Our service standards

We want your home to be warm, safe, secure and a comfortable place to live in. 

We will…

• be clear which repairs we look after, and which are your responsibility in accordance with your tenancy agreements or leases. Please refer to our repair’s matrix for more information.
• prioritise your repair as either an emergency or non-emergency. This will be assessed with you when the repair is raised. Please click here for more information.
• attend and make safe all emergency repairs within 24 hours.
• offer you a choice of appointments to complete all non-emergency repairs within 28 days (excluding planned repairs such as fences and window replacements).
• confirm your appointment by text message.

• make a separate appointment if we need to visit your home to check what’s needed. Where we’re not able to fix at the first visit, we’ll be clear with you what the next steps are.

• keep you updated if we need to move your appointment or if the materials haven’t arrived.

• leave your home clean and tidy and take all our rubbish away.

• show ID so you know who they are and that they’re working for us.

• explain the work we’re doing and how long it’ll take.

• explain if any more work is needed and complete this within 10 days.

• if we can’t complete a repair because we’re waiting for parts or materials, we’ll be clear about what’s happening and when you’ll hear from us.

• make sure all our staff and contractors are fully trained and work safely.

• sometimes complex repairs are needed which can be very disruptive. If this happens, we’ll clearly explain what’s needed, how long it’ll take, who’s managing your repair and how to contact them. Some examples of when we recommend you move out temporarily:

     - if there is major flooding

     - fire damage

     - structural repairs that mean the property is unsafe

     - no toilet facilities for over 24 hours

If we need you to move out while the work is done, we’ll make the arrangements with you and cover reasonable costs.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• you consistently rate our repairs service (your repair completed) as 8.8 or above out of 10
• we keep over 95% of the repair appointments we make with you
• we complete 98% of our emergency repairs within 24 hours.

• 77% of non-emergency repairs are completed within 28 days (we’re aware that we aren’t yet completing all our responsive repairs within this timeframe but have invested more in this service to be completing 77% of our repairs within this timescale by the end of the financial year - this excludes planned repairs such as fencing and windows replacement).

We want your home to be warm, safe, secure and a comfortable place to live in and ensure our rental homes and communal areas continue to be in good condition.

We will…

• ensure your homes and communal areas are kept in good repair through planned investment. Click here for more information about our replacement programmes.
• visit your home every 5 years to check its condition and plan our improvement work. 
• contact you at least 3 weeks before we visit you to survey your home, giving you an appointment date and time.
• tell you at least 28 days in advance if we’re planning to do work in your home or block.
• change your appointment if it’s not a convenient time.
• explain what to expect, how long it’ll take, what choices you may have, what disruption we can’t avoid and any help we need from you.
• leave your home clean and tidy and take all rubbish away when we’ve finished.
• make adaptations to your home that help you live independently, based on Occupational Therapists’ advice – and give you advice about other organisations that can help you.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• you're consistently rating our planned maintenance activities 8 or above out of 10.
• 90% of our programme is completed.

We want you to live in a home that is warm, safe and secure. 

We will…

• do a range of safety checks, servicing and inspections. We really appreciate you letting us into your home and we’ll do everything we can to minimise disruption.
• send you a letter telling you when we’d like to carry out these checks.
• change your appointment if it’s not a convenient time.
• explain the work we’re doing and how long it’ll take.
• leave your home clean and tidy when we’ve finished.
• explain if any more work is needed and agree with you when this will be completed.
• give you a copy of your gas certificate within 28 days following our visit.
• keep a record of all asbestos in your home or communal areas. More information on our management of asbestos and how to report any concerns can be found here.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• you consistently rate us 8.8 and above out of 10 for our gas and electrical service.
• we are 100% compliant with our health and safety obligations (gas safety, electrical safety, fire safety, asbestos, water safety and lift safety).

We recognise that moving home is one of life’s major events. 

We will…

• ensure your home is safe, secure and clean when you move in.
• give you clear information about the home you've been offered, the charges and terms of the tenancy agreement, and be available to answer any questions.
• invite you to view your future home before you decide if it’s right for you and explain what might happen if you turn the property down.
• let you know when your new home is ready to move into and keep you informed of any changes.
• assign a support officer to you within 2 weeks, if you need support when you first move to help you manage your tenancy
• give you clear moving out guidance telling you how to leave your home and deposit your keys. We will tell you about potential costs if you leave your home in an unsatisfactory condition.
• give you free access to HomeSwapper, the national exchange service, and guidance on how to swap home. We'll give you a decision on your mutual exchange application within 42 days and keep you up to date with the progress of your swap.
• provide you with links to information to help you enjoy your new home when you move in.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• you are consistently rating your moving in experience 8.5 or above out of 10.

• 100% of mutual exchange applications decisions are given within 42 days.

We want to be easy to contact, helpful, responsive and efficient. 

We will…

• have a range of ways you can get in touch, being available Monday to Friday (8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, and to 4.30pm on a Friday) or out of hours in an emergency.
• provide a free telephone number to contact us on.
• tell you where you are if your call is in a queue and answer your call as soon as we can.
• reply to any website forms, social media posts and your online account messages by the end of the next working day.
• reply to your letters within 10 working days.
• arrange to meet you at home, in your community, or in our office.
• respond by the end of the next working day if we can’t resolve your query straight away.

• translate key information into other languages, provide tools on our website for read aloud and changing the font size, and provide British Sign Language translation for phone or video calls.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• 75% of customer enquiries are resolved at first contact
• 98% of callbacks are completed on time
• The average call wait time is 15 mins

• We respond to digital contacts by the end of the next working day.

We aim to put our customers and communities at the heart of what we do and work with you to shape our services and support your communities.

We will…

• provide various ways for you to get involved with us, working together to design, scrutinise, create and improve policies and services that are important to you, from a local resident group to having your say in a board room. For more information click here.
• ask our customers and consider their views whenever we change a service or a policy.
• let you know about any changes to services or policies and how our customers have influenced them.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• 1000 or more of our customers are part of our group of involved customers.

We want to consistently deliver all our services but recognise there may be times where we don’t fully meet your expectations. 

We will…

• provide you with a variety of ways to tell us how we’re doing, through our complaints process, satisfaction surveys and customer engagement opportunities.
• respond to your issues by the end of the next working day. If further investigation is needed or requested, we'll handle these through our complaints process with the investigating lead getting in touch by the end of the next working day.
• respond to your complaint within 10 working days, contacting you by phone to discuss our outcome and following this up by email or letter.  For complaints made on your behalf by MPs or Councillors we'll respond within 7 working days.
• keep you updated during your complaint and advise of next steps, making sure agreed resolutions are completed.
• explain what you can do if you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your complaint, including how to contact the Housing Ombudsman service.
• tell you how we’ve learned from your complaint.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• you are consistently rating us 6.5 and above out of 10 for how we handled your complaint.
• 100% of complaints are closed within the timescales of our policy.

We want your neighbourhood to be safe, clean and a pleasant place to live. 

We will…

• check in with you within 3 months of moving in to see how you're settling in. We may check in with you again if we have any concerns about your tenancy or support needs.
• let you know who your Neighbourhood Officer is and how they can help you. Click here for information.
• provide information on how to keep your home and building safe and clear items from communal areas when we are advised or when we see them that could be a fire or safety risk.
• invite our neighbourhood volunteers to join us when we inspect estates and communal areas.
• clean communal areas, cut grass, clear pathways and remove rubbish on our estates. Click here to see what is done during our visits.
• remove any hazardous items from our estates and communal areas within 24 hours, and any other rubbish within 10 working days.
• remove offensive graffiti within 5 working days, and remove all other types of graffiti within 1 month.
• have playgrounds inspected by a safety expert every 3 months.
• complete any changes to your tenancy and respond to any other requests (e.g. to carry out your own improvements, or to have a lodger) within 10 working days of receiving all the information we need.
• respond to any concerns you have about your neighbourhood by the end of the next working day, telling you what we can do. If we think there’s a serious risk to your safety, we’ll deal with it the same day.
• let you know how we can support you and give you details of other organisations who can help if you’re experiencing anti-social behaviour. Please click here for more information.
• encourage you to resolve any disputes with your neighbours through assessment mediation.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• you’re consistently rating us 7 and above out of 10 for the way we handle your report of anti-social behaviour.

We want you to enjoy living independently in your home. However, when things aren’t going as well as they could you may need advice and support. 

We will…

• provide a range of ways of how we can support you, including:

     - helping you with your benefits and debts

     - giving you advice about money management

     - helping you access the internet and build your digital skills and confidence

     - helping you to find work

     - helping you access mental health support services

     - helping you to live independently in our older persons and extra care schemes

• allocate you a named support officer who will contact you within 2 weeks to develop a support plan with you.
• give you access to our online system where you can see all the information about your case, track progress and contact your support officer. We'll guide you through this.
• ensure all our support officers are appropriately trained, professional throughout your case, and are clear about what you can expect from our support.
• let you know when we're closing your case.    

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• we recover more than £6 million each year in unclaimed benefits for our customers.
• we support more than 300 customers into job starts.

We recognise that becoming a homeowner can be daunting and can be a big commitment. We want to help our homeowner customers enjoy living in their home by being clear, open and honest about each of our responsibilities and by being easy to deal with. 

We will…

• give you clear information about our homes for sale including:

     - the layout of the home and the facilities it'll have

     - the costs of buying a home

     - any service charges you’ll be responsible for

     - an explanation of the lease

     - the energy efficiency of the home

     - your responsibilities as a homeowner

     - the warranty for your new home

• answer any questions by the end of the next working day to help you make your decision.
• process all Right To Buy, Right To Acquire or Staircasing applications within 4 weeks.
• keep you informed about the progress of your purchase, letting you know at each stage what happens next and anything you need to do.
• provide you with a Home user guide on the day you move, giving you the information you need to enjoy your home.
• provide you with our guidance document to explain how to sell your home and the fees you'll pay, found here.
• be in touch within 10 working days of your move in date to check how you're settling in.
• manage any defects and repairs after you move in. We'll be clear of how long this period is for you.
• contact you at the end of your defects period to make sure we're aware of any defects that the builder will be responsible for.

We know we’re delivering our standard when…

• you’re consistently rating your moving in experience (sales) 8.5 or above out of 10.

We want you, and as many future customers as possible, to be able to live in a home that is warm, safe and secure. To achieve this, we need our customers to take responsibility for their rent and other payments. 

We will…

• provide a range of secure ways to pay your rent and other charges, encouraging Direct Debit as our preferred method of payment.
• provide you with access to your rent statements online or send you a statement on request.
• let you know if your rent and service charges change at least 28 days in advance. If there is a change in your Direct Debit payment, we'll let you know 10 days in advance.
• make sure payments appear on your account within 48 hours.
• if you miss a payment, we’ll contact you within 2 weeks and help you to get back on track. We’ll agree a reasonable repayment plan and refer you to our support services or other agencies if you need more specialist help.
• give you clear information about what your service charges cover and how we’ve calculated them.

If you are struggling to cover your rent payments and other charges, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.