I am delighted to share that the Regulator of Social Housing has awarded us its highest Consumer Standards rating, C1. This independent recognition reflects the improvements we’ve made over the past 16 months since our last inspection and confirms we’re meeting the regulatory expectations for areas such as keeping homes safe, listening to customers, treating people fairly and understanding the different needs of the communities we serve.
Since we were initially awarded a C2 rating, we’ve continued to build on our strengths and make further improvements to the services we provide. We focused on strengthening our understanding of customers’ needs and we invested £2.9 million to improve our repairs service and reduce waiting times for non-urgent repairs.
The upgrade is testament to the hard work and dedication of teams across the Group, and I’d like to thank all our colleagues because it really is a group achievement.
Looking forward, we are making final preparations for the second phase of Awaab’s Law to come into effect on 30 November. New rules for response times to damp and mould complaints were introduced following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak from respiratory issues after exposure to mould in his social home. From November, these rules will be expanded to a range of other health and safety hazards, This includes heat and cold, trip hazards and electrical safety. You can find more information about the changes we are making and what customers can expect here.
We’ve also been making it easier for customers and their representatives to access information about us. We know that having clear, accessible information helps our customers understand what we do, why we do it and how the decisions we make affect their homes and communities. Colleagues here have been working hard to make sure our processes are in line with the government’s new Social Tenants Access to Information Requirements. You can read more about our new publication scheme here.
