Annual Report to Customers 2011- 2012
Double issue Make sure you read your special edition Keeping in Touch newsletter
OCTOBER 2012
Repairs and improving homes Each year we publish information so you can see how we are doing, how well we deliver services to you and let you know what we are working on in the coming year. This report covers the period 1st April 2011 to the 31st March 2012. During this period we have achieved a lot but we are not complacent and are committed to continually improving the range and quality of services we offer our customers. As you read on you will see that the report is split into different headings so you can flick through and find the things which interest you the most. We are eager for our customers to challenge our performance so at various points in the report you will see a ‘challenge question’. If these are the sort of questions you are interested in asking and keen to find out the answers to, our Customer Challenge Group may just be the thing for you. You can find out more about the group on page 4. We hope you find the report interesting. If you have any comments on the design of the report or the information it contains we would love to hear from you. Enclosed with this newsletter you will find a comments reply slip. You can use this to share your thoughts with us. Finally a big thank you to our Customer Improvement Panel who work with us to improve all our customer communications and guided us on how to make this report a great read for you.
Throughout the report you will see that we mention a comparison service by an organisation called HouseMark. HouseMark is a national organisation, set up to help housing associations to improve performance. One of the ways they help SYHA improve is by comparing how we are doing with other social housing landlords. ii
Satisfaction with our repairs and maintenance service 2011/12
96%*
2010/11
96%
2009/10
95%
2008/09
91%
The Challenge Group might ask... What happened with the 10% of repairs that took longer than 3 weeks?
Repairs completed within target timescale
Home improvements
*This means we are among the top performing housing providers in the country (using the HouseMark comparison service).
Emergency
96% 93%
Urgent
92% 92%
Routine
90% 91%
In last year’s report we said we were working on doing repairs more quickly and getting them right first time. We now aim to carry out routine repairs in three weeks instead of four weeks and we have introduced technology during the year which will help us in the future monitor how many times repeat visits are made to do a repair, so we can work on improving our right-first-time rate.
Customer promises We promise to be polite, courteous and professional at all times. of people were satisfied that the people that carry out our repairs were polite and professional.
Did you know?
If you let u s in on the first attem to service pt your gas a ppliances are entere you d into a pri ze draw to win
30 Bathrooms 94% 131 Doors and windows
95%
62 External works such as roofing 98% 120 Central heating 94%
We are proud
Sending you a text to remind you about a repairs appointment a few days before it is due, as well as texting you on the day of the appointment to let you know when the repair person is on their way.
98
of people satisfied with the improvement
105 Kitchens 94%
We are working on introducing:
%
%
Type of home improvement and number complete
2011/12 2010/11
We carried out 4325 gas services. 2205 of you were in at our first call. We are working hard with you to improve this to keep you safe and missed opportunities cost money
89
that from the 1st of April 2011 we extended the hours you can call the freephone number to report repairs. You can now report your repairs from 8am before you go to work or go about your daily business.
Households are benefitting from cheaper electricity following SYHA installing photovoltaic panels to the roof of their homes in 2011 - 2012. Including this 89 we now have a total of 635 homes with photovoltaic panels.
That’s more than any other landlord in South Yorkshire
32
households received other energy efficiency works for their homes.
Customer comments about the service “Very helpful came at a convenient time” “ Service should be quicker to respond” “Highly satisfied with the service and speedy completion of repair” iii
Customer Services
The Challenge Group might ask...
How is SYHA using the information they know about customers to make the service more personal?
86%
of customers were either very satisfied or satisfied with our general enquiries service.
...our website to allow you to access more information & services through it.
“ All the staff seem very friendly and understanding and appear to really want to help” “ Instead of dealing with one person you are passed on to another person” “ The service has always been professional and efficient”
We are now monitoring call backs to make sure all phone calls are returned by the end of the following working day.
Did you know?
2009 - 2010 193
2010 - 2011 203
2011 - 2012 299*
Number of complaints received
iv
This year we are working to improve...
Customer Comments about the service
You told us ‘it is easy to get through but getting someone to ring you back was difficult’.
Happily most of our customers never have cause to make a formal complaint; in fact during 2011 2012 less than 5% of customers did.
We promise to answer your calls promptly and of calls made to the general enquiries telephone number during our office opening hours were answered within 15 seconds.
96%
We answered 33,409 calls received to our general enquiries telephone number
Complaints
Customer promises
*We believe that at least part of the increase in complaints is because we have trained and encouraged staff to be better at recognising and recording complaints when a customer is unhappy.
We work hard to m ake sure it is easy for you to co mplain (if you feel you need to) and we listen to and learn from all com plaints. If you would like to know more about our Compla ints Policy you ca n view it on our webs ite or give us a call and request a copy.
91%
of complainants said they found it easy to make a complaint.
98% of complaints were responded to within two weeks.
9 out of 10 complaints were resolved at stage 1 of the complaints process. In last year’s report we said we wanted to improve customer satisfaction with our handling of complaints. In 2010/11 overall satisfaction with how we handled complaints was 74%. For 2011/12 this was 72%. We have set ourselves a target to achieve a minimum of 75% for this year.
The Challenge Group might ask...
In last year’s report we said we would be working on adapting our services to the specific needs and characteristics of our customers and neighbourhoods. An example of how we have done this is we have used the information we hold about our customers to identify people we think will be affected by the planned welfare benefit changes. And we have contacted them to offer information and support.
We are working hardest to improve... how satisfied you are with how we handle your complaint including how quickly we respond. The top performing housing providers (using a comparison service by a company called HouseMark) achieve satisfaction levels over 75% and this is what we are aiming to achieve.
1 in 4 complainants were not satisfied with how quickly we responded so we are Why has satisfaction with the now aiming to respond way complaints are handled to at least half of all dropped this year? complaints within one week.
We are working on how we can support our customers in using the Homeswapper mutual exchange search service. For more information visit www.homeswapper.co.uk or give us a call
u o y d i D know?
with SYHA t in touch e g n a c u Yo rd SYHA to ice the keywo er Serv by texting our Custom will n e h W . 3 6333 xt they ives your te help you Team rece nd a call back eful give you a can be us is h T y. ir u q n e is low. with your ur mobile yo n o it d if the cre
Customer Comments about the service “ I’m over the moon; everything was sorted very quickly after I complained” “ Quite a long process and a lot of correspondence” “ Very knowledgeable and sympathetic - couldn’t do enough to help”
Customer promises We promise to acknowledge all complaints with 48 hours and we achieved this for 99.9% of complaints recorded. We promise to respond to complaints within two weeks (unless we agree a different timescale with you) and we achieved this for 97% of complaints recorded.
v
Praises recorded 2011/ 2012
599
2010/ 2011
567
2009/ 2010
359
Grumbles recorded 2011/ 2012
411
2010/ 2011
536
2009/ 2010
359
We support 11 resident groups that operate in areas where we have homes. 8 of these groups also receive a group grant from us. The Neighbourhood Environmental Action team (NEAT) responded to over 2500 jobs either at the request of our customers or to resolve issues picked up by our staff.
We are proud of...
In April 2011 NEAT took over most of the cleaning and gardening in our neighbourhoods where there are communal areas. This has helped us keep down costs whilst providing a more reactive and tailored service.
We are working hardest to improve...
areas of communal land we are responsible for in our neighbourhoods.
The Challenge Group might ask...
Get in touch
Do neighbourhood walkabouts pick up the issues that are important to people?
You can use the form on the back of each edition of Keeping in Touch to give us your praise or grumble, or email, call or write at any time to give them to us. You can also pass on a praise or a grumble to any member of SYHA staff.
We are working hardest to improve...
“The repairs service has been excellent. All repairs have been done efficiently and all people who have been out have been friendly, polite and tidy.” vi
2011/2012
82%*
2010/2011
Get in touch
“Windows not being cleaned. They are supposed to be done once a month but they are not regular.”
If you have any concerns about your neighbourhood you would like us to look into during our estate walkabout, contact your neighbourhood officer on 0114 2900 200 or email enquiries@syha.co.uk
NEAT removed 270 tonnes of general/ mixed waste and 18 tonnes of green or garden waste.
In last year’s report we said we would be working on involving our tenants in decisions on how we spend our budget for making neighbourhood improvements. We did not make the progress we would have liked. But you did bring to our attention a number of projects you wanted to see happen in your area. This year we hope to involve many more of you in working with us on improvements in your neighbourhoods.
2009/2010
83%
80%
*We are pleased that customer satisfaction with the way we handle anti social behaviour remains in the top 25% of all housing providers (using the HouseMark comparison service).
Anti social behaviour recorded cases Living in general needs accommodation Care and Supported Housing
87%
398
328
295
418
109
103
119
100
of people that reported ASB said they were given enough support *
93%
What more could SYHA be doing to support people experiencing ASB?
“JF is brilliant, gives a very personal service and makes me feel like no one else matters.”
“The appointment date given to repair my shower is too long.”
Satisfaction with handling of reported ASB
The Challenge Group might ask...
Respond to grumbles within 2 weeks. 71% of the grumbles received in 2011 - 2012 received a response in 2 weeks. We want to improve this percentage this year and resolve 100% of grumbles within two weeks.
Examples of the praises and grumbles we received
Happily most of our customers never have cause to report anti social behaviour (ASB). But for those that do we know it is a major concern.
2008/09
118
publicised walkabouts were carried out by Neighbourhood Officers in 18 of our larger neighbourhoods.
Anti social behaviour
2009/10
Praises are about the things you like about our service. Often people don’t want to make a complaint but have a grumble. Grumbles are your comments, moans and groans or could be a suggestions for how we can improve our services.
This year we will be introducing regular satisfaction surveys to monitor the cleaning and gardening work carried out by our NEAT Team
2010/11
Your Neighbourhood
2011/12
Praise or Grumble
said they found it easy to report their ASB experience.
targeting ASB hotspots and we’re intending to purchase mobile CCTV to give us the evidence we need to take further action.
We are working hardest to improve... ...our response to car parking issues. We will be doing an audit of car parking in a number of neighbourhoods to resolve some existing issues and so we can be clear when new people move in what parking is available to them.
We are proud that we now have our own noise monitoring equipment. This helps us to investigate noise nuisance complaints quickly.
How we are doing at keeping our Customer Promises We promise to treat all reports seriously and investigate all incidents in a sensitive and consistent manner. 94% of people that reported ASB said that staff were helpful.
We are working on...
Customer Comments
“ Neighbourhood Officer rang all the time to check if OK & if any more problems; good to be kept updated” “ Spot on, absolutely brilliant. No complaints at all. I wouldn’t hesitate to report things again” “ The process was a bit long winded” vii
Value for money
The cost per property of managing our homes (excluding property maintenance)
Value for money can be about providing the same service for less money, a better service for the same money or even a better service for less money!
What each £1 of rent you paid was spent on Repairs and Maintenance Interest on loans Housing Management Major Repairs Property Depreciation Bad debts Other
Rent
In spring 2012 most of our rents increased by 6.1%.
We are proud of reducing rent arrears year on year, whilst also reducing the number of rent-related evictions. We have done this by working closely with customers to agree realistic repayment arrangements, supporting people to claim the right benefits and directing people to organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau which can provide expert help.
We are working on
updating the design of your rent statement and allowing you to view them online. We are also working on building up links with organisations like credit unions and debt advice services, as well as looking at how we can help customers to maximise their income and to get online. We are employing a Financial and Digital Inclusion Officer to help us do this.
viii
2011/12 2010/11 £384.03* £429.98
32p
29p
11p
31p
23p
2011/ 2012
2010/ 2011
9p 20p
11p
Weekly rents for Assured Tenancies
2011 - 2012 £48.34 to £70.39
1 bed range from Average 1 bed
£59.59 £53.60 to £101.41
2 bed range from Average 2 bed
£73.76 £63.18 to £106.95
3 bed range from Average 3 bed
£81.71 £78.08 to £110.77
4+ bed range from Average 4+ bed
Rent arrears as at 31st March
£96.03
3.9% 4.5% 4.6% 5.4% 2011/12
Number of evictions for rent arrears
18
Get in touch
2010/11
19
27p
21p
1p
1p
1p
2009/ 2010
8p
21p
12p
15p
24p
2009/10
25
2008/09
42
If you are struggling to pay your rent or to juggle your debts we can give you information about where you can get independent help and support to sort out your finances.
2009/10 £485.00
*We are working more efficiently with fewer staff whilst still achieving high customer satisfaction.
1p
1p
1p
Examples of how we have successfully reduced our costs
Total rent charged for the period 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012
£14,900,000
Total amount of rent and service charges current tenants owed as at 31st March 2012 £580,000 This is 3.9% of the total rent charged. Some of the money owed is because housing benefit is paid in arrears.
The cost per property of managing and repairs
2011/12 £871.93
2010/11 £886.86
2009/10 £837.56
Introducing mobile technology for our Direct Service Organisation staff in January 2012. It works by linking up our repairs and appointment systems so jobs are sent directly to a tradesperson. On average each member of the repairs team has been able to complete one extra job per day.
Arranging spraying licences for the Neighbourhood Environmental Action Team so they can treat weeds and Japanese knotweed.
We are working on
From April 2011 it cost us £25 less per property, to carry out the gas safety check. We achieved this by renegotiating the servicing contract.
looking at how we can make more savings by getting better deals when we buy products and services. We are also exploring how we can share more detailed information with you next year about how we are working to achieve excellent value for money.
92%
The Challenge Group might ask...
of new tenants were satisfied with the overall service they received from us when they moved into their new home.
What is SYHA doing to reduce the time it takes to re-let a property?
The average time it took to re-let How we let general rent homes homes was 26 days which is an increase from the average of 22 2011/12 2010/11 2009/10 days it took in 2010 – 2011. The top performing housing Nomination from the providers (using the HouseMark Local Authority 294 261 333 comparison service) re-let homes in less than 18 days. This year SYHA’s waiting list 18 31 44 we are putting more resources Transfers 116 54 53 into the team that work on reletting homes so we can improve Other 29 33 75 performance. After talking to our customers we have reviewed and re-written our Allocations and Lettings Policy. The new policy was introduced in October 2011 and one of the main changes is we now give more priority to our tenants to transfer.
Our biggest challenge this year is helping our customers who will be affected by benefit changes.
People over 55s
Lone parent Single adults
25%
Couple with at least one child Couple with no children Other household make ups
9% 9%
28%
21%
2011/ 2012 14%
“The staff and people that “They could have fixed work for this organisation things that needed doing are very helpful and under- before we moved in or at standing and help me with least since we have been everything that I need” living there”
12%
30%
22%
2010/ 2011
4% 22%
The Challenge Group Customer Comments What are SYHA doing to reduce the amount of rent owed?
How is SYHA planning to save money this year and still continue to provide a great service?
Lettings
Who we rehoused
might ask...
The Challenge Group might ask...
21%
4% 8%
12%
“100% fantastic: can’t fault it. A lot better than service I’ve had from other landlords”
2009/ 2010 11%
21%
25%
We are working
on introducing a simpler application process for existing customers that want to move and improving the information available on how long they might be waiting.
We are proud to help customers with decorating costs we now provide paint packs supplied by Dulux to some new tenants.
New customers told us they didn’t always find it easy to find their stop tap. We now place a tag on the tap so they can be easily found in the event of an emergency.
We are working hard
to reduce the average number of days homes are empty before someone new moves in to less than 21 days. ix
Care and Supported Housing The Care and Supported Housing Team provides support that helps people to live successfully in their home and community and to be as independent as possible. We work with a very wide variety of people including older people, people with mental health issues, young people, people who are homeless and people with learning disabilities. The support we provide is person-centred, focusing on what the customer wants to achieve.
The support we provide is personcentred, focusing on what the customer wants to achieve.
Mental health 9%
Generic complex needs 9%
Generic complex needs Mental 8% health 9%
Physical disabilities 5% 4% Refugees 2% 2% Substance misuse 2% 3%
Learning disabilities 22%
Offending behaviour 3% 3%
2011/ 2012
2010/ 2011
Young people leaving care 1% Less than 1%
Older adults (55+) 35%
Young people at risk 2% 2% Teenage parents Less than 1%
Learning disabilities 22%
Older adults (55+) 38%
Domestic violence Less than 1%
Number of people that moved on or left the supported service in 2011/12 Older adults (55+)
252
Learning disabilities
24
Mental health
53
Generic - complex needs
86
Homelessness 446
2008/09 2200
2009/10 2383
2010/11 2777
2011/12 2659
Number of people who used our Care and Supported Housing (CaSH) services
Physical disabilities
14
Refugees 49 Substance misuse
41
Offending behaviour
16
Young people leaving care
17
Young people at risk
33
Teenage parents Domestic violence
2 17
Total 1050 x
In order to do this we’ve had to change the way we deliver support, the times we deliver it and help you get the best outcomes from your support. This is called ‘personalisation’. Our OPTIONs service allows people to purchase ‘personalised’ support. 108 people collectively bought approximately 600 support hours a month from the service.
We are proud...
Who we supported Homelessness 9% 9%
We know putting you, your needs, your hopes and dreams at the centre of people’s support is very important.
that the new assessment, plans and paperwork are much easier to use, focuses more on what the customer wants and is easier for them to follow. We have trained staff on the new approaches and we have received some very positive comments from customers about how it is working.
We are working on how we can help older people we support, to get out and enjoy more social activities and prevent isolation. A garden/allotment project to get people involved in growing their own fruit and vegetables and learning about healthy eating and being active. Linking up people that have particular talents and interests with people who are interested in learning more about these things.
You said...We did... People living at Browning Court in Rotherham which provides long term support for people with mental health needs said they wanted to set up a gardening group. We bought tools, compost, hanging baskets and a variety of plants and people have used these to grow plants in pots and propagate seeds. Getting out in the fresh air has a proven link with mental well being. A couple of residents living in one of our Barnsley Projects that support people with mental health issues said they would like door chains fitted to their door to make them feel safer. We have fitted the chains to help them feel safe and secure whilst they work towards independent living. People we support said they would like more information about health issues and how they may affect them. We now include a regular wellbeing feature in project newsletters.
Did you know ?
We are working on introducing Reassure & Remind
It works by sending personalised messages to a landline or mobile phone number. For example it could be used for a reminder to take medication or attend an appointment or to reassure you someone you care abou t is okay.
Get in touch if you wou ld like to know more about the ser vice.
xi
Involving you On the 31st of March 2012 we had:
25
Armchair Panel members
Our Armchair Panel is for customers that want to get involved from the comfort of their own homes.
101
Members in our Count Me In Club.
We are proud... that merging our old Customer Communications Panel and the Improvement Panel into one Customer Improvement Panel has resulted in a much stronger Panel that helps us work out how we can improve our services for all customers
Look under ‘Did you know’ for more information
12
Customer Improvement Panel members
and the panel met 12 times during the year
Customer Promises Update on how we are doing at keeping our Customer Promises
We promise to make sure people that get involved with SYHA are not out of pocket. We have refunded all out of pocket expenses for customers that have been involved.
We are working on introducing how we can use email and social media to improve the way our Armchair Panel works.
We are working hardest to improve how we can encourage more people to get involved and tell customers how they can get involved with SYHA and in their community. See page 4 for information about our involving you event.
Help us to help the environment Please recycle this newsletter when you have read it xii
In last year’s report we said we would continue to work with our tenants in reviewing and challenging how we are performing. Our Customer Challenge Group finished their first exercise in January 2012 and they made some great recommendations. This has resulted in us changing how we communicate with people about improvements to their home. There are a number of recommendations we are still working on, including how we prioritise where and when works will be done. This year we will be continuing the great scrutiny work started by the Challenge Group. See page 4 for more information about the group and how you might get involved.
The Challenge Group might ask... How does SYHA use what customers tell you to improve services?
Did you know?
We have a C interested lub for people in getting involved called the Co Get in tou unt Me in Club. ch join it - se if you would like to e contact details on page 4.
Make sure you’ve read your Keeping in Touch Special Edition