A Cheshire West housing firm has received top marks following an inspection.

Weaver Vale Housing Trust (WVHT) earned the highest possible gradings following an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing.

The Northwich-based landlord, which owns and manages over 6,500 properties in Frodsham, Helsby, Elton, Northwich, rural Cheshire and Winsford, has retained its G1 grading for meeting all regulatory governance standards, V1 grading for viability requirements and having the finances to deal with a range of different scenarios.

It is also one of the first landlords in England to earn a C1 grading, which focuses on the consumer standards, introduced in April this year. The new C grading covers areas such as customer safety in their homes, always treating people with fairness and respect, and ensuring they can influence the quality of services provided by their landlord.

Earlier this year, Weaver Vale reported its first set of figures released as part of Tenant Satisfaction Measures, which are a key part of the new consumer standards and designed to show how well customers feel landlords are doing. Overall satisfaction with the Trust’s performance stands at 84 per cent, while 88 per cent say Weaver Vale treats customers fairly and with respect.

Wayne Gales, chief executive at WVHT, said: “The gradings are a testament to our hard-working colleagues and all of our involved customers from across Weaver Vale’s communities who give their time and share lived and living experiences to help shape and improve our services. It also demonstrates the success of our customer feedback framework which we relaunched in April 2023.

“Whilst we are delighted with this news, we recognise there’s always work to do to ensure we continue to provide the best possible customer experience we can and ensure our homes remain safe and meet the needs and aspirations of those we serve and communities in which we work.

“It is the voices of customers that matter most, and we will continue to listen to people who live in our homes and receive our services.”

Paul Smith, board chair at WVHT, added: “This is a significant moment for Weaver Vale, our customers, and colleagues. It clearly demonstrates we are on the right track supporting our customers to play a central role in shaping our organisation and our plans. In our approach it enables us to ensure we are listening and understanding the needs of our communities, now and in the future.

“With the regulator’s feedback, and the continued efforts from our teams and customers, we’re confident we can play our part in creating thriving communities where everyone has a place to call home.”