What do you think?

OUR NEW CUSTOMER

SERVICE PROPOSAL:

UNITED COMMUNITIES

AND SOLON SOUTH WEST

2 3

THROUGH MERGER WE CAN IMPROVE OUR SERVICES TO YOU

WHAT DO YOU THINK?Before we make a final decision about merging, we are now asking you, and all other tenants and leaseholders of United Communities and Solon, what you think about these proposals. Normally we would have had lots of public meetings, but the coronavirus outbreak and specifically the shielding of vulnerable people has meant that this is not possible.

Instead, we are offering you several ways to provide feedback. See accompanying leaflet for more information.

The main reason for the proposed merger between Solon South West and United Communities is that we believe that, by combining our housing associations into one, we can deliver a better housing service to you, our tenant and leaseholder customers.

We asked ourselves what would the new, improved, service look like? To help us answer that we have set up a Working Group comprised of United Communities and Solon staff and Board members and an interim Resident Panel composed of Solon and United Communities tenant and leaseholder volunteers.

The Working Group and the interim Resident Panel have been meeting for two months to shape our housing services following merger. The result of this work is this Customer Service Proposal.

This Proposal will, hopefully, provide you with the information you need about:

• the changes and improvements we would make to our housing services if we make a final decision to merge

• how we would deliver these service improvements and by when

4 5

WHAT OUR INTERIM RESIDENT PANEL HAS TOLD USThe Panel expressed the following views:

• Residents (tenants and leaseholders) should be at the heart of everything that the new (merged) landlord does

• The new association must do more than Solon and United Communities to offer opportunities for resident involvement in decision-making

• In particular, the Resident Panel must be retained post-merger to monitor the delivery of the promises set out in this Customer Service Offer

• Equality and Diversity should be evident at all levels in the new association – staff, directors and Board

• Consistency of service delivery needs to improve – the service you get sometimes depends on who you speak to

• Personal service must not be lost in the drive towards developing digital service delivery

• There must be greater transparency and resident involvement in setting rent, service charges, service standards and the fixtures and fittings installed in our homes

• Rents and service charges should not be increased to pay for the improved services promised in this Proposal

In this Customer Service Proposal, we have sought to respond to these interim Resident Panel views.

Specifically, we make the following pledges:

• We will place customers at the heart of everything we do

• We will set up a new Resident Panel to monitor our customer service performance, shape future services and discuss policies and plans with us. Any tenant or shared owner will be eligible to join the Resident Panel

• We are also aiming to recruit residents onto the Board of the new association, together with members of the wider communities we serve

6 7

OUR TARGETS FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS BY THE END OF 2020

TransparencyWe have adopted a commitment to transparency about what we do, why we do it and how. We are doing this because we want to be accountable to our customers and are open to your suggestions about how we can do things better. One of the first changes you will see is when we publish a detailed annual programme of planned improvements to the homes we manage. Personal serviceOur customers say that this is what they value most about our services. We guarantee that, whatever changes happen in the next few years, that personal service will never be lost. For example, we will develop a new customer services team, based in our office and using the latest technology. They will be able to deal with enquiries more quickly and have more time to support those who need it most.

Setting rents and service chargesEach year, our Board is required to set rents and service charges for the following 12 months. For the first time, and then on an ongoing basis, we will involve our Resident Panel in making these decisions.Equality and Diversity

The United Communities and Solon Boards recognise that the Board of the new association should be selected with equality and diversity in mind. A recruitment process is currently underway to achieve that objective. Resident involvementWe are placing customers at the heart of everything we do.

We will set up a Resident Panel to monitor our customer service performance, shape future services and discuss policies and plans with us. Any tenant or shared owner will be eligible to join the Resident Panel.

We are still designing the Resident Panel, but it is intended that it will have an independent Chair and that meetings will include both senior staff members and Board Members. We aim to have the Resident Panel up and running by the end of the year.We are also aiming to recruit residents onto the Board of the new association, together with representatives of the wider communities in which we operate.

We are now asking for expressions of interest for Resident Panel and Board roles. Any tenant or shared owner can apply.

8 9

Investing £10 million in home improvements and also building around 500 new homesWe will start a programme of investment in new and existing homes. Our increased purchasing power will mean that we get better value for money and greater community benefits (such as our contractors offering more apprenticeship and other training opportunities).A major overhaul of our repair servicesWe will continue, in the short term, with the current United Communities and Solon repairs contractors whilst we work with our Resident Panel to decide how to transform the ‘customer experience’ of repairs.

Our longer-term target is to match the customer experience you can receive from companies like Amazon - confirmation of the repair ordered,

anticipated dates of completion, updates as the repair operatives arrives on site and feedback from you on the work completed.

We will invest in energy efficiency measures in your home, making it easier and cheaper to heatWe commit to improving the energy efficiency of your home – to reduce fuel costs and to align with Bristol City Council commitments to tackling climate change. From 2021, we will invest additional money in works to improve the energy efficiency of the homes we manage. Opportunities for young people in our communityFrom 2021, we will establish an annual programme of apprenticeships targeted at young people in our community.

These opportunities will not be limited to trades but will include training as surveyors, housing officers and so on. We will introduce a new, and modern, Assured Tenancy AgreementWe will simplify and update all tenancy agreements, with no loss to tenants of current rights and obligations.

Improved office In early 2021, we will open our new office. This will be the current United Communities Eastville office, but it will be upgraded. We are closing the current Solon office as the lease is expiring and it makes more sense to operate from a single base.

Our office will be a friendly, welcoming place for you to visit. It will be fully accessible to anyone with disabilities and special needs. It will also have dedicated customer parking spaces.

A new customer portal on our websiteOur new website will include a ‘tenant portal’ that includes details about our services and organisation. You will be able to access all our services, on your phone or tablet or PC, at any time of the day or week.

In 2021, we will begin a roll out of new services within this Proposal. By 2022, when fully complete, this will allow you, on a self-service basis, to:• pay rent • report repairs • report housing and ASB issues • report domestic abuse and

harassment • undertake mutual exchanges• access your tenancy agreement• access your single digital

customer record• access self-help guides

and video

New customer service teamThis will be in place from early 2021. Its role will be to ensure that:• we are fair, consistent and

pro-active in everything we do• we provide a high-quality

customer service which operates to the same standard for every customer every time

• we provide extra support to those who need it

We will give this team the tools they need by upgrading our current IT and phone systems.

Improvements to communal areasWe will begin a programme of improvements to the management of, and investment in, communal areas. We want to ensure that communal areas in every block of flats will be of a standard that will make you proud to bring friends and family home through. We want to improve all communal areas and build a relationship with the residents who live in these flats to create pride and responsibility.

OUR TARGETS FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS IN 2021 OUR TARGETS FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS IN 2021

10 11

OUR TARGETS FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS IN 2022An annual safety and condition MOT for your homeWe know that ensuring your safety at home is the most important thing we do. From April 2022, at a convenient time for you, we will start visiting each home we manage to conduct an annual safety check MOT. We will seek, wherever possible, to do all safety inspections on the day we visit. We will make the safety inspection results available to you, within a month of completion. A single source of accessible information for all health and safety information about your home We will create a single source of information for all health and safety

information about your home. You will have access to a digital file with gas, electric, fire risk assessments, asbestos etc. - all in one place - to check whenever you need to. We will introduce a new repairs service for shared ownersWe will enable shared owners to buy repairs from us using our approved contractors, at fixed prices – removing the worry of finding your own repairs contractors.

An equitable rent policy We will create a rent policy which is equitable, considering the local economy, and sets similar rents for similar homes.

A major overhaul of service chargesWorking with our Resident Panel, we will transform how we calculate service charges, how we ensure value-for-money and how residents can get compensation if the standard of work falls below expectations.

A major overhaul of ‘chargeable works’We charge for repairs that under the tenancy agreement are the tenant’s responsibility. We will overhaul these charges to ensure that they are fair and consistent.

OUR TARGETS FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS IN 2023We will improve the quality of fixtures and fittings in every homeFrom 2023, having consulted our Resident Panel in the previous year, we will begin a rolling programme of upgrading the specifications for fixtures and fittings in the homes we build and manage.

Further investment in health and safetyBy 2023, we will start a rolling programme of installing sensors in the appliances in your homes when they are due for replacement. This will be a major undertaking and, as such, may take us 10 years to fully complete. By installing sensors, we aim to be able to monitor the health and safety of your home on a 24/7/365 basis.