Learning from landlords on mergers and restructures
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Overview
When change is not managed well, residents can experience delays, poor communication, and unresolved complaints.
In January 2026, we held roundtable discussions with member landlords about their experiences of mergers and restructures and they shared with us their principles for effective mergers.
Learning from landlords
Merging IT systems is one of the biggest challenges that landlords told us about
Using multiple legacy systems slows down services and generates avoidable complaints. Start integration work as soon as a merger is proposed. It often takes longer than the 12 to 18 months many landlords set aside, and benefits from dedicated resources and clear board-level accountability.
Communicate clearly, often, and consistently
Address concerns early — both with residents and internally — and keep communication consistent throughout. Residents want to know how changes will affect them. Avoid presenting the merger as a solution to complaints or using it as a reason for delays in responding.
Culture should be the starting point
Carry out cultural due diligence before merging to find gaps and ensure organisations are a good match. Positive outcomes for residents were seen where newly combined organisations built stronger links with partners such as health, police, and antisocial behaviour teams.
Complaint handlers are key to the process
Experienced complaint handlers working across merging organisations help ensure consistent, high-quality responses. Pre-merger due diligence should include analysis of complaints and our determinations. Retaining colleagues with strong knowledge of residents and properties is invaluable during periods of change.
Tell us about your merger or organisational change
Tell us about your merger or organisational change
As part of our duty to monitor compliance with the Code, you need to tell us if your organisation is going through significant change.
Let us know if:
- there has been a significant organisational change, such as a change in trustees or directors
- there has been an organisational restructure, such as a merger or a large-scale stock transfer