annual report to tenants 2013
DESCRIPTION
Our annual report to tenants provides information on the range of services we provide and how well we are performing.TRANSCRIPT
HOME!CITY OF LINCOLN COUNCIL
ANNUAL REPORT TO TENANTS 2012/13
FIND OUT HOW WELL WE’RE PERFORMING!Rent, repairs and services - it’s all inside...
ONLY IN HOME!
£25 MILLION BOOST TO LOCAL ECONOMY
OUR VISION!
What’s it all about?
Welcome to this year’s annual report
to tenants which sets out how we have
performed as your landlord in 2012/13.
This report has been put together jointly by the
council and tenant representatives on Lincoln
Tenants Panel.
In previous years we have kept you updated on the
services we provide, how we spend your money
and how we are performing against the standards
you expect from us.
We hope that you find this report a helpful
snapshot of how we are doing.
John Bibby Director of Housing and Community Services
Councillor Peter West Housing Portfolio Holder
Tony Higgs Chairman of Lincoln Tenants Panel
FOREWORDOUR VISION IS THAT:
‘All Lincoln residents can have a decent, suitable home which they can afford in a community where they want to live, with the support they need to live independently.’
The Homes and Communities Agency sets out national housing standards that social landlords are required to meet. These are:
CONSUMER STANDARDS Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Home Tenancy Neighbourhood and Community
ECONOMIC STANDARD Rent
2
New contract gives £25m boost to local economyThis Year’sHighlight
3
LINCOLN’S ECONOMY HAS RECEIVED A £25 MILLION BOOST AFTER THE COUNCIL INVESTED CASH TO CREATE JOBS, OFFER APPRENTICESHIPS, IMPROVE TENANT LIVING CONDITIONS AND BUILD COMMUNITY PROJECTS.
The council’s housing planned maintenance partnering contract was awarded to Kier and provides maintenance and improvement works to the city’s 8,000 council homes.
In addition to carrying out maintenance on the city council’s homes the contract provides employment opportunities for residents, as all Kier employees working on this scheme live within Lincoln and its surrounding areas. Kier also runs a number of apprenticeship projects, having already conducted 200 training programmes in the city.
The partnership will result in an estimated £1.5 million in savings for the council over the coming five years of working together, with scope to extend the deal for a further five years to 2023.
As part of the works, Kier is responsible for installing new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors and rewiring at some properties to ensure the 8,000 council houses meet the government’s Decent Homes standard.
The contract also incorporates a number of community-based projects ranging from providing tools, seeds and plants for allotments, working with young people to teach about money management and even running a time bank, where Kier staff can donate hours to help community-run schemes.
One of the schemes to be introduced by Kier is a new website service where tenants can log problems so maintenance teams are able to deal with them as quickly and efficiently as possible.
4
EVERY TWO YEARS WE ASK AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY TO CARRY OUT A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY. OUR LATEST SURVEY WAS CARRIED OUT TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR. THE RESULTS WERE VERY ENCOURAGING WITH HIGH LEVELS OF TENANT SATISFACTION.
Tenant Satisfaction
Questions asked How did we do?2011/12
How did we do?2012/13
How we rate our service
Satisfied with the overall service 86 per cent 88 per cent
Satisfied with quality of the home 88 per cent 90 per cent
Satisfied with condition of property 83 per cent 86 per cent
Satisfied with value for money for rent 84 per cent 76 per cent
Satisfied with the neighbourhood as a place to live
80 per cent 81 per cent
Made contact with the council 65 per cent 67 per cent
Ease of getting hold of the right person 60 per cent 72 per cent
Helpfulness of staff 79 per cent 86 per cent
Ability of staff to deal with the problem 78 per cent 80 per cent
Satisfied with final outcome of contact 68 per cent 78 per cent
Satisfied with repairs and maintenance 78 per cent 95 per cent
Satisfied that views are taken into account by the council
61 per cent 67 per cent
Keeping tenants informed
76 per cent 79 per cent
LAST YEAR WE BUILT FIVE NEW HOMES ON WELLINGTON STREET. NEXT YEAR WE PLAN TO BUILD FIVE MORE ON STAPLEFORD AVENUE.
KEY
Responsive repairs and empty property works
Rent arrears and collection
Anti-social behaviour (we do not have all
of the information needed to plot this)
Major works and cyclical maintenance
Lettings
Tenancy management
Resident involvement
Estate services
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
5
WE HAVE INCLUDED INFORMATION ABOUT HOW WE HAVE ASSESSED PERFORMANCE, INCLUDING LOCAL OFFERS AND SERVICE STANDARDS.
BENCHMARKINGThe chart to the right shows cost compared to performance for each activity area. If an activity area is missing from the chart, it is because we do not have all the information required for that activity area. Figures are based on the total cost per property of delivering the service (including overheads).
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM US?
We will answer your enquiries professionally
We will notify you of any changes in housing officers
We will listen to your views and seek to improve our services
WHAT DO WE EXPECT FROM YOU?
That you treat all staff and contractors politely, courteously and with respect.
That you provide any information we ask for when we ask for it or as soon as possible
Poor performanceHigh cost
Good performanceHigh cost
Poor performanceLow cost
Good performanceLow cost
Performance
1
2
45
6
7
8
HOW WE HAVE ASSESSED OUR PERFORMANCE
6
Tenant Involvement and Empowerment
LAST YEAR WE LOOKED AT HOW TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED AND WE SET UP A GROUP CALLED ‘EQUALIT Y COUNTS’. WE ALSO INTRODUCED AND TRAINED TENANT INSPECTORS TO ASSESS OUR EMPT Y PROPERT Y LETTING STANDARD.
We recruited 13 tenants who are now involved in a range of tenant involvement options.
Sadly, Eve Villiers, who was a longstanding member of Lincoln Tenants’ Panel, died in March and we took some time to remember the work that she did.
We will continue to consult and involve tenants and leaseholders about decisions affecting the management of homes.
We want to hear from you
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK:
FACEBOOK.COM/LINCOLNCOUNCIL
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU
THINK ABOUT OUR SERVICE.
WE INTEND TO HOLD A
FACEBOOK FORUM WITH
TENANTS IN THE FUTURE.
QUESTIONS ASKED HOW DID WE DO?2011/12
HOW DID WE DO?2012/13
HOW WE RATE OUR SERVICE
Answer telephone calls within 30 seconds 49 per cent 46 per cent
See visitors at the contact centre in 20 minutes
11 minutes average waiting time
10 minutes average waiting time
Answer complaints within 10 working days 62 per cent 82 per cent
HOME! EXCLUSIVE
Quality of accommodation and repairs
7
STANDARDHOME
ensured all our properties remained at the decent homes standard through our investment programme
provided all tenants with information on the future programme of works and published it in our annual report and on our website
kept a reasonable level of appointments for repairs and satisfaction with repairs without increasing costs
improved the number of urgent repairs completed on time
prioritised repairs for customers who are vulnerable
launched our handyperson service
carried a new initiative of communal door replacements in two areas of the city
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO IMPROVE OUR TENANT INVOLVEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT, CUSTOMER AND COMPLAINTS SERVICEThis year our focus is very much on working with community groups that represent our tenants, and helping new groups to become established. We are doing this to increase the number of tenants actively involved in our work.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE:
We hope to be able to develop local offers with the groups that are specific to their areas
We are reviewing our tenant involvement service and renewing our strategy
We are trying to involve young people and will start using Facebook and Twitter
We are looking to launch a loyalty card scheme to encourage people to get involved
We have revised our tenant satisfaction survey and are talking to new tenants after they have settled in to find out if there is anything we can do to improve the service
We are re-launching mystery shopping to test the quality of our services
Last year we:WHAT ARE WE DOING TO IMPROVE OUR HOME SERVICE?THIS YEAR WE:
have started using tenant inspectors to check we are meeting the improved empty property letting standard
want to launch a decorating guide to show people how to decorate their homes
are seeking accreditation of service excellence of responsive repairs and customer service
WHAT WE SAIDWE WOULD MEASURE
HOW DID WE DO?2011/12
HOW DID WE DO?2012/13
HOW WE COMPARE TO OTHERS
HOW WE RATE OUR SERVICE
Average repair cost per property per week £18 £18 We do not have
a comparison
Urgent repairs completed on time 96 per cent 98 per cent Good
Average number of days to complete a repair 12 days 10 days Not as good
Tenant satisfaction with repairs surveyed after work complete
98 per cent 96 per cent Good
Getting repairs right first time 81 per cent 67 per cent Not as good
Keeping appointments first time 92 per cent 86 per cent We do not have
a comparison
Homes with a gas safety certificate as at 31st March 2013
100 per cent 99.9 per cent Average
What we saidwe would measure
Energy efficiency rating
How did we do?2011/12 74/100
How did we do?2012/13 76/100
Energy E�ciency Rating 2011/2012 2012/2013
Vary energy e�cient—lower running cost
(92 -100) A
(81 -91) B
(69 -80) C (55 -68) D (39-54) E
(21 -38) F (1 -20) G England & Wales EU directive 2002/91/EC
74 76
Energy efficiency in our social housing
8
IN FLATSFIRE SAFETY
FIRE KILLS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE EACH YEAR. WE RECENTLY HAD A FIRE IN ONE OF OUR FLATS IN CANNON STREET. WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IF THERE WAS A FIRE IN YOURS OR A NEIGHBOURING FLAT?
WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO?
9
IF A FIRE BREAKS OUT IN YOUR FLAT :
Alert everyone else and leave the flat, staying together where possible
Call 999, once you are safely out of the building
Keep calm and speak clearly
Don’t open doors looking for the source of the fire
Don’t stop to gather personal belongings or pets
Don’t use a balcony to escape
Don’t go back into the building until you have been told it is safe to do so
IF YOU CAN’T GET OUT BY YOUR ESCAPE ROUTE:
Get everyone into one room, preferably with a window that opens
Put cushions or towels or bedding at the bottom of the door to block smoke
Open the window and call for help and if possible call 999
IF A FIRE BREAKS OUT ELSEWHERE IN THE BUILDING:
It is normally safer for you to stay in your own flat
Do not leave your flat unless a fire officer directs you, and then follow their instructions
Open windows if you need fresh air, stay by the window where you may be seen
Seal your front door from smoke with tape, bedding or wet towels and close any ventilators
If your front door becomes hot, wet it down
If you have to move through smoke keep as close to the floor as you can, where the air is fresher
STANDARDTENANCY
Choice based lettings and housing allocations
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What we saidwe would measure
How did we do?2011/12
How did we do?2012/13
How we compare to others
How we rate our service
Average time to re-let a property 36 days 35 days Not as Good
Offers accepted first time 79 per cent 81 per cent Good
LAST YEAR WE:
provided comprehensive housing advice
carried out lettings in accordance with our allocations and local lettings policy
provided information on anticipated waiting times for property types
provided new tenants with information on their home and provided a new tenants handbook
let our empty properties as quickly as we could and increased the number of offers that were accepted first time
took steps to ensure that all our properties met our empty homes standard before people moved in, this was assisted by the introduction of tenant inspectors
directed new tenants with complex support needs to other support agencies in order to try to help them sustain their tenancies
Customer Service 2012 Survey How we compare to others
How we rate our service
Satisfaction with the empty property letting standard 91 per cent Not as good
11
Neighbourhood and Community Standard
CUSTOMER SERVICE HOW DID WE DO 2011/12 SURVEY
HOW DID WE DO 2012/13 SURVEY
HOW WE RATE OUR SERVICE
Satisfaction with the overall estate services 84 per cent 77 per cent
Neighbourhood estate management and local co-operation
LAST YEAR WE:
maintained all communal areas to a high standard
continued to provide a free gardening service to qualifying tenants
worked with tenants to ensure they upheld their terms of tenancy
held a programme of estate inspections and carried out estate improvements, for example we created a new car parking area at Trent View
reviewed the structure of our tenancy management and introduced a new way of working
LAST YEAR WE:
provided you with a supportive response which was consistent and kept you informed of progress
set up a public protection team to improve our service to you when dealing with anti- social behaviour
LAST YEAR WE:
provided you with a regular home visit
provided information on how your alarm system works and demonstrated how to use it.
Anti-social behaviour
Supported housing
THIS YEAR WE:
are revising our tenancy agreement
are developing a tenancy fraud strategy
have equipped all our housing officers with iPads so they can help you at surgeries or when they visit you at home
are introducing tenant inspectors to carry out estate inspections
are carrying satisfaction surveys for mutual exchanges and when tenants leave our property
joined up with West Lindsey District Council, North Kesteven District Council and Acis Group and introduced a new choice-based lettings scheme
What are we doing to improve our tenancy service?
HOME! EXCLUSIVE
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We aim to resolve complaints efficiently and effectively to your satisfaction
Last year we had 157 complaints from tenants,42 per cent of these were
upheld (meaning the tenant was right to complain). The rest were sorted out
once the tenant had met an officer to discuss the problem.
DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS
WHAT WE SAIDWE WOULD MEASURE
HOW DID WE DO?2011/12
HOW DID WE DO?2012/13
HOW WE COMPARE TO OTHERS
HOW WE RATE OUR SERVICE
Rent collected against rent due 99 per cent 97 per cent Good
Level of arrears against total rent due 2 per cent 3 per cent Very Good
RENTLAST YEAR WE:
provided advice on whether you were entitled to receive assistance with your rent if you needed it
helped you to complete a housing benefit form if you needed it
ensured that we did everything to prevent tenants from falling into arrears
gave you four weeks’ notice of your rent increase
THIS YEAR WE:
have introduced a new rent accounting computer system that will help us to monitor rent accounts and provide you with better information
are targeting our resources to chase rent arrears
are helping people to understand the changes to housing benefit that have been made by the government’s welfare reforms
What are we doing to improve our rent service?
Value for money
LAST YEAR WE:
reduced our operating costs by relocating staff from St Giles to City Hall
started to make savings of £1.5 million over the next five years through our new partnership with Kier
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This publication can also be made available in large print, or electronically.
Please call: 01522 873398
If you have difficulty in understanding anything in this document, please go to City Hall, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln or any other council office, and an interpretation service will be provided.
Obtaining copies in alternative formats
French Si vous avez besoin d’éclaircissements au sujet de ce document, veuillez vous rendre au City Hall, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln ou tout autre Council office, où nous pourrons faire appel à un interprète par le biais du National Interpreting Service.
Polish Jezeli masz trudnosci ze zrozumieniem tego dokumentu, zgłos sie do urzedu miasta w City Hall, Beaumont Fee w Lincoln lub do innego urzedu nalezłcego do rady miejskiej, w którym wezwiemy tłumacza z National Interpreting Service.
Portuguese Se tiver dificuldade em compreender qualquer coisa neste documento, por favor dirija-se à City Hall, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln ou qualquer outra repartição do município, onde poderemos chamar um interprete para si através do Serviço Nacional de Interpretação.
Turkish Bu belgeyi anlamakta zorlanırsanız, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln Belediyesi’ne ya da herhangi baska bir belediye meclisi ofisine gidin. National Interpreting Service aracılıgıyla size bir çevirmen saglanacaktır.
The opening of the Tower communal garden
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FROM 1 APRIL 2013 A NEW LOCALISED COMPLAINTS PROCESS MEANS THAT IF YOUR COMPLAINT TO THE COUNCIL FOR LANDLORD RELATED MATTERS HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED USING OUR PROCEDURE, YOU CAN TAKE THE MATTER TO A DESIGNATED PERSON.
This means you can contact your local councillor or any MP or alternatively a ‘designated tenants’ panel’, where one exists. You can still take your complaint to the Independent Housing Ombudsman but only after eight weeks have passed from the final decision we make about your complaint.
The Lincoln Tenants’ Panel could become a designated person. The council is taking residents views on this option for the next month as part of a consultation process. For further information please see www.lincoln.gov.uk/housing or contact customer services tel: 01522 873333 or email [email protected].
DESIGNATED PERSONS AND THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
OUR HOUSING INVESTMENT PROGRAMME EXPLAINED
FEEDBACKWe had some very good feedback on last year’s report, so we have kept the same style and hope you enjoy it again as much this year.
If you wish to make any comments about this year’s annual report to tenants, please contact us at [email protected] or call us on 881188. Alternatively you can write to us at:
Directorate of Housing and Community Services, City of Lincoln Council, City Hall, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln, LN1 1DE
THE TABLE BELOW SHOWS THE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES THAT
HAVE RECEIVED IMPROVEMENT WORKS DURING 2012/13.
Area 2012/13 completed works
Bathroom
Chimneys
Electrical Improvement
Heating
Kitchens
Roof Works
Walls
Doors
Insulation
Landscape & Boundaries
179
27
172
10
233
267
658
538
102
208