Our customer promise
Our customer promise makes sure that you can hold us to account on the things that matter most to you.
We promise to...
We know our customers know their communities and neighbourhoods best. So we worked with almost 300 of you nationwide from Somerset to Dundee, to develop our Customer Promise; a set of guiding statements where you can measure how we’re performing and hold us accountable to them.
And they’re not just words – we’ve been achieving some great things alongside you and your communities. Have a read below to find out more.
Provide a safe place to live
Making sure you feel safe at home is our top priority
Which means...
- We’ll guarantee your home meets all fire safety standards and contains a working smoke alarm
- We’ll make sure gas and electric safety checks are carried out in the required timeframe – it's your responsibility to allow us access to carry out these checks
- We'll make sure your home is secure and all external doors fully meet the relevant British Standards
Or for leasehold and shared ownership customers it means...
- We will make sure that your buildings, grounds and communal facilities are safe
- We will give you advance notice before carrying out non-emergency safety checks
- We will tell you about what we find and any major works we need to carry out as a result
Deliver a reliable repairs service
Meeting standards for repairs
Which means...
- We’ll aim to attend emergency repairs in six hours and make sure any damage is made safe
- We’ll aim to resolve all standard repairs in an average of 28 days
- We’ll keep you updated on the status of your repairs and maintenance work and share all relevant information
Or for leasehold and shared ownership customers it means...
- We will make sure all maintenance is carried out to the standard we set and we will hold our contractor partners to account
- We tell you in advance if work is needed and provide clear information and timescales
- We will make sure any defects to new build properties are completed in an agreed timescale and we will carry out a defect call with you within two weeks of you moving into your new property
Care about you
Caring people who make a difference
Which means...
- We’ll make our complaints process easy to access and simple to understand
- We’ll make sure our colleagues have the relevant up to date skills and training
- We’ll recruit caring colleagues who understand their customers’ individual needs and can offer the support needed
Or for leasehold and shared ownership customers it means...
- We will give you a clear point of contact and they will introduce themselves to you
- We will be open and honest in all our communication with you
- We will recruit caring and competent staff
- We will make sure that customers are central to the decisions that we make
- We will make our complaints process easy to access and simple to understand
Help communities grow
Helping local communities thrive
Which means...
- We'll make local investment to support communities to thrive
- We’ll carry out inspections to make sure your neighbourhood or service is clean and tidy
- We'll take strong action where anti-social behaviour happens and work closely with partners to tackle incidents
Or for leasehold and shared ownership customers it means...
- We will help you to form your own communities and resident associations, and we can offer support and advice where you for ask it, or where there’s a safety concern
- We will work with you to improve and enhance the safety of your community
- We’ll take strong action where anti-social behaviour happens and work closely with partners to tackle incidents
Tell you where your money goes
Making it clear how your rent and service charges are spent
Which means...
- We’ll tell you how your rent and service charges are calculated each year
- We’ll tell you how and why we make decisions on large projects and spend from head office
- We’ll tell you how and why we spend money on your home and community
Or for leasehold and shared ownership customers it means...
- We will provide you with clear, consistent, transparent and up-to-date information on your accounts, service charges and buildings funds
- We will explain how we spend your money and let you know if there are any changes to the charges you pay
- We will make it possible for you to nominate and use local contractors
Work together with customers and partners
Improving services and opportunities
Which means...
- We’ll help you contact agencies who can offer specialist advice, such as the police, charities and your council
- We’ll work with partner organisations to offer you full support
- We’ll work with you to receive feedback and improve our services
Or for leasehold and shared ownership customers it means...
- We will work in partnership with you and involve you in decision-making
- We will keep you informed and updated
- We can signpost you to local services if that’s something you wish
Let us know what you think
What you think really matters to us. Let us know if something has gone well, or if there's something we can improve.
Delivering our customer promise
Find out how we are delivering services against our customer promise and what we can improve.
We worked in partnership with our customers to develop our customer promise, which is in line with the National Housing Federation’s Together with Tenant’s framework.