Section: Best Practices & Standards
Tenant Satisfaction Increased
Overall tenant satisfaction has increased according to the latest key housing association performance indicator (PI) results for March 2007, released by the Housing Corporation. However the Corporation has challenged associations to improve performance on tenant involvement, relets and environmental performance over the coming year.
Key improvements benchmarked against last year's data include:
- Overall tenant satisfaction has increased by 1% to 80%, with shared ownership satisfaction also increased by 1%.
- Satisfaction with routine repairs has also increased. Over three quarters of tenants (76%) are satisfied with their association's repairs and maintenance services, while 94% of routine repairs were completed on target, compared to 93.7% last year. Additionally 10% of associations reduced their repair target times compared to last year.
- Stock failing to meet Decent Home Standard has improved, reducing from 15.5% last year to 13%.
However some other key PIs show average performance has fallen, highlighting areas where housing associations will need to improve over the coming year to better meet Housing Corporation expectations. These include:
- Tenant satisfaction with participation has reduced by 1% (from 62% to 61%).
- Average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating has reduced from 68.8 to 68.6.
- Relet time for managed general needs stock increased by one day on average.
Two significant changes have been made in the way PIs are produced this year:
- PI information is now provided on housing associations with 1,000 or more homes (rather than the previous 250 homes starting point).
- Following consultation in 2006, the Housing Corporation moved to a reduced but more focused suite of PIs that stress quality of service and capture resident perception of landlord performance. 2007 is the first year of reporting under these new PIs.
LA Stars
North East Derbyshire
The repairs and maintenance service provided by North East Derbyshire District Council is 'poor' with 'promising' prospects for improvement, according to an inspection report released by the Audit Commission. The inspection team gave the service a zero-star rating. This inspection followed a previous inspection in 2005, which also found that the Council was delivering a poor service.
Weaknesses include:
- Repair jobs are being cancelled without tenants' knowledge and the appointments system is not operating effectively, as well as being limited in scope.
- Disabled tenants have to wait too long for major adaptations to be made to their homes.
- The Council has been slow to focus on diversity issues and
vulnerable tenants needs are not always known or effectively responded to.
- The target time to undertake routine repairs has been extended leading to longer waiting times for tenants.
- The repairs and maintenance service is not managed or delivered in a cost effective way, resulting in poor value for money for tenants.
- There has been a lack of investment in tenants' homes and the external condition and appearance of a significant number of properties is poor.
Strengths include:
- There has been a corporate focus on improving access to the service since the last inspection and reporting repairs by telephone in office hours has been made easier.
- Servicing gas appliances in tenants' homes has improved.
- The Council's approach to consulting tenants has picked up, and a tenants' newsletter has been introduced.
The Council owns and manages 8,436 properties. The service will be inspected again within the next eighteen months.
Other LA Reports
Other local authority inspection reports issued by the Audit Commission during December included:
- Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council (Supporting People): Two-star good service with promising prospects for improvement.
- East Devon District Council (Housing Management Services): One-star fair service with uncertain prospects for improvement.
- Erewash Borough Council (Strategic Housing): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (Supporting People): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Stoke on Trent City Council (Supporting People): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Worcester City Council (Strategic Housing): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
RSL Performers
Herefordshire Housing
The service provided by Herefordshire Housing is 'poor' and the prospects for improvement are 'uncertain', according to an inspection report by the Audit Commission. The inspection team gave the Association a zero-star rating.
The inspectors found:
- A poor approach to asset management, with value for money being unproven in responsive repairs.
- A weak approach to diversity and meeting the needs of all customers.
- Lengthy re-let times, despite strong housing demand and need in the district.
- The needs of leaseholders have been neglected, meaning that arrangements to improve blocks of flats where leaseholders are present are undeveloped.
However:
- A high percentage of rent is collected.
- Gas servicing arrangements are effective.
- Antisocial behaviour is dealt with effectively.
To help the service improve, inspectors made a number of recommendations. These include:
- Meeting statutory requirements in diversity and in dealing with leaseholders.
- Developing effective asset management arrangements which focus on the needs of tenants living in poor properties and in meeting the decent homes standard.
- Improving the approach to achieving value for money in all services.
Other RSL Reports
Other registered social landlord inspection reports issued by the Audit Commission during December included:
- Bristol Churches Housing Association (Housing Management Services): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
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Granta Housing Society (Housing Management Services): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
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Pathmeads Housing Association (Housing Management Services): Two-star good service with promising prospects for improvement.
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Severnside Housing (Housing Association Re-inspection): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
Scottish Inspections
Inspection reports from Communities Scotland during December included the following:
- Linthouse Housing Association was awarded a fair rating for its overall performance. The Association is based in the Govan area of Glasgow, where it owns 1,124 homes.
- Shetland Islands Council was awarded a fair rating for its housing management, asset management and repairs and homelessness services. The Council is the most northerly authority in the UK, with a population of around 22,000. Approximately a third of the population live in Lerwick. The Council owns just over 2,000 houses, which accommodates 23% of the population.
