Free checklist · Board data assurance
Board data assurance checklist: the five things behind every figure.
Your board will be asked how it knows its figures are right. The Regulator has said what that takes: clear ownership, governance, quality controls, validation and audit trails. This three-page checklist turns each one into questions your board can ask, and the evidence to ask for.
By Catalyst BI housing data teamLast reviewed 4th November 20263-page PDF
What's inside
Questions your board can ask, and the evidence to ask for.
Built on one sentence from the Regulator's Sector Risk Profile 2026, which asks boards to be assured that key decisions rest on robust and comprehensive data.
- Five sections, 15 ticks: clear ownership, governance arrangements, quality controls, validation and audit trails.
- Evidence to ask for: one specific thing to request at the meeting for each section.
- Where to look first: stock condition, building safety, Awaab's Law, TSMs, STAIRs, and AI and cyber.
- A simple score that tells you where to start.
For board members, audit and risk committees and heads of data at housing associations.
Get the checklist
The five things
What the Regulator says sits behind every figure.
The Sector Risk Profile 2026 names five things boards should be assured of. The checklist turns each into three questions and one piece of evidence to ask for.
- 01
Clear ownership
Every figure in the board pack has a named owner who can explain how it is produced.
1named owner per board figure - 02
Governance arrangements
Changes to how a key figure is calculated are approved and recorded, and data risks sit on the risk register.
3sets of minutes to ask for - 03
Quality controls
Every system uses the same property and tenancy reference, and known gaps are measured and reported.
5 yearsof stock condition survey coverage to check - 04
Validation
Key figures are calculated from source data, not rebuilt in spreadsheets before each meeting.
Read the TSM data assurance guide →Sourcenot spreadsheets - 05
Audit trails
Any headline figure opens to the property-level records behind it, with the source system and the date each changed.
See the Awaab's Law evidence trail →Liveone figure traced to its homes, in the meeting
Trace one board figure back to its homes.
Bring one figure from your last board pack. We'll start by understanding how it is produced today, then come back to show where the trail breaks and what it would take to open it live in the meeting.