How we perform

This is where you can find information about how well we’re meeting the standards we set for ourselves and that are set for us by regulation and legislation.

Like all housing associations, we’re accountable both to our customers and to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The regulator sets consumer and economic standards for us to meet and grades us for how well we run the organisation.

A lot of our work is also impacted by the law. So, we make sure we stay on top of any changes and meet any requirements.

Repairs and maintenance

We provide repair and maintenance services to over 11,500 homes. This includes electrical services, plumbing, carpentry, and improvements to kitchens and bathrooms. In the financial year 2022/2023, our trades team completed over 18,000 planned, responsive, and emergency repairs, of which 93.7 percent were right first time. They also modernised over 3,500 homes.

New homes

We want to build more great quality new homes by working with a range of local authorities and housebuilders to provide a wide range of housing. In the financial year 2022/2023, we built 400 new homes for affordable rent, social rent, and shared ownership. Our goal for the life of our three-year Corporate Strategy is to provide 1,500 new, affordable homes. We're slightly behind this target, which is due to normal fluctuations, and we're focused on actions to hit the targe at the end of the three years.

Lettings

There’s a desperate need for more housing across the country, especially affordable homes. We provide homes for sale, shared ownership and for rent as well as emergency accommodation to prevent homelessness. Most of our property is for rent so to make sure we let homes in the most fair and open way, we base all applications on the relevant local authority’s policy. We let 926 homes in the financial year 2022/2023.

Anti-social behaviour

We know that living happily in your home is about more than the building. Anti-social behaviour can have a big impact on quality of life so we do all we can to minimise this, working with partner agencies to ensure a co-ordinated approach. We take all reports of anti-social behaviour very seriously and we try to make it as easy as possible for you to report anything that affects you, your home, or your community. We had 575 reported cases of anti-social behaviour in the financial year 2022/2023. Out of the cases we closed this year, 357 were resolved at the first stage and six were closed following notice of seeking possession.

Social investment

We don’t only look after the homes our customers live in, but we also support people by providing welfare benefits advice and signposting to money and debt services. We invest in skills development and help with accessing employment and training through our dedicated team and work with our suppliers to get their help. This includes vocational training courses, such as the Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS). Over 750 learning opportunities were accessed in the financial year 2022/2023. We also have a scheme that allows our employees to use work time for volunteering in the community. In the financial year 2022/2023, our employees spent nearly 69 days volunteering, with almost 20 percent of the workforce getting involved. Additionally, we require suppliers to support our community investment work. We expect vendors to carry out services and / or works in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Environmental performance

There are lots of legal guidelines about environmental performance that housing associations must meet. But we don’t want to simply stop at fulfilling our legal requirements. We have an Environmental Sustainability Strategy [pdf] 1MB that outlines our actions for 2020-2023, followed by the first phase of a longer thirty-year journey to 2050. Our aims include achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, eliminating unnecessary waste, supporting sustainable communities and a sustainable workplace, and increasing the energy efficiency of our homes. Lots of work has already been done to support these aims, for example in the financial year 2022/2023, we retrofitted poor perfoming homes to reduce their environmental impact and lower customers' energy costs. Over 70 percent of our homes now have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above. Our aim is to reach 85 percent by the end of the current Corporate Strategy. For more information read our Environmental, Social and Governance Report 2022-2023.

Customer complaints and empowerment

In order to deliver a great customer experience, we welcome all your feedback, both positive and negative. This helps us to know when we get things right and when we need to improve. We have a two-stage complaint process which is compliant with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code. We also provide you with a wide range of opportunities to get involved and influence our services. These include a Customer Review Panel that scrutinises what we do, a scheme for sharing your ideas with us and several feedback groups. The groups cover building safety, repairs and planned maintenance, influencing our policies, and shaping our communications.

Annual Report

alt=

Annual Report

You can find lots more information about how we’ve performed with maintaining and managing your home, along with our work to build new homes and sustainable communities in our Annual Report 2022-2023.

You can also find out more about our financial performance and economic standards, including how we raise our money and what we spend it on in our Financial Statements 2022-2023.