Customers and Communities Strategy: what has changed for you in our housing and neighbourhood services
Last year we launched our Customers and Communities Strategy. It sets out how we will improve the services that support you in your home and neighbourhood.
Over the past year, we have made changes in four areas: local housing support, neighbourhoods, contacting us and help with rent. Here is what has changed and where more work is needed.
More visible local housing support
We have reviewed the areas our Community Housing Officers cover to make sure they can give customers the time and support they need. This should help them spend more time in communities and provide a more consistent service wherever you live.
This means:
- more opportunities to speak to your Community Housing Officer
- more support if your circumstances change
- a stronger focus on resolving issues early
We have also made it clearer what Community Housing Officers can help with. This should help you reach the right team sooner.
In 2024, 47% of customers said they knew who their Community Housing Officer was. This has risen to 53%, but it means almost half of customers still do not know. We are adding officer details to more letters and updates we send you.
The number of customers satisfied with the Community Housing service has also risen from 64% to 70%.
Cleaner, greener and safer neighbourhoods
We have introduced clearer standards for cleaning and looking after shared areas. We are also asking more customers to tell us what is working well and what needs to change.
You should see:
- cleaner and better maintained communal areas
- more consistent standards across neighbourhoods
- quicker responses when issues are reported
At Milton Place and Monmer, we have created new outdoor spaces where customers can grow plants, meet neighbours and spend time outside.
We have also worked to improve how we respond when customers report antisocial behaviour, including working towards an external accreditation.
In our latest results, 59.8% of customers were satisfied with communal services. We will continue working to improve this.
Faster and easier ways to contact us
We have changed how phone, email and online enquiries are handled so our teams can see the information you have already shared in one place. This should make it easier to get a consistent answer and reduce the need to repeat yourself.
This means:
- shorter waiting times when you call us
- more ways to get in touch, including online options
- clearer answers when you contact us
Average call waiting times have fallen from more than eight minutes to around one minute.
Our advisers also have one place to find the information they need. This helps them answer more questions straight away, without sending customers to another team.
We have started to introduce web chat on our website. You can use it to explain what you need before being connected to an adviser when needed.
Customer satisfaction with our Customer Services team is 94% so far this financial year.
Earlier help when circumstances change
We now check rent accounts for changes, such as a Housing Benefit payment stopping. This means we can contact customers sooner, check what has happened and offer help before missed payments build up.
This means:
- support if your circumstances change
- help to access benefits or financial support you may be entitled to
- working with you to resolve issues before they become more serious
This has helped us find Housing Benefit claims that had stopped or were being paid at the wrong amount. We have also helped customers receive money owed from an earlier date and check whether they could get other support, including Pension Credit.
Getting help early can stop rent problems from growing and give customers greater peace of mind about their rent. At the end of 2025/26, overdue rent was at its lowest recorded level.
What happens next
Over the next year, we will continue to work to make services more consistent, explain more clearly what you can expect from us and answer more enquiries when you first contact us.
Your feedback will continue to shape how we improve our services, so we can deliver safe and secure homes, high-quality services and support communities to thrive.
