Prima awarded three highest grades by the Regulator of Social Housing

Photo: Chief Executive at Prima, John Ghader

Prima Group has been awarded the three highest possible grades following an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing.

The regulatory judgement saw Prima given the top C1 grade at the first time of asking after being inspected for consumer standards.

The Merseyside landlord also retained its V1 rating for viability and G1 status for governance.

The C1 grade recognises Prima’s knowledge and understanding of its customers developed by running intense projects such as the Big Door Knock.

This saw staff visit every tenant’s home to discuss living conditions, individual circumstances and how it can help improve lives by making people aware of the wider wraparound support offered. 

Chief Executive at Prima, John Ghader, said: “Receiving C1, G1, V1 is a tremendous achievement for everyone connected with the organisation and gives our tenants the confidence we are really well led, financially secure and deliver high-quality services for them.

“Being awarded C1 the first time we have been inspected is exceptional and testimony to the commitment of our staff who put tenants at the forefront of everything they do. 

“We have a long-standing, embedded culture to provide a really personal approach so we get to know tenants and their homes in detail then act on what they tell us.

“An example is customers saying home quality and maintenance matters most to them and they want us to be locally based which is why we brought this in-house so we have complete control and can deliver the best level of service.

“While this is a moment to reflect and celebrate, we have a clear yet highly ambitious plan in place to do even more and will continue investing in our people, tenants, homes and communities.”

Prima’s 2025/30 corporate plan focuses on providing an even more personal, bespoke service with a localities model seeing housing officers get to know tenants better by working in small patch sizes of just 300 homes - significantly smaller that many other housing associations.

Improvements to existing properties will see more people benefit from energy efficiency measures being added that will reduce carbon emissions and tenant fuel bills while making living conditions more comfortable.

Prima’s first-of-its-kind Healthy@Home project in partnership with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust will see living conditions included in official health records for the first time so housing issues can be identified to improve people’s wellbeing.

A development programme will see nearly 450 homes built over the next seven years to help reduce waiting lists and provide high-quality properties for people who need them most.

Chair of Prima’s Board, Rob Young, said: “Independent verification and assurance from the regulator that we are operating at the very highest level affirms we have been delivering for tenants and are perfectly placed to build on this and do even more in the future.

“The Board recognises the great efforts and commitment of all our staff which makes a huge difference and is absolutely vital.

“We will continue building relationships with tenants, really listening to them and acting on their feedback.”