Letting 10,000 homes
This week we officially celebrate reaching our 10,000th home, and we wanted to look back on our lettings journey over the years.
To reach 10,000 homes means we have let a huge amount of homes since we began our journey as a housing association back in 2007.
Letting our homes is an interesting and varied role, as the examples from the team below show.
Tricia Stoney shares her favourite development she’s worked on: “For me it would have to be the Colum Avenue rent to buy development. It was our first rent to buy scheme that our team were involved in. I built up a really good relationship with the applicants during lockdown, keeping them informed of what was happening and sending information to them.
“Once lockdown measures were lifted, it was a delight to meet them and give them the keys to their new homes.”
Grace Fixter shares her most rewarding and challenging moment: “Chesleigh House has been one of the hardest schemes to let, especially during the pandemic but it is also the most rewarding. The new tenants are so happy with their homes, and it has given people a new lease of life while making them feel safe and secure.”
Jane Crookes, our Lettings Manager, is extremely proud of her team and the hard work they do every day: “It’s never a dull day in the Lettings team, and I couldn’t be prouder of the effort and work each and every single one of my team always put in.
“Over the years, the role of my team has changed and we’ve had to adapt and change our ways of working as the business has grown. We’ve taken on letting our new build homes, supporting with shared ownership and most recently our rent to buy homes.
“The team are often one of the very first Ongo colleagues our tenants get to meet, and they all take pride in making a positive impression and representing the company well. They get to see the positives of giving a family the keys to a fabulous brand new home which is a real positive to the job. But they do also have to deal with some tough parts too, and I’m proud of them for the work they do.
“Reaching 10,000 homes is a huge achievement for Ongo and I’d like to give a massive shout out and say a big thank you to my team for the important role they have played in getting us there.”
It’s also a really rewarding role, being able to offer someone a home that will completely change their life.
Shaun Mannion shares his best part of his role: “The most rewarding part for me is handing the keys over to some very excited new tenants, and seeing how much we have helped them.”
Sue Revell’s best bit of the job is knowing the difference she is able to make to people’s lives, and these words stick with Sue to this day: “Thank you for my home, I will be safe here now won’t I.” (Said by a tenant when Sue gave them the keys to their home).
John Lawrence, our Head of Customer Experience, said: “Our Lettings team play a crucial role in us being a great landlord. First impressions really do count, and the team work hard to make sure our new tenants have a positive experience when they sign up for a new home with us.”
Great work and thank you to the whole team. Read more about our 10,000th home celebrations here.