Resident’s view

Communication is key to good repairs

By Steve Bladen, member of Stonewater’s customer scrutiny panel

Last year, I shared a tweet about tackling stigma in social housing. Specifically, around how housing associations should support and treat residents.

My thoughts were based on the repeated, negative comments I see from residents from various housing associations online, who turn to Twitter as a last resort to get their voices heard. Whilst it’ll probably come as no surprise, given recent reports in the media, most of the complaints I come across are about repairs.

Whether it’s to do with poor service or a long-standing issue that hasn’t been resolved, it feels like there’s a lot more that some housing associations could be doing to get the basics right. And it all starts with good communication.

A good repairs service, for me, boils down to someone simply doing what they said they were going to do. But, more importantly, when other priorities crop up which means a repair may be delayed, or if there’s an issue with ordering a part, that this information is communicated clearly and directly.

We’re all human and things don’t always go to plan – that’s part and parcel of life, no matter how much we may try. But managing expectations and keeping residents in the loop about what is happening so they don’t need to spend their time chasing, should be key.

On the theme of keeping residents informed, partnering contractors showing up without notice is something based on the misconception that social housing residents are at home all day, every day – reinforcing the stigma of living in social housing.

Similarly, losing a day’s holiday to make sure you’re at home for a contractor to get access and resolve an issue but then having them not show up, with no acknowledgement or apology, also shows a lack of respect for social housing residents and their time.

In conjunction with considering social housing residents’ individual circumstances, contractors and repair teams showing respect when in someone’s home should be a minimum standard.

As a full-time carer, I understand how hidden disabilities can be overlooked, and, moving forward, I hope all landlords are in a better position to equip visiting contractors with guidance or even specialist training.

The lack of diversity in organisations, not just in housing, is widely reported. But in housing, I sometimes think the lack of diversity, especially around those not having lived experience, contributes to the lack of empathy.

This in turn does lead to some housing associations not taking residents’ repair issues seriously enough, as seen with some of the disrepair images and videos that have been circulated online, often showing conditions that you know, categorically, a landlord wouldn’t live in themselves.

If there were more housing association boards working closely with their residents, as I’ve experienced and seen with my own social landlord in my role on the scrutiny panel, disrepair issues would be dealt with more proactively.

Being listened to, good communication and being honest when things haven’t gone as planned are central to having a good approach to repairs. But as with most things, taking small steps can make a big difference when it comes to easing residents’ frustrations.

For example, making sure the process for residents to log repairs is as simple as possible or having a call-back feature for busier periods so that residents aren’t left to simmer on hold for hours at a time.

One route I do hope to see more housing associations take is finding a way to bridge the gap between the organisation, partnering contractors and their residents, and creating opportunities to work together.

I personally think taking this approach will really bring about the change many social housing residents hope to see.