Anchor Hanover Downgraded to G3/C3: What It Means for Older Tenants

On 25 June 2025 the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) downgraded Anchor Hanover Group to a G3 governance grade and a C3 consumer grade. Anchor is England's largest provider of housing for older people: around 54,000 homes across 1,700 sites, more than 65,000 residents, and around 100 care homes alongside its rented stock. A downgrade at this scale, in this part of the sector, matters.

This article explains what the judgement said, why it hits older and more vulnerable tenants hardest, and what to do if you or a relative live with problems the regulator has now formally recognised.

What the regulator said

The downgrade was triggered in part by Anchor referring itself to the regulator in December 2024. The published judgement set out failings in three connected areas:

• Electrical safety. Over a third of homes did not have a satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), according to the Regulator's judgement of 25 June 2025.
• Complaints handling. Deep weaknesses in how complaints were recorded, investigated and resolved.
• Property condition. Wider problems with the standard of homes, including unresolved repairs and Decent Homes failings.

The G3 rating means Anchor's governance does not meet the regulator's requirements, and the regulator will watch its improvement work. The C3 consumer grade means serious failings against the consumer standards. The viability grade stayed at V1: financially the organisation is strong. That removes any "we cannot afford to fix this" defence.

Why this hits older tenants harder

Most Anchor residents are over 55. Many are over 75. Damp, mould, electrical faults, cold homes and slow repairs all carry more risk of harm where tenants:

• have breathing conditions made worse by mould spores
• have reduced mobility and cannot easily move out of an affected room
• are on fixed incomes and cannot pay for private repairs or temporary heating
• depend on a single boiler, lift or stairlift staying in working order

If you are an Anchor tenant, or an adult child helping a parent who is, the regulator's findings back you up. They are documented grounds for treating repair complaints as urgent, not routine.

What to do if you rent from Anchor Hanover

1. Check your electrical safety record. Ask Anchor in writing for a copy of your home's current EICR. They should provide it. More than five years old, or no record at all? That is itself a safety issue.
2. Report disrepair in writing. Email, online portal or letter. Keep a copy and the reference number. A phone call alone is not enough.
3. Flag vulnerability clearly. Does the tenant have a health condition, age-related frailty, or a disability? Say so plainly when reporting. It changes the priority category.
4. Use the formal complaints procedure. Stage 1 first, then Stage 2 if unresolved. Anchor must respond inside its published timescales.
5. If Stage 2 is exhausted or ignored, get advice on a claim. Where the landlord has left disrepair unfixed, you may have a claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.

For more on what counts as an emergency that must be fixed quickly (especially under Awaab's Law, which now applies to all social landlords), see What counts as an emergency repair in the UK.

Can you claim compensation?

Yes. Housing disrepair compensation runs separately from the regulator's enforcement. Awards usually combine:

• A share of the rent paid for the period the home was not fit (often 25% to 50%, depending on how bad it was)
• An amount for inconvenience, distress and any harm to health
• The cost of replacing damaged belongings

There is no fixed amount. Compensation is based on a share of the rent paid during the affected period: courts often award roughly 25% to 50% of the rent for a serious, ongoing problem, following Wallace v Manchester City Council. It rises where health harm is documented, or where the failings ran on for years. You have six years to claim.

Helping a parent who rents from Anchor

Calling on behalf of an older relative? With their agreement, you can do almost everything they could do themselves. Get a short written authority from them, so the landlord and any adviser can speak to you. Then follow the steps above. See advice for elderly tenants for more on acting for a relative.

Get help

If you or a relative rents from Anchor Hanover and disrepair sits unresolved, call Support for Tenants on 0800 030 4669 for a free, no-obligation assessment. We are a regulated company, not a law firm. We connect tenants with solicitors who handle housing disrepair cases on a no-win-no-fee basis.

Support For Tenants is a trading name of Cyntex Group Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a Claims Management Company. FRN 1020217. Registered in England and Wales.