Home repairs the focus of housing engagement event
Earlier in the summer senior members of our housing and environmental services met with tenants and leaseholders from across Gateshead to discuss the investments we're making to improve the services we deliver, as well as providing a unique opportunity to ask questions and share views and ideas with service directors on issues that matter most to them.
Ian McLackland, Director of Repairs and Building Maintenance, was delighted to be involved and hear the views of customers:
It's important we create every opportunity to for our customers to engage with us. Their thoughts and opinions are vital in helping us shape our strategies, and quite often invaluable information is shared with us that otherwise might not be captured."
Ian and his team are responsible for the upkeep of all of the council's housing stock, including all home repairs and adaptions, and in the meeting he summarised the investments being made in the service to improve efficiency and productivity, as well as fielding a number of thought provoking questions from tenant delegates:
Key questions asked of the Director of Repairs and Building Maintenance
Recent communications clearly set out the council's commitment to improving the repairs service. How will you evidence that you are delivering on these promises?
The council collects and publishes a range of performance information relating to repairs and maintenance which indicate the incremental improvements being made to the service are having an impact. We also measures tenant satisfaction through periodic surveys, the results of which will be published in our forthcoming annual report; as well as performance reports that are presented to our Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) every six months.
How will the introduction of Awaab's law impact on repairs and maintenance, and how will you meet the requirements?
We understand the impact that damp and mould can have on our tenants and in response to the introduction of Awaab's law, we have undertaken a review of how we manage reports of damp and mould and introduced several changes to make sure we are compliant. These include:
- giving a high priority to all reported cases of damp and mould, with prompt diagnosis and repair
- introducing a dedicated technical support team, including the appointment of a specialist damp and mould Building Technician
- making it easier for tenants to report damp and mould by introducing an online report form
- updated information on our website to provide clearer advice and guidance on how we respond to reports of damp and mould and the steps tenants can take to minimise the risk
- collating repair data to identify trends by property type and location which will help inform future investment
- identifying vulnerable households and providing additional support services
- working with services such as Two Way Tenancy, Green Doctor and Citizens Advice Gateshead to help support tenants
- following the Housing Ombudsman Spotlight Report on damp and mould and carrying out a Landlords' Self-Assessment to identify further improvements
Are repairs done in advance before a tenant moves into a property?
As part of the re-letting process, properties are inspected and any necessary repairs are identified and carried out prior to any new tenants moving in. We also routinely carry our checks for asbestos or any other hazardous materials.
Under what circumstances are homes upgraded with new installations?
Home installations such as bathrooms and kitchens have a defined service life, and we closely monitor this. Once the end of their serviceable life is reached, or something is beyond repair, we will seek to replace them as part of our investment programme. Until this time, we will carry out repairs to the highest standard instead.
Key questions asked of Housing Asset Manager
What plans are in place to provide communication to tenants about planned investment in the housing stock?
We are currently reviewing how we share information around future investment work. We will be looking to set up some working groups with residents to look at a wide range of topics that are linked to investment work, including areas like - Net Carbon Zero, as well as our specification on how and why work is prioritised.
It is extremely uncommon for all houses on an estate to need exactly the same investment work at the same time. This is because building elements can be replaced through repairs, during the void process or even through residents own improvements. This means that a kitchen replacement programme may only be needed on 60% of the homes on an estate, rather than all homes. With residents, we will work to produce more published information, in a way that increased awareness of future work, but does so in a measured and informed way.
What is the lifespan of assets within the home such as bathrooms and kitchens ?
Kitchens typically last 20 years and bathrooms 30 years. However, there will be instances where we extend the life of an element because it is still in good condition. Similarly on some occasions we will replace elements earlier because it has become uneconomical to repair, there are no longer replacement parts available, or due to a known manufacturing defect that we know will cause issues from a repairs and maintenance perspective. Legislation changes can also impact why and when we replace an element.
Does the maintenance of communal areas for older people fall within the remit of the investment programme?
Historically funding for communal areas did not form a large part of the investment programme, but that has changed over recent years. While the initial focus has been around the building and fire safety needs of those spaces, work will start to look at decoration, flooring and other elements that make up the communal areas of our block. There is now a specific budget within the investment programme to fund these work.
Earlier in the summer senior members of our housing and environmental services met with tenants and leaseholders from across Gateshead to discuss the investments we're making to improve the services we deliver, as well as providing a unique opportunity to ask questions and share views and ideas with service directors on issues that matter most to them.
Ian McLackland, Director of Repairs and Building Maintenance, was delighted to be involved and hear the views of customers:
It's important we create every opportunity to for our customers to engage with us. Their thoughts and opinions are vital in helping us shape our strategies, and quite often invaluable information is shared with us that otherwise might not be captured."
Ian and his team are responsible for the upkeep of all of the council's housing stock, including all home repairs and adaptions, and in the meeting he summarised the investments being made in the service to improve efficiency and productivity, as well as fielding a number of thought provoking questions from tenant delegates:
Key questions asked of the Director of Repairs and Building Maintenance
Recent communications clearly set out the council's commitment to improving the repairs service. How will you evidence that you are delivering on these promises?
The council collects and publishes a range of performance information relating to repairs and maintenance which indicate the incremental improvements being made to the service are having an impact. We also measures tenant satisfaction through periodic surveys, the results of which will be published in our forthcoming annual report; as well as performance reports that are presented to our Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) every six months.
How will the introduction of Awaab's law impact on repairs and maintenance, and how will you meet the requirements?
We understand the impact that damp and mould can have on our tenants and in response to the introduction of Awaab's law, we have undertaken a review of how we manage reports of damp and mould and introduced several changes to make sure we are compliant. These include:
- giving a high priority to all reported cases of damp and mould, with prompt diagnosis and repair
- introducing a dedicated technical support team, including the appointment of a specialist damp and mould Building Technician
- making it easier for tenants to report damp and mould by introducing an online report form
- updated information on our website to provide clearer advice and guidance on how we respond to reports of damp and mould and the steps tenants can take to minimise the risk
- collating repair data to identify trends by property type and location which will help inform future investment
- identifying vulnerable households and providing additional support services
- working with services such as Two Way Tenancy, Green Doctor and Citizens Advice Gateshead to help support tenants
- following the Housing Ombudsman Spotlight Report on damp and mould and carrying out a Landlords' Self-Assessment to identify further improvements
Are repairs done in advance before a tenant moves into a property?
As part of the re-letting process, properties are inspected and any necessary repairs are identified and carried out prior to any new tenants moving in. We also routinely carry our checks for asbestos or any other hazardous materials.
Under what circumstances are homes upgraded with new installations?
Home installations such as bathrooms and kitchens have a defined service life, and we closely monitor this. Once the end of their serviceable life is reached, or something is beyond repair, we will seek to replace them as part of our investment programme. Until this time, we will carry out repairs to the highest standard instead.
Key questions asked of Housing Asset Manager
What plans are in place to provide communication to tenants about planned investment in the housing stock?
We are currently reviewing how we share information around future investment work. We will be looking to set up some working groups with residents to look at a wide range of topics that are linked to investment work, including areas like - Net Carbon Zero, as well as our specification on how and why work is prioritised.
It is extremely uncommon for all houses on an estate to need exactly the same investment work at the same time. This is because building elements can be replaced through repairs, during the void process or even through residents own improvements. This means that a kitchen replacement programme may only be needed on 60% of the homes on an estate, rather than all homes. With residents, we will work to produce more published information, in a way that increased awareness of future work, but does so in a measured and informed way.
What is the lifespan of assets within the home such as bathrooms and kitchens ?
Kitchens typically last 20 years and bathrooms 30 years. However, there will be instances where we extend the life of an element because it is still in good condition. Similarly on some occasions we will replace elements earlier because it has become uneconomical to repair, there are no longer replacement parts available, or due to a known manufacturing defect that we know will cause issues from a repairs and maintenance perspective. Legislation changes can also impact why and when we replace an element.
Does the maintenance of communal areas for older people fall within the remit of the investment programme?
Historically funding for communal areas did not form a large part of the investment programme, but that has changed over recent years. While the initial focus has been around the building and fire safety needs of those spaces, work will start to look at decoration, flooring and other elements that make up the communal areas of our block. There is now a specific budget within the investment programme to fund these work.
