Listening to our customers — Staffordshire

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Listening to our customers Turning your feedback into action

Earlier this year, we visited your retirement living scheme to seek your views on our repairs and maintenance service. As a result of your great feedback we have taken action and introduced a range of new service improvements.

Upgraded repair timescales You told us that timely repairs are the most important part of our repairs service so we are delighted to share news with you about our improved responsive and heating repair timescales. This is what you can expect from our upgraded responsive repairs service:

Repair category

Repair timescale

Repair description

Repair example

Emergency

4 hours

Repairs that present a health and safety risk and/or cause real danger to people or property.

Unsecure door/ window causing security issue.

Urgent

4 days

Repairs that cause significant inconvenience but are not a health and safety risk.

Containable leak.

Routine

17 days

Minor repairs that are not urgent.

Plaster patch to wall.

30 days

External repairs that due to their nature need to be completed outside of the MOT programme.

Fence and gutter repair not covered by MOT.

60 days

Jobs where the work either costs more than ÂŁ500 or takes more than a day to complete.

Rebuild brick wall.

External works

Major works


Heating repairs You told us you were unhappy with the service being provided by our heating contractors so we have: ww Undertaken a rigorous tendering process which prioritised the quality of service provided to customers. ww Appointed Phoenix Gas Services to deliver all our gas servicing and repairs. ww Implemented faster response times and penalties if the service falls short. ww Changed the way you can report a repair. You told us you wanted to deal with us directly so all heating repairs can now be reported to our customer services team. This is what you can expect from our new heating repair service:

Repair category

Emergency

Repair timescale

Repair example

6 hours

No heating or hot water. (Winter period only 1 Oct – 31 Mar)

(irrespective of time of year, nature or customer vulnerability)

Uncontrollable water leak. Report of gas leak, carbon monoxide or fumes.

For all emergency repairs an engineer will attend and make safe, fix the problem or provide alternative heating until the problem can be resolved as per the timescales below: 5 days

10 days

Non-urgent

15 days

Gas combi boiler repair. Fire back boiler, solid or oil fuel appliance repair. Solar thermal system repair. Room thermostat repair. Radiator value repair. Dripping radiator repair.

Gas Tag: life-saving gas safety technology As part of our ongoing commitment to providing safe homes for our customers, we are installing new lifesaving gas safety technology in all of our properties. You will be some of the first tenants in the country to benefit from this ground-breaking gas-tag technology which will help to keep you and your family safe from the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. We have already begun to install a ‘gas safety tag’ to every home. The barcode tag is attached to your gas meter and the process of fitting the tag takes just 20 minutes. Life-saving safety checks will be captured using a smartphone app – allowing the work to be monitored in real time. There is no charge to you for this additional safety feature. Phoenix Gas Services will contact you when it is time to tag your gas meter. Alternatively, a gas safety tag could be added to your meter by a Property Plus operative who is undertaking planned maintenance works at your home.


Looking after communal grounds – our commitment The maintenance of all our communal grounds is now the responsibility of Property Plus and the newly-formed team certainly hasn’t let the grass grow under their feet! They have set out a clear service standard for the work they carry out so you know what to expect. Grass cutting Grass will be cut every ten working days, working out at between 14 and 16 visits each year. In a new, greener approach, the team will be cutting and dropping to provide a natural source of fertiliser and help the soil to retain water – this is called ‘grasscycling’. Box collections will take place twice a year. Paths and hardstanding Paths will be swept clear of grass, leaves and litter after every cut. Spaces like washing drying areas will be kept clear of moss, sprayed annually and litterpicked each month. Hedges Hedges in communal areas will be trimmed twice a year. The first cut will take place during August and the second during the winter. Due to the Wildlife & Country Act 1981, we are unable to cut hedges until August, due to the nesting season. However, if a road junction is being obstructed or a pathway is impassable because of an overgrown hedge, we can do a sight line cut - the height will not be cut until August. Spraying When the weather is dry, the spraying of weeds is undertaken in as many areas as possible. We cannot spray when it is raining as the spraying will not be successful. Strimming and weed spraying cannot be carried out at the same time as the spray will not work. Weeds should start to die off 7-10 working days after being sprayed, so should not need strimming. And there’s more... At the end of their peak summer season, the grounds maintenance team will carry out gutter clearing/ repairs and aid gritting/snow clearance at all of our retirement living schemes. They will also support our repairs and maintenance teams, during the busy winter period, ensuring that we use all of our resources as efficiently as possible and continue to deliver excellent services. “The main aim of the grounds maintenance team is to deliver an enhanced service to our customers and provide better value for money.” explains facilities manager Andy Wimlett. “Customers should already have started to see improvements to their communal garden areas during the summer and will see the team out and about during the winter months carrying out other important repairs and maintenance tasks.”


Rapid response triage pilot A new rapid response triage pilot has been launched to ensure that all emergency repairs are dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

RAPID RESPONSE

Just like a nursing triage, when you call us to report a repair, our experienced triage team will diagnose your repair and give it an appropriate classification. If your repair is categorised as either an emergency or urgent job it will promptly be passed to our new rapid response team. The team, who are dedicated to dealing with these crucial repairs, will be dispatched to you in their new rapid response uniforms and vans. Once the pilot period has ended the project will be evaluated and if proven successful, it will be further developed and rolled out permanently across the business.

MOT programme Our award-winning MOT programme makes sure that every home in a neighbourhood has an external home MOT upgrade within 5 years to tackle minor external repairs and decorative work. Feedback from customers in the areas where we have already delivered the service show increased levels of customer satisfaction. So that all of our customers benefit from this great service, as quickly as possible, we have increased the size of our highly skilled MOT team. When the MOT team arrive at your home they have a checklist of work which may need doing including: ww Gutter clean and repair

ww Fence repairs

ww Front and back door cleaning

ww External window paintwork

ww Soffit and fascia paintwork

ww Window handles, hinges and stays repairs

ww Uneven slabs to front and rear paths

ww Broken or misted window glass repair

Were you happy with the team that carried out the works?

“Most definitely, they were polite and helpful — first class.” Mr Edwards

How do you rate the quality of the work carried out?

“Fantastic, really happy” Mrs Davies

You can find out when your home is due for an MOT upgrade and other planned improvements in the next section.


When will my home be improved? As a fair landlord, we plan home improvement work based on fixed timescales. ww Kitchens are replaced when they are at least 20 years old ww Bathrooms are replaced when they are at least 30 years old ww Boilers are replaced when they are at least 15 years old ww External doors are replaced when they are at least 30 years old ww MOT upgrades are carried out once every five years ww Electrical tests are carried out once every five years

For more efficiency and savings, our teams work on an area-by-area basis. So instead of fitting a kitchen in Penkridge one day and Wombourne on another, they work together to replace all kitchens meeting the criteria in a particular street, at the same time. When your kitchen, bathroom, boiler or front door is due for replacement there is no need to call us. We will contact you well before our teams are working in your area. You can use our map below to see which area you are in. Then, check on the 10 year schedule of home improvements overleaf to find out when our teams will be in your area. There are two dates on the schedule as our teams work on a five-year rolling programme.

ww Gas safety tests are carried out annually Area one Alverley

Highley

Swindon

Bobbington

Himley

Wombourne

Bridgnorth

Kinver

Enville

Smestow

1. Find your area 2. Check the work schedule overleaf

Stone

Stafford

Area two Bilbrook

Lower Penn

Seisdon

Burnhill Green

Oaken

Trescott

Codsall

Pattingham

Trysull

Coseley

Perton

Rugeley Penkridge

Blymhill

Area three Bishops Wood

Calf Heath

Saredon

Blymhill

Coven

Shareshill

Brewood

Featherstone

Shifnal

Brinsford

Hilton

Wheaton Aston

Broseley

Lapley

Brewood Coven

Shifnal

Codsall Pattingham

Area four Cheslyn Hay

Essington

Great Wyrley

Area five

Wombourne

Acton Trussell

Gailey

Norton Canes

Brereton

Hatherton

Penkridge

Cannock

Heath Hayes

Rising Brook

Chadsmoor

Hednesford

Rugeley

Churchbridge

Huntington

Stone

Dunston

Longford

Wedges Mills

Kinver

Essington

Customers are often disappointed when we tell them that they are not yet due for a kitchen, bathroom or boiler upgrade but when we explain how we plan our works to treat everyone fairly, they usually understand. Customer services team


Ten year schedule of home improvements Planned maintenance Kitchens Bathrooms

Area one 2018/19 2023/24 2017/18 2022/23

Boilers External MOT External doors Electrical testing programme

2017/18 2022/23 2015/16 2020/21

Area two

Area three

Area four

2015/16 2019/20 2016/17 2020/21 2024/25 2021/22 2016/17 2015/16 2019/20 2021/22 2020/21 2024/25 Will be reviewed with kitchens and bathrooms and at your annual gas servicing check 2018/19 2019/20 2016/17 2023/24 2024/25 2021/22 2019/20 2017/18 2018/19 2024/25 2022/23 2023/24

Area five 2017/18 2022/23 2018/19 2023/24

2015/16 2020/21 2016/17 2021/22

This will be determined by the date of your last electrical test, tests are on a five year cycle and cannot be refused

When will you improve my home? If your kitchen, bathroom, boiler or external doors do not fit the age criteria listed overleaf, they will continue to be repaired until sufficiently old enough and we are next in your area. Electrical testing and the external MOT are done on a five-year cycle.

What if I don’t know the age of my kitchen, bathroom, boiler or front door? If we think that something in your home might be due for replacement, we will contact you well ahead of the time when our teams are due to visit your area. We will arrange to carry out a brief survey of your home. We will be able to tell you if you qualify for the home improvement.

Will I have time to prepare for the work?

mismatched replacement parts and it taking us much longer to complete your repair.

Keeping you safe As part of our planned maintenance work, we carry out safety checks which are part of our legal responsibilities as your landlord and required by law. This work includes: ww Annual gas safety checks ww Electrical tests every five years ww Managing asbestos ww Servicing and maintaining passenger lifts in blocks of flats ww Ensuring that all our schemes and communal areas are fire safe

Yes! We will give you plenty of notice. In the case of kitchens and bathrooms, you will also be asked to choose from a range of fittings and tiles.

ww Carrying out gas servicing and repairs

We will be able to advise you how to make life easier during the work.

We carry out this work to keep you and your family safe. Failure to allow us access to your home to carry out these vitally important safety inspections is a breach of your tenancy, which could result in the loss of your home.

Remember, our teams are experts, specialising in the work that they do. And because we organise home improvements efficiently, area-by-area, we make sure that all the people, equipment and fittings are available when they are needed. So even a new kitchen can be fitted in a week, with just a day or so the following week to complete the final touches.

Giving us access to your home It’s really important that you let us carry out planned improvements to your home as we cannot guarantee that we will be able to source and repair old parts. This could lead to your home having 01785 312000 www.ssha.co.uk Acton Court, Acton Gate, Staffordshire, ST18 9AP

ww Six monthly fire door checks

Keeping appointments When we contact you to let you know we need to visit your home to make improvements or carry out safety checks, please help us to save money by agreeing a convenient time for us to visit and keeping that appointment. Every year we spend over £60,000 on missed pre-booked appointments – money that could be spent improving even more homes.


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