Homes and Communities Consultation including our new home standard

We know that moving into a new home can be an exciting but sometimes nerve-wracking experience. For some residents, it may be the first time leaving home, and for others, a fresh start after a difficult time.

We want to make sure that, whatever the resident’s situation, their experience of moving into a home with us is a positive one.

This section is about the standard of your home when you first moved in. Your feedback will help us understand what matters most, so we can get the balance right when preparing homes for new residents.

We carry out surveys of all our homes around every five years to understand their condition and plan improvements at the right time. These are called stock condition surveys.

There are also some standards we must meet. The government sets a standard called the Decent Homes Standard, which all homes should meet. This includes improving energy efficiency through the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard.

Our goal is for all homes to have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or above by 2030. Currently, 80% of our homes already meet this, and we’re on track to achieve this by 2029.

We also want to make sure your home continues to meet your needs over time, and that you feel supported if it ever becomes unsuitable for you in the future. Alongside this, we’d really like to hear your views on what else we should be doing to invest in our homes.

We know how important a reliable repairs service is. Last year, we carried out 23,382 repairs in your homes, with over 22,000 completed by our in-house team.

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to report a repair and book an appointment that works around your day-to-day life.

We’ll always offer different ways to contact us. While some residents prefer to use our app, myHavebury, we know others would rather call or speak to us directly. We just want to make sure, whichever way you contact us, you can report and manage your repair easily.

Safe, welcoming neighbourhoods are just as important as good homes.

Our Neighbourhood and Estates team works closely with partners, including local councils and the police, to help prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour. Our rangers are also regularly out and about in your communities.

Last year, we carried out 26 neighbourhood check-ins and delivered 7 environmental improvement projects to help keep communities clean, safe and pleasant places to live.

We also brought our Grounds Maintenance team in-house two years ago. Since then, satisfaction in this area has increased by 16%.

Social value is about the positive difference we can make beyond our usual landlord services, and we’d really value your thoughts on what more we can do in this area.

We already support our residents and communities in a number of ways, including:

• Our apprenticeship scheme, which offers career opportunities and helps people build practical skills
• Community Investment Grants, which support local projects in our communities
• Working with our contractors to fund additional projects that benefit residents. For example, last year our contractor E.ON upgraded the kitchen at our homeless hostel, Lucy Adams House, which has made a real difference for the residents living there

Alongside this, our Financial Inclusion team works with residents and local organisations to help maximise income and provide support where it’s needed. We also support local food banks, including Gatehouse and Reach, to help reduce food poverty.

We’ve also been talking to residents about what more we could do. At a recent Resident Experience Committee meeting, suggestions included recycling laptops for residents and creating more opportunities around employment and volunteering, especially for younger residents.

These are all things that can help our residents and communities thrive.