers included in the judgement
None
About the provider
Origins
WHA is a charitable society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. Its activities relate to the provision of social housing, including low cost home ownership.
Registered Entities
WHA is the only registered entity.
Unregistered Entities
WHA has three unregistered entities:
Delta Homes Limited is a company limited by shares with non-charitable status. It enables WHA to recover VAT on professional fees and contractor payments for new build construction services.
Ravensbourne Developments Limited is a company limited by shares with non-charitable status. It builds and sells homes for outright sale but is not currently trading.
Unitworthy Property Management Limited is a company limited by shares with non-charitable status where WHA has the majority share. It provides maintenance services for an individual block of flats.
Geographic Spread and Scale
WHA owns around 7,000 units and operates predominantly in south London.
Staffing and Turnover
WHA employs 173 full-time equivalent staff. Its turnover for year ended 31 March 2022 was £59.4m.
Development
WHA aims to develop 312 units between 2022 and 2025.
Housing Ombudsman
Wandle Housing Association Limited (201909394)
The complaint is about the landlord’s: Response to the resident’s reports of a petrol generator being used in the communal areas. The handling of the resident’s complaint.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202110380)
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of a leak into the resident’s property.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202126910)
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of, and record keeping and compensation for the resident’s reports of outstanding repairs to his bathroom radiator .
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202109612)
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of:
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202002380)
The complaint is about the landlord’s: Handling of flooring repairs to the property. Response to the resident’s request for a new kitchen and bathroom. Complaint handling.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202100167)
REPORT COMPLAINT 202100167 Wandle Housing Association Limited 23 June 2022 Our approach The Housing Ombudsman’s approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. This […]
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202113615)
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the removal of a hanging unit above the resident’s cooker.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202112199)
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of a repair to a leak into the kitchen.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202017622)
The landlord’s handling of the resident’s reports they were missold their property due to the increase and level of service charges they are liable to pay. The landlord’s response to the resident’s reports that the landlord had violated the section 106 agreement for the property. The landlord’s response to the resident’s concerns that the landlord should not be able to charge an administration fee.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202016772)
The complaint is about: how the landlord responded to the resident’s concerns about a decant. the landlord’s response to a request for a copy of its policies and procedures.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202109133)
The complaint is about: The landlord’s handling of the resident’s report of nuisance caused by a neighbour using the fire door.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (201911095)
The landlord’s response to the resident’s reports of anti-social behaviour. The landlord’s complaint handling.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202108812)
The complaint is about the landlord’s response to the resident’s reports of an outhouse (garden shed), built without permission by the previous resident.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202004197)
The complaint is about the landlord’s Response to the resident’s request for compensation for damaged possessions following a leak at the property. Response to the resident’s reports of her neighbour leaving items in the communal hallway of the building. Administration of the resident’s rent account, specifically that a £50 payment went missing. Complaints handling.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (201911000)
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of: The resident’s reports of antisocial behaviour (ASB) from his neighbour. The associated complaint.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (201916149)
The complaint is about: The landlord’s response to the resident’s report of damp and mould in her bathroom, in relation to its offer of compensation. The landlord’s complaint handling.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202014677)
The complaint is about the landlord's: Administration of the rent account and its subsequent decision to recover a refund made in error. Failure to respond to a data protection request.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202004305)
The complaint is about the landlord’s: Response to the resident’s concerns regarding the administration of service charges. Response to the resident’s concerns regarding the Neighbourhood Officer. Complaint handling.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202102100)
The complaint is about the landlord’s handling of the front door repair.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202101868)
The landlord’s handling of repairs to the resident’s kitchen following a leak.
Wandle Housing Association Limited (202105560)
The complaint is about: The landlord’s response to the resident’s request for a fire safety check of her doors in her property and her concerns that the doors in her property were not fire-rated. The landlord’s complaint handling .