You said, we’re doing

We collect your feedback in a number of ways and we value your views to help improve our services. On this page we show what we’re doing in response to what you’ve told us needs to be improved. 

1

Damp and Mould is a real concern

You’ve told us that damp and mould is a real concern when you move into an empty property.

1

Damp and Mould could return

You’ve told us that you’re concerned that damp and mould will come back following repairs taking place.

1

Our contractor service needs improving

You’ve told us that our repairs contractors are not providing the standard that we expect.

1

Bigger repairs aren’t completed first time

You’ve told us that sometimes bigger repairs are not completed right first time. You also told us that follow-on works are not completed in a timely way.

1

The repairs process isn’t clear

You’ve told us that when booking a repair, the communication you receive from us isn’t clear and the process is confusing.

1

The Planned Improvement Works process isn’t clear

You’ve told us that you wanted to know more about when planned improvement works will take place, and how homes are assessed.

2

Improving checks at handover

We’re improving checks on our empty homes at handover, including enhanced inspections, to ensure there is no visible evidence of damp or mould before a property is re-let.

2

Improving root cause diagnosis

We are improving root cause diagnosis during repairs, and providing training to our frontline teams, to ensure that issues are fixed right first time and don’t return.

2

Strengthening our governance

We’ve meeting with contractors more frequently, setting clearer expectations, and closely monitoring outstanding orders.

2

Improving quality assurance

We’re increasing the number of post-work inspections on higher risk and value repairs to quality assure works and to ensure that work is completed to a good standard.

2

Our new Repairs Customer Journey

Our Customer Repairs Journey sets out every step of a repair, including who is responsible at each stage. This is helping us improve coordination across our teams, reduce delays, and give tenants a smoother experience.

2

Our new Planned Improvement Works hub

We now have a hub on our website with more information around each stage of the process. We have also added dates of reassessments for each property to My Home.

Other areas where you’ve helped to drive change

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

Neighbourhood Delivery Model

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.

Our new neighbourhoods approach aims to improve the way we deliver our housing management, property allocation, customer contact, 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 have three regions, made up of nine or ten neighbourhoods in each.
  • We have introduced the role of ‘Neighbourhood Officer’ to replace our Tenancy Officers and Lettings Officer roles, who are part of an overall Neighbourhoods team.
  • Our maintenance teams work regionally too, reducing travel time and ensuring more efficient ways of working.
  • We 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 has a Regional Manager for Neighbourhoods and Maintenance, as well as an Anti-Social Behaviour Officer, Support Officer, and a dedicated Neighbourhood Officer for each neighbourhood within those regions.

Our new approach ensures that tenants have one point of contact for everything relating to their tenancy, and that they receive a consistent service from their Neighbourhood Officer and those within their regional team.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

Customer Contact Centre improvements

Emergency repairs line
Following on from your feedback, as well as feedback from Ongo staff, we now have a dedicated emergency repairs phone line throughout the day.

Having a dedicated phone line for emergency repairs allows us to prioritise these types of calls and get you the help you need more quickly.

Before the change, there was an average waiting time of over 12 minutes. By changing the way we work we are now answering on average 89% of all calls in under five minutes, with most, on average, being answered in under one minute.

100% of emergency repairs calls are being answered within five minutes.

Customer service training
We’ve put in place mandatory customer service training for all operational colleagues to ensure consistent communications, following feedback from tenants that sometimes this hadn’t been up to the standard we expect.

We also quality control our calls to identify where advisors may benefit from more training and development. This also ensures that we are consistently delivering a positive and professional service.

Out-of-hours feedback
We are meeting more often with our out-of-hours contractor following feedback that tenants have received an inconsistent service.

Complaints
Our Complaints Panel has reviewed our complaints acknowledgement letters, which has led to more details being included on vulnerabilities, as well as reducing some duplications.

OngoPhotograph by Richard Walker/ImageNorth

Online services

Our Publications Panel and Digital Tenants Group regularly review the customer information on our online channels to ensure that is is accessible, user friendly, and in plain language.

Our Publications Panel have reviewed our new Planned Improvement Works area, resulting in changes to the wording and improved accessibility.

Our Digital Tenants Group identified areas on our ASB and Planned Improvement Works webpages where accessibility could be improved. They also identified additional information for our Financial Support webpage, which has since been added.

We’ve also added clearer visibility of improvement works for each property to My Home (desktop version). This now includes information around when kitchens and bathrooms are due to be assessed, helping tenants to better understand future investment plans in their home.

2

Shaping our policies

You’re helping to shape our policies.

Our Community Voice members have reviewed our Neighbourhood Standard, which resulted in information being added about keeping our communal areas sterile.

They have also reviewed our Maintenance Policy, which resulted in additional information being included around compensation.

The group approved our Strategic Asset Management plan, ensuring it is clear for customers.

Our Residents Building Safety Group have made changes to the High Rise Building Safety Resident Engagement strategy, ensuring it is clear and simple to read.

Ongo

Publications

Following a tenant survey within our Key News magazine, tenants recommended that articles in future editions includes more regionalised information, as well as an update on services and cost of living tips. These will be considered for future editions of the magazine.

Actions we’re taking following neighbourhood visits

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 have installed a fence as a boundary to the rear of Robinson Close. This will help to restrict access to the area and will help to prevent ASB. A request for a gate installation has been passed to our contractor.
  • We’re looking into working on a disused/overgrown area – which is seeing flytipping – as part of our biodiversity project work. If chosen as a priority location, this work would take place in the next financial year. A site visit will take place to assess.
  • 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. This is a larger piece of work and we will update when we can.
  • We have investigated reports of dog fouling in the area, and now believe this issue has been rectified.
  • 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. A grass cutting schedule is in place and this is meeting our targets. Bush pruning is ongoing.
  • New Ongo signage for flat numbers and communal areas has now been installed.
  • We have raised a repair to fix a raised manhole cover with rubbish inside.
  • New signage identifying bin store numbers is in place, which is hoped to resolve/identify any fly-tipping issues.

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 Neighbourhoods team are aware of a slip issue caused by trees to the rear of the flats. This is the responsibility of homeowners who own the private land to prune the trees.
  • 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, and letters have since been delivered.
  • 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.

These actions refer to door-knocking that took place in the following areas during 2025: Salacon Way, Wigmore Court, Weelsby Street, Hamilton Street, Bradman Court, Hilda Street and Calvi Court.

  • We provided residents with information about property moves.
  • We raised a request to our Neighbourhoods team to trim a hedge more often on Weelsby Street (twice a year) following requests from residents.
  • We gave information about occupational therapy referrals to residents.
  • We raised a request with our Income team to discuss financial support options with a resident.
  • We shared details of potential ASB in some areas with Neighbourhood Officers.
  • We’re investigating reports of windows not being cleaned with our contractors.
  • We’re liaising with North East Lincolnshire Council to confirm bin provisions in the area, and we requested a black bin for one resident.
  • We have contacted tenants who expressed an interest in getting involved with our tenant panels, such as Tenant Inspectors.

These actions refer to door-knocking that took place in the following areas during December 2025: Padstow Walk, Beaford Court, Melbury Walk, and Lynmouth Drive.

  • We have raised referrals with our Sustainment Coach, Income, and Skills and Personal Development teams for tenants.
  • Neighbourhood Officers are liaising with tenants over some ASB concerns in the area.
  • Neighbourhood Officers are looking into bin stores to tackle fly-tipping in the area. Fly-tipping is being reviewed and reported by Ongo colleagues on a weekly basis.
  • Neighbourhood Officers are planning two further estate walkabouts during 2026 to record any issues as they occur.
  • We have contacted tenants who expressed an interest in getting involved with our tenant panels.

These actions refer to door-knocking that took place in the Market Hill area of Scunthorpe during November 2025.

  • Information was given to tenants about fire doors.
  • Information was given to tenants about Occupational Health referrals.
  • Information was given to tenants about Home Choice Lincs.
  • Referrals were made to our Income team to provide assistance around financial support options.
  • Tenants were reminded to report ASB, which can be done quickly using the My Home app, or to call the police if there is an immediate threat.
  • Tenants were contacted by the Neighbourhood Officer to remind them of the dangers of throwing items out of windows.
  • Joint visits have been arranged for the both the police and Safer Neighbourhoods team to visit the area.
  • An emergency repair was raised to repair a magnet on a front door.
  • Tenants were informed that parking is managed by an external agency.
Customer Focus Committee

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.

Find minutes of the meetings here