Consultations

Tenants were consulted on three options: 4.4%, 4.9% and 5.4%. The consultation brochure set out what each option would mean for services and investment.

The consultation was administered independently by Civica.  Following the closure of the consultation the feedback was counted and verified by Civica.  The results were as follows

The consultation saw the highest ever response rate on record from tenants, with over 2000 valid responses received.

The results of the consultation were reviewed by the Wheatley Homes South Board who approved an increase of 4.4%.

These increases are far less than the current rate of inflation, at 10.1%, and well below the anticipated Scottish national average increase of 6.1% for Registered Social Landlords.

Focus group responses

The consultation followed our pre consultation focus groups. The BMG report containing findings and key issues from the focus groups can be accessed here.

Our rent consultation and the focus groups provided us with a range of valuable feedback on key priorities and issues for tenants.  We are responding to that feedback in a number of ways:

Repairs

Tenants reiterated that repairs being completed right first time and communication, especially for follow on repairs, remain key priorities.

We have responded to this feedback by:

• set up a dedicated damp and mould team with the objective to respond to any reports of damp or mould within 48 hours;
• increasing the number of repairs specialists at our Customer First Centre;
• accelerating plans to introduce Book It, Track It, Rate it for repairs.  This will launch over the course of this year and as part of this tenants will receive:
  • text message reminding tenants of upcoming appointment the day before
  • live updates on the day of appointment
  • real time tracking information of the repairs operative and how close they are to arriving
  • an option to provide immediate feedback on the service and quality of repair post appointment
  • the option to request a call back to discuss the service

For the last three months over 90% of repairs have been completed right first time over that period and the average time to complete a repair has remained steady despite the extreme weather and flooding over December.

Customer First Centre/Local community presence

Tenants affirmed that a fast response when calling the Customer First Centre coupled with a visible presence in communities remain priorities.  We have enhanced the number of staff in our Customer First Centre to both answer calls quicker and also free up Housing Officers to spend even more time in communities.

Since November we have visited over 50% of tenants in their homes.  We have also put in place a renewed programme of annual visits for tenants which will include us undertaking a check for any property condition issues, particularly those which could cause dampness or mould.

Anti Social behaviour

The majority of anti social behaviour cases we receive relate to noise complaints.  We have commenced the roll out of a noise app which allows us to better monitor and record instances of noise related anti social behaviour.  This allows us to take action quicker, including having the necessary evidence to refer cases for enforcement action.

Homes4D&G consulted with customers on the way they apply for housing and how homes were let.  The consultation took place over a six-week period during June and July 2022.

To read the findings of the Homes4D&G allocations policy review 2022, click here.

We’re always keen to hear your views on our services and how we can get better. One way we do this is by carrying out consultations.

We are accredited by the Consultation Institute. This means all of our consultations follow the seven principles set out in the Institute’s Consultation Charter.

They are:

• Integrity – each consultation has an honest intention, that we will listen to and be influenced by what our tenants tell us
• Visibility – affected tenants and other affected stakeholders are reasonably aware of the consultation
• Accessibility – affected tenants and affected other stakeholders have reasonable access to the consultation. We will use digital means of ensuring access to consultations where appropriate
• Transparency – it is clear when the consultation closes, who is collating the responses and whether responses will be published
• Disclosure – any appropriate information applicable to the consultation is made available
• Fair interpretation – consultation responses will be collated and analysed objectively
• Publication – it is made clear of where and when the consultation report will be available.