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You said, we’re doing

We really value your views as it helps to shape and improve the services you receive from us.

We really value your views as they help to shape and improve the services you receive from us. By listening to you, we gain a better understanding of your needs and what is important to you. This helps to make sure we do things better or carry on doing the things that we are doing well.

Acting on your views is a key part of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Consumer Standard set out by the Regulator of Social Housing, which is all about making sure that we are open with tenants. It’s also part of how we hope to achieve our Corporate Plan objective of being customer focused.

Improving the service you receive from us

We’re delivering a bold new approach to how we deliver our services – from housing management and property allocation to repairs, maintenance, and customer care. This new model is being designed with one clear aim which is to give you a more personalised, visible, and joined up service.

A new approach to delivering our services

We’re committed to delivering services that truly meet the needs and expectations of our tenants. That’s why, following feedback from you, we’ve made important changes to how we deliver our frontline services, to reflect your priorities and provide the quality you deserve.

The decision to change how we deliver our services came from feedback we received through a 2024 tenant engagement survey, which saw over 1500 responses. You told us that the things that mattered most to you when it comes to how we could improve in landlord services and how we deal with anti-social behaviour were:

A named officer and single point of contact
More visibility from us in your neighbourhoods
Better collaboration across our teams and a faster response
Clear, simple communication.

Our new neighbourhoods approach will aim to improve the way we deliver our housing management, property allocation, customer contact centre, and repairs and maintenance services, ensuring that they meet your needs. By changing our approach, we also aim to do things like improve overall customer satisfaction and ensure regulatory compliance.

Our Neighbourhoods approach

We will have three regions, made up of nine or ten neighbourhoods in each
We will introduce the role of ‘Neighbourhood Officer’ to replace our Tenancy Officers and Lettings Officer roles, who will be part of an overall Neighbourhoods team
Our maintenance teams will work regionally too, reducing travel time and ensuring more efficient ways of working
We’ll have a newly formed Customer Hub, to work on more transactional tasks, freeing up our Neighbourhood Officers to be out within their communities.

Each region will have managers to oversee the team, as well as an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer, Support Officer, and a dedicated Neighbourhood Officer for each neighbourhood within those regions.

Our new approach will ensure that you have one point of contact for everything relating to your tenancy, and that you receive a consistent service from your Neighbourhood Officer and those within your regional team.

This is more than just a change in how we work – it’s a commitment to provide you with a better service.

Other ways we are improving the service you receive from us

Repairs and Maintenance update

Procurement of contractor framework
As part of our efforts to improve the delivery of our maintenance services to you, and our commitment to delivering high customer satisfaction as part of our Customer Focus Corporate Plan objective, we are in the process of procuring a new maintenance contractor framework. The exercise will look to improve our response times to repairs, enhance the quality of repairs completed, and will provide value for money.

Procurement of materials framework
We have finalised a lengthy procurement exercise, with Jewson’s now appointed. This was based on the following areas: supplier reliability, enhanced contract terms and flexibility, innovative technologies and enhanced supplier relationships. It will ensure that materials are of a quality standard so that you receive a great service, whilst providing value for money.

Damp and mould
Damp and mould remains an area of focus for us, and lots of activity has taken place to shape our service so that we can meet regulatory requirements and deliver a good service.

Awaab’s Law is a requirement that the government will be bringing into force for the social housing sector from October this year. Following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak in 2020, Awaab’s Law requires landlords to investigate and fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes, and we support this law and in improving the quality of social housing for all.

Things we have done to prepare for the law and improve our service:

Setting up a damp and mould prevention group, which meets regularly to discuss and improve the services we deliver.
Working with our Technology & Innovation team to create a performance dashboard, focused on damp and mould, to manage our response in a timely and effective way.
Recruiting more tradespeople, working specifically on damp and mould works.
Working on a new case management system to effectively manage the number of damp and mould jobs we have. This will allow us to track all related repairs and in working with our Landlord Services team, we can identify whether any extra support is required for the individual.

Neighbourhood Engagement events

Our Neighbourhood Engagement events are taking place in various areas across the region. The aim of these events is to engage with tenants and customers and understand first-hand any issues so that they can be actioned quickly, as well as any areas that can be improved.

Our Neighbourhood Services teams accompany the visits to carry out general tidying and weed clearing, if it’s needed.

Customer Focus Committee

Our Customer Focus Committee, which includes Ongo tenants, reports to the Ongo Homes Board, and was set-up to make sure our tenant voices are an integral part of our governance structures.

Tenants know and experience our services every day, therefore they are the experts and we need them to be involved in the strategic decision making of the organisation.

Actions we’re taking following our Neighbourhood Engagement events

Here are the actions we’ve taken following our Neighbourhood Engagement event in Crosby area, Scunthorpe:

We’ve shared information with tenants about our services to help them to sustain their tenancy.
We have identified and are directly working with some tenants to provide extra support.
We’re looking to install a fence or gate as a boundary to the rear of Robinson Close. This will help to restrict access to the area and will help to prevent ASB.
We’re looking into working on a disused/overgrown area – which is seeing flytipping – as part of our biodiversity project work.
An area which contained needles was cleared during the event, and we’re linking in with the Police and Crime Commissioners to highlight this area to local teams.
We have supplied equipment to enable a mobility scooter to be stored safely.
We have contacted tenants who expressed an interest in getting involved with our tenant panels, such as Tenant Inspectors.

Here are the actions we’ve taken following our Neighbourhood Engagement event in Allenby Close, Lincoln:

We signposted tenants to information available on the Ongo website and social media around our Skills and Personal Development and tenancy sustainment initiatives.
We have identified and are directly working with some tenants to provide extra support.
We reported a repair on behalf of a tenant, with a scheduled visit and completion date the following month.
We are liaising with local Police Officers to ensure an increased presence in the area.
We have liaised with the local council to address the boundaries and responsibility of bin stores and fly tipping, which has seen an increased presence from them to help tackle it, and a closer working partnership between us.
We are looking into the possibility of a play area/safe space for children, following discussions with residents. We will follow this up with the local council and police teams.
We are investigating reports of dog fouling in the area.
We will be taking feedback received around information tenants would like to see at the start of their tenancy forward for consideration.
We have contacted tenants who expressed an interest in getting involved with our tenant panels.
Our contractors, Ground Control, will be instructed to complete a summer light prune and winter hard prune to overgrown hedges at some properties.
New Ongo signage for flat numbers and communal areas has been ordered and will be installed.
We have raised a repair to fix a raised manhole cover with rubbish inside.
We are taking a suggestion about a new bin store forward to our Executive Leadership Team. A larger bin store could help to reduce fly-tipping in the area.

Here are the actions we’ve taken following our Neighbourhood Engagement event in Allenby Close, Lincoln:

We signposted some tenants to information about our Skills and Personal Development and tenancy sustainment initiatives.
We encouraged residents to report any criminal issues to the police.
Our Neighbourhood Services team are looking to liaise with owners of private land to the rear of the flats – where trees seem to be causing a slip issue.
We have liaised with North Lincolnshire Council to advise that residents have informed us that bins are not always being collected.
We have contacted tenants who expressed an interest in getting involved with our tenant panels.

Here are the actions we’ve taken following our Neighbourhood Engagement event in Chatterton Crescent, Scunthorpe:

We signposted some tenants to information about our Skills and Personal Development, tenancy sustainment initiatives, and specialist housing facility.
We have identified and are directly working with some tenants to provide extra support.
Extra security, lighting, CCTV cameras, fixed signs and notices have since been added across the building.
We have contacted tenants who expressed an interest in getting involved with our tenant panels.

Here are the actions we’ve taken following our Neighbourhood Engagement event in Lincoln Court, Scunthorpe:

We are arranging some further communication about heating costs for some residents.
We will be looking into issuing a newsletter to provide relevant information relating to the scheme for residents.
We are liaising with some residents about our Skills and Personal Development and tenancy sustainment initiatives.
We have contacted tenants who expressed an interest in getting involved with our tenant panels.