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Northern Ireland housing sector risk profile
Why a sector risk profile matters – but isn’t everything
RISK & ASSURANCE
Ceri Victory-Rowe
Director, Campbell Tickell
Sue Harvey
Director, Campbell Tickell
Issue 85 | September 2026
It turns out that researching a housing sector risk profile is exciting and sobering in equal measure. We were delighted to be asked on behalf of Deloitte to support the writing of a sector risk profile for the Department of Communities, which regulates the housing association sector in Northern Ireland.
We cast the net wide, immersing ourselves – with an enthusiasm that won’t surprise those who know us! – in reading accounts of risk identification, from the UK National Risk Register to the housing sector risk registers for other UK jurisdictions. To deepen our understanding, we surveyed the sector in Northern Ireland and held workshops with stakeholders to discuss the findings.
It was the findings which were – while not unexpected – sobering. The plethora of contemporary threats to the important missions of housing associations is daunting, particularly as the operating context becomes ever more challenging.
Complex risks
The scale and complexity of risks relating to global politics, climate change and the digital universe, among other things, threaten to overwhelm society, let alone individual organisations. Yet somehow housing associations must steer a course through to clear-sightedness about what they can control, and the protections they can put in place.
Closer to home, we explored challenges which are specific to the sector, from constraints on new housing development to the difficulties of ensuring building safety, and risks which threaten the delivery of good-quality homes and customer service.
The conclusions we drew from our analysis and interpretation of all the data we collected inform the sector risk profile. This should serve as an invaluable tool for boards, executive teams and sector stakeholders seeking to understand the risk landscape housing associations must navigate.
But it is important to be clear that the risk profile is just one tool at a board’s disposal.
When it seeks to properly discharge its responsibilities for risk management, we believe that any board must:
Retain strong ownership of risk: a sector risk profile can only give clues to the risks that should feature on any individual housing association’s risk register. It is critical that the board and executive team are thoughtful about the specific risks which threaten the organisation’s ability to deliver its strategic objectives, keep customers safe and meet their needs, as well as to comply with regulatory expectations.
Have the right collective skills, experience and diversity of perspective: to understand, identify and manage key threats to the organisation – and ensure the executive team possesses these attributes too.
Be realistic and grounded in assessment of risk: complacency is the enemy of good risk management. The most dangerous assumption a board can make is arguably that ‘it couldn’t happen here’. A good board draws on all the insight available to it – including the sector risk profile – to understand what could and might happen, and how it can protect the organisation from harm.
Embed assurance in the board’s work: without evidence which demonstrates the controls put in place to manage risk are effective, the board is working in the dark.
At Campbell Tickell, we work frequently with boards and executive teams across the housing sectors of the UK to help them establish robust approaches to managing risk within the governance structure. From setting risk appetite and defining key controls to designing assurance frameworks, we can demystify risk management and advise on best practice.
