26 Jan 2026 • Article 4 min read
Services
Our sector-leading team, ranked band 1 in Chambers & Partners’ rankings, advises on the full range of social housing governance and regulatory issues. We work with Boards and Executive Teams when they are setting strategy, responding to regulatory scrutiny or delivering complex transactions, and need clear, confident guidance.
We act for registered providers of social housing (RPs), local authorities, subsidiaries, charities, for profit providers and joint venture entities. Our work spans new registrations as registered providers of social housing, large scale corporate transactions, mergers restructures and urgent interventions. Clients come to us when they are forming new structures, responding to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), reviewing their constitution or managing serious concerns about performance or compliance.
Our advice is grounded in deep knowledge of the RSH’s regulatory framework, charity law, company and community benefit society law, and the day to day realities of running a housing organisation. We take time to understand each organisation’s drivers, risk profile and relationships, then shape advice that is both compliant and practical. By looking ahead, we help Boards anticipate issues, manage sector risk and keep projects moving at pace.
We also have longstanding relationships with key regulators, including the RSH. That experience helps us pre-empt concerns, present matters clearly and support constructive engagement when regulatory questions arise.
Our Services
We act for a wide range of organisations across the social housing landscape, including registered providers of social housing, local authorities, subsidiaries, charities, for-profit providers and joint venture entities. As experienced social housing lawyers and housing law solicitors, we provide clear, pragmatic guidance on governance and regulatory matters.
Our services include:
- Facilitating Board and Executive Team away days to support strategic planning.
- Undertaking investigations, including in relation fraud and whistleblowing matters.
- Conducting constitutional reviews, including updates to Rules and Articles of Association.
- Advising on regulatory compliance, including on the Consumer Standards.
- Registering new RPs, including local authority commercial subsidiaries, for-profit and charitable providers.
- Undertaking governance reviews.
- Advising on Board member disputes.
- Delivering Board training on duties and responsibilities and a range of other topics.
- Advising on company law and community benefit society law.
- Providing charity law advice, including on permanent endowment issues.
- Reviewing and updating policies and procedures.
- Advising on mergers and acquisitions involving housing providers, charities and commercial bodies.
- Supporting clients on self-referrals to the RSH, voluntary undertakings and the implications of regulatory downgrade.
At each stage, we focus on what your organisation needs to do next, the risks attached to each option and the practical steps required to implement decisions safely.
Meet the Team
Our Social Housing Governance and Regulatory work is led by a team with deep experience across governance, regulatory compliance and social housing corporate structures. We combine technical expertise with a clear understanding of how Boards and Executive Teams work in practice.
Gemma Bell, Partner, advises on social housing regulation, charity law, governance, company and community benefit society law, corporate restructuring, joint ventures, stock transfers and mergers and acquisitions. She is ranked Band 2 for Social Housing in Chambers and Partners, where clients describe her as an “all round superstar”. Gemma regularly supports Boards on complex governance questions and high profile transactions.
Matthew Waters, Partner, works with organisations across the housing sector, including RPs, funders and investors, local authorities and developers. His practice covers commercial, corporate and regulatory matters, often involving group structures, joint ventures and partnership arrangements. He helps clients align governance, funding and commercial objectives.
Sharon Thandi, Partner, specialises in corporate, governance and regulatory advice for RPs. Her work ranges from incorporation and registration through to regulatory intervention, partnership arrangements and ongoing compliance. She frequently advises on RSH engagement, governance reviews and changes to constitutional documents.
We work closely with in-house teams, executive leadership teams, Board members and regulators so that clients can manage governance issues well, respond to regulatory expectations and make strategic decisions with clarity and confidence.
Don’t just take our word for it…
Contact us
For initial enquiries please complete this form and send us a message. We’ll direct your enquiry to the appropriate person.
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