This section contains information about who we are, how we are run and how key decisions are made.

Who we are

• Find out more about us; who we are and what we do
• Our Values and Mission set out why English Rural exists and what we stand for
• Our aims, priorities and future plans are set out in our Eight Strategic Ambitions, which outline our objectives and plans from 2024 to 2029

Senior staff names and roles

• We provide details of our staff team and their roles within English Rural

How we are run

• Our Board sets our strategy and objectives and makes sure the staff team, responsible for the day-to-day management of English Rural, is working effectively
• Our Board is supported by an Audit and Standards Committee and a Finance and Resources Committee, which allow core areas to be covered in greater detail
• We have adopted the National Housing Federation’s Code of Governance and we are registered and regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing

How we make decisions

• Our policies set out the rules we work to and how decisions about homes and services are made. These are split into general company policies and policies about our homes and services
• Everything we do involves a certain amount of risk. Risk management is how we identify, understand and manage the risks that could affect our objectives, including stress testing of our business plan

How we prioritise complaints

• Our complaints process explains how we handle complaints and how we meet the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code
• If you have been through our complaints process and remain unhappy, you can refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service

How we involve our residents in making decisions

• We work with residents to decide what getting involved looks like at English Rural. You can download our Resident Engagement Strategy 2024 to 2029 and our Resident Involvement and Consultation Policy from that page
• Our Resident Influence page brings together the different ways residents can influence our work, including focus group notes, Tenant Satisfaction Measures, complaints performance, resident newsletters, Residents’ Annual Reports, policies and examples of changes made in response to resident feedback
• One resident representative sits on our Board
• We publish updates for residents in our Residents’ Annual Report
• Read our latest news to see how residents are shaping our work, including our Big Door Knock
• Our resident focus groups give residents a regular way to discuss key service areas with us, share what is working well and highlight where improvements are needed. We use this feedback to help shape policies, communications and service improvements

Information about resident meetings and agendas

• Our Resident Scrutiny Group reviews our policies, procedures and services and makes recommendations to us. Focus groups are held throughout the year and invitations go to everyone on our mailing list. You can also download the group’s Terms of Reference and read the published Resident Focus Group notes, including previous meeting notes on topics such as grounds maintenance, antisocial behaviour, energy efficiency, complaints, communications and repairs contractors
• You can view the notes from these meetings here

This section explains how the income we receive is used to manage, maintain and improve our homes and services.

• We publish information about how we spend money, including grant funding, rent and service charge income, in our financial statements. You can find our spending information using the links below:
  • Financial Statements
  • Annual Reports
  • Value for Money Statements
• Our rent and service charges page explains how rents are set and reviewed each April, what service charges cover, and how they are calculated
• Our Rent Setting Policy and Income and Arrears Policy are published on our policies page
• Our Repairs and Maintenance Procurement Policy explains how we buy in works and services, and is published on the same page
• Our Resident Support Fund provides financial help with essential living costs and home upkeep, and funding for community projects
• If you are struggling with rent or bills, our money support page explains the help available, and you can get free independent advice from Citizens Advice

This section outlines our future plans and explains how we maintain, repair and invest in our homes.

Plans and objectives

• Our Eight Strategic Ambitions outline our aims and objectives from 2024 to 2029
• Our approach to keeping homes safe and well maintained explains the inspections, servicing and planned investment we carry out to meet national housing standards
• We carry out stock condition surveys on a rolling five year programme, assessing roofs, windows, kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems and external structures, so we can plan future investment
• Our Repairs Standards explain what you can expect from our repairs service and the timescales we work to
• Our Repairs and Maintenance Policy, Alterations Policy, Rechargeable Repairs Policy and Aids and Adaptations Policy are published on our policies page
• We are committed to building new affordable homes with and for rural communities. You can see homes currently available to rent or buy on our property search

Maintenance work

• Our repairs and maintenance pages explain how to report a repair, which repairs are ours and which are yours, and how we plan major works such as roof, kitchen and bathroom replacements
• You can report a repair, track progress and give feedback through My English Rural, our resident portal, available 24 hours a day
• Our Quick Guides for Residents explain how the systems in your home work, including air source heat pumps, solar energy, ventilation systems, sewage treatment plants and energy saving tips

Our homes: key facts and figures

• Find out how many homes we own and manage, and where they are, in our Annual Report and in the Our Homes section of the website
• Information about the make-up of our housing stock, including rented and shared ownership homes, is published in our financial statements
• We are reviewing the housing stock management information we routinely publish, including information about planned investment, energy efficiency and changes to the homes we own and manage. Where information is not published here, residents can ask us whether it is available.
• Information about our history can be found in the about us section of our website

This section shows how we are performing and how well we are delivering services for residents.

Inspection outcomes and ratings

• View our latest regulatory judgement from the Regulator of Social Housing, and read our response to it
• You can read the consumer standards that all social landlords must meet
• The Housing Ombudsman publishes the outcomes of the cases it investigates in its Decision Archive. To view decisions relating to us, search for English Rural Housing Association in the landlord field and select Apply Filters

Performance reviews and evaluation reports

• A comprehensive look at our performance can be found in our Annual Report
• Our Value for Money Statement shows how we use our resources and how we compare with other providers
• Our Residents’ Annual Report summarises our performance in plain English for residents
• Our Board is supported by regular internal audits, covering areas such as succession planning, skills and structure

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

• Each year we share our Tenant Satisfaction Measures results with you. These are a set of 22 measures showing how well we are doing at providing quality homes and services, made up of ten measures from our own management information and 12 based on resident feedback. On that page you can find:
  • Our latest Tenant Satisfaction Measures Report
  • Our previous years’ Tenant Satisfaction Measures Reports
  • Our Summary of Approach and the questionnaire used
• Our resident survey is carried out by an independent research provider on our behalf, so you can give your views in confidence. Find out more about the TSM framework on the Regulator’s website

Media releases

• View the latest news published by English Rural
• Find out about our research and the work we do to influence national policy on affordable rural housing

Complaint metrics

• Our Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report explains how we handle complaints, how we comply with the Complaint Handling Code, and what we have learned and changed as a result. You can read it, and our annual self assessment against the Code, on our Making a Complaint page
• You can view our landlord performance information on the Housing Ombudsman’s website

Maintenance work

• Our performance in delivering repairs and maintenance is reported in our Annual Report and in our Tenant Satisfaction Measures

We publish information showing how we are performing across key resident services, including repairs, complaints, resident satisfaction and building safety. Where held and suitable for publication, we will also provide information about planned maintenance, tenancy outcomes, evictions and requests for information.

This section provides information about the services we offer to residents, as well as the advice, guidance and support available.

• Our Quick Links for Residents page brings together the key information, services and resources you need to manage your home
• Our Resident Handbook is a full guide to your tenancy, your rights and responsibilities, and useful contacts
• Our Rent and Repairs section covers repairs, rent, service charges and money matters in one place
• Our damp and mould page explains the difference between condensation, damp and mould, what to do if you spot any of it, and how quickly we must respond. You can also read our Quick Guide to Damp, Mould and Condensation
• Our antisocial behaviour page explains what we will investigate, how to report it, and the diary sheet we ask you to keep
• Our domestic abuse page sets out how we respond and lists national helplines and support services. If you are in immediate danger, call 999
• Our money support page explains what help is available if you are finding it hard to pay your rent or charges
• Our Resident Support Fund offers flexible financial support for essential living costs, home upkeep and community projects
• Register for My English Rural to manage your account, report repairs and access information online, 24 hours a day
• We would be happy to provide information about our services in an alternative format, including large print, easy read, audio, Braille, translated versions, or support to explain information over the phone or in person. Please contact us and we will do our best to meet your needs. You have the right to be represented by a third party, such as a family member, friend, support worker, advocate or advice service, when dealing with us. Our policies page explains how to arrange this

This section provides information on the registers we are required to keep by law for the management of our housing services.

Information held in registers required by law

• Our Tenant Satisfaction Measures show the proportion of our homes where all required safety checks have been completed
• We have a legal responsibility to carry out important safety checks to make sure your home and any shared areas remain safe
• Where a home has a gas supply, we carry out annual gas safety inspections by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and issue a certificate after each inspection. Our Gas Safety Policy is on our policies page
• We inspect and test the electrical installations we own every five years, carried out by qualified electricians. Our Periodic Electrical Inspection Policy is on the same page
• We carry out annual safety checks and servicing on non-gas heating systems, including electric boilers, oil, solid fuel and heat pump systems. Our Solid Fuel Safety Policy is on the same page
• Asbestos must be handled with care as it can pose serious health risks if disturbed. Our Asbestos Policy and Procedure explains how we survey for and manage asbestos, and what to do if you think there may be asbestos in your home
• Our Fire Safety Policy sets out how we assess and manage fire risk in our buildings and shared areas
• Information about high rise residential buildings in England is published on the government’s website

Other records and registers we maintain

This section contains information about other lists and registers we maintain to support the management of our housing services and meet our legal and regulatory responsibilities.

• We take reports of damp and mould extremely seriously. Our Damp, Mould and Condensation Policy sets out our approach, and under Awaab’s Law, in force since 27 October 2025, we work to fixed timescales when hazards are reported. You can also read the government’s guidance for tenants and the full Awaab’s Law collection, which sets out the wider range of hazards covered from 30 November 2026
• We keep records of aids and adaptations we have provided to help residents live independently. Our Aids and Adaptations Policy is on our policies page
• All complaints we receive are recorded and monitored through our Complaints Register, as set out in our complaints process
• We keep records of reports of antisocial behaviour and the action taken
• We hold personal information about residents in line with our GDPR Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy, published on our general company policies You can also read our privacy policy

This section brings together the policies that set out how we manage our homes and deliver services to residents.

• Our policies page brings together everything in one place. Policies are reviewed regularly to take account of resident feedback, good practice and the law
• Our policies about our homes and services cover tenancy, allocations, rent setting, repairs, safety, damp and mould, antisocial behaviour, domestic abuse, safeguarding, complaints, compensation, equality, diversity and inclusion, pets, shared ownership and more. All documents open as PDFs
• Our general company policies cover bribery, data protection, equality, diversity and inclusion, and complaints from non-residents
• If you need a policy in a different format, including large print, easy read, audio, Braille or a translated version, please contact us and we will do our best to help
• If a policy you are looking for is not published here, please ask us and we will tell you whether we hold it and whether we can share it