Regulator of Social Housing de-registers Pivotal Housing Association

The Regulator of Social Housing has published its decision to de-register Pivotal Housing Association from the register of social housing providers today (4 June 2026).

RSH has taken action due to Pivotal’s persistent and long-standing failure to deliver the outcomes of the Governance and Financial Viability Standard since RSH published its findings in 2021 and took enforcement action in April 2025.

Pivotal is a small provider of supported accommodation through leases mainly in the West Country.

It has failed to demonstrate effective governance and that it is managing its affairs appropriately to serve and protect its tenants’ best interests.    

Pivotal has been balance sheet insolvent for more than two years and is unable to demonstrate it can manage significant risks to ensure its financial viability in the short or long term.  It has failed to meet RSH requirements for robust business planning and stress testing.   

Pivotal has failed to meet the Rent Standard.  It has incorrectly reported homes as social housing and accepts the majority of its homes were not rented at low cost and did not meet the criteria for specialised supported housing as claimed.

There have been significant gaps in its understanding of the condition of its homes and inadequate board oversight to ensure tenants are safe in their homes.

Pivotal has had an extensive opportunity to make improvements to achieve better outcomes for its tenants and has failed to do so.  Pivotal may continue to operate as a private landlord, and our decision does not change individual tenancy agreements.

RSH chief executive Jonathan Walters said: “Being a registered provider of social housing is an important and serious undertaking, carrying clear responsibilities and obligations.

“We are prepared to take action where a landlord fails to take prompt and effective action to meet regulatory standards and protect homes.

“Removal from the register is not an action we take lightly, however, Pivotal was not able to resolve very serious failures and did not respond adequately to enforcement action.”

Notes to editors

1. RSH has a statutory duty to maintain the register of social housing providers. Under section 118(1) (aa) of the HRA 2008, we may remove a private registered provider from the register if we think it has failed to meet the standards under section 193, 194 or 194C.

2. RSH has notified Pivotal that it is exercising its power to de-register them. Under section 121 of the HRA 2008 a body may appeal against a decision of the regulator to de-register it.

3. RSH published a  regulatory notice in March 2021 for Pivotal and an enforcement notice in April 2025.In January 2026, RSH published a regulatory judgement regarding Notice to Pivotal that it was considering removing it from the register for failing to meet the standards.  Pivotal does not have grant or secured debt.

4. As Pivotal owns fewer than 1,000 social homes, it is a small landlord. We do not issue grades to small landlords and only publish or update regulatory judgements where we consider there to be serious weaknesses or failings in a landlord’s delivery of the outcomes of our standards.

5. RSH regulates for a viable, efficient, and well governed social housing sector able to deliver quality homes and services for current and future tenants.   We regulate at the landlord level to drive improvement in how landlords operate. By landlord we mean a registered provider of social housing. These can either be local authorities, or private registered providers (other organisations registered with us such as non-profit housing associations, co-operatives, or profit-making organisations).

6. RSH published a focus report about lease-based provision of Supported Social Housing in April 2025.

7. For media enquiries please contact vicky.moore@rsh.gov.uk or christian.cosby@rsh.gov.uk For general enquiries please contact enquiries@rsh.gov.uk