We need to undertake surveys to collect these measures annually, and return these figures to the RSH at the end of each financial year.

In September 2024, the RSH will publish the first full year of results of these from all housing providers. Once we have these, we will provide an update on our performance, and how this compares to others.

What are TSMs?

There are 22 prescribed questions, split into two different sections:

• Tenant Perception (TP) – These are questions our residents answer.
• Management Information (MI) – These are questions we answer.

The questions are split into five key themes: 

• Keeping our properties safe
• Maintaining building safety
• Respectful and helpful engagement
• Effective handling of complaints
• Responsible neighbourhood management

Although the figures are important, we also listen to the feedback you supply. If you highlight an area of concern or dissatisfaction when you complete the survey, a member of our team will contact you to discuss this further and see what we can do to fix it.

We publish the results of these every month on our website here, and in our twice yearly magazine, Havebury News. Click here to read our spring 2024 edition.

You can view our full 2023-24 results here. 

The post Our 2023-24 Tenant Satisfaction Measures performance appeared first on Havebury Housing.

“My role is to lead the new damp and mould process. This includes coordinating scheduled works with contractors and completing post-works inspections to ensure that a high level of service is being provided to our residents.

With our in-house team, I carry out stage 2 surveys to identify defects in our residents’ homes. From the surveys I conduct, I can then determine what upgrades are required in relation to insulation performance, ventilation, and humidity levels.

I will also look at any building defects that may be causing damp problems for the residents.

I will ensure that all issues we find are reported back to the residents and that a work schedule is agreed upon to remedy any issues we have discovered.

Within my role, I face a few challenges, including ensuring that residents are heating their homes adequately and keeping their homes ventilated.

We know the cost of living has increased, meaning energy bills and other day-to-day costs have increased. We have information on here. Or you can call our Financial Inclusion team on 0300 3300 900, choosing options 2,1 and 3. We have access to a support fund, and we also work with other agencies that may be able to help, so please get in touch.

I want to ensure that I meet our residents’ expectations and resolve their issues. The most rewarding part of my job role is talking with residents who are grateful for the advice they receive and visiting homes where we have successfully resolved a problem that was causing them upset and distress.”

Here are Dave’s top tips for reducing condensation in your home:

• Where possible, ensure good ventilation and heating throughout the home to maintain 18 degrees Celsius.
• Open windows for a minimum of 10 minutes first thing in the morning, especially bedroom windows.
• Don’t fit blinds too close to the glazing, as this creates a cold spot and adds to condensation on the windows.
• If possible, ensure your radiators are on, including in rooms you aren’t using. This will prevent water droplets from forming and generating mould growth.
• Loft spaces should be left clear of items, especially near the insulation. Compressing this material will mean it won’t work as well.
• Keep furniture and other items away from walls to allow good airflow.
• Keep extraction fans on at the isolation switch and open window trickle vents; you can adjust these when needed.
• Hygrometers, which you can get for under £10 from Amazon, are helpful tools that measure humidity levels within your home. You are aiming for between 40%-60% humidity, and the higher
  the level, the more likely mould will be able to grow. Try to aim for 50% relative humidity.

If you’ve noticed mould or damp in your home, please contact our Repairs team as soon as possible, by calling 0300 3300 900 and dialling extension number 7800 when prompted.

If this is the first time you’ve reported this, one of our technicians will visit your home to carry out a mould wash within ten working days. They’ll also see if they can spot anything causing the problem and carry out any required repairs. Depending on the severity of the issue, we may instruct our cleaning contractor to come to your home to carry out the mould wash. If this is the case, we will advise when we visit you.

We’ll then contact you after six weeks to see if this has helped or if we need to take further action.

If, after this time, the problem has not been resolved, a surveyor will visit you to complete a survey of your home to see what could be causing the issue. We will identify and arrange the work required and share this with you, including timescales for completion.

Once these have been completed, we’ll check back with you again in six months to ensure the problem hasn’t returned.

You can find further information about our damp and mould process here.

The post Our damp and mould process appeared first on Havebury Housing.

This includes complaints, which give us the opportunity to put things right and make improvements to prevent these from happening again.

This year, alongside other housing providers, we submitted our self-assessment against the latest Housing Ombudsman Service Complaints Handling Code (CHC).

A requirement of this is to produce an annual complaints performance and service improvement report.

Click the links below to view these documents.

1. Complaints performance and service improvements report

2. Our self-assessment against the Complaints Handling Code

If you’re unhappy with a service we’ve provided you, click the link here to report this to us. If you have any questions about either of these reports, please contact us via communications@havebury.com.

The post Our complaints handling performance appeared first on Havebury Housing.

Lucy lived in one of our homes and was a member of our Board and Tenants’ Forum, before she joined the team in 2021 as a resident engagement officer.

Lucy’s daughter Mollie explains how she felt when we told her about our plans to rename the hostel:

“When they told me they were going to rename Tayfen House after her, I just sat there crying because I wasn’t expecting it at all. She poured her life into helping others and was simply incredible.”

The hostel has offered a safe place for people experiencing homelessness since 1998 and provides emergency and long-term accommodation for those aged 18 to 65.

Andrew Smith, CEO, said: “This is a really special occasion and a very fitting tribute to remember our friend who was so very dear to us all. Lucy threw herself into her work and made such a difference to all of us.

“For me personally she was on the interview panel when I got my job as CEO – I really enjoyed working with her.”

Diane Hind, mayor of Bury St Edmunds added that she was delighted to officially open Lucy Adams House and grateful for the opportunity to honour the occasion.

The post Lucy Adams House appeared first on Havebury Housing.

Here are some common questions about asbestos:

1. My house was built in the 1970’s. Could it contain asbestos? Yes, any property built before the year 2000 has the potential to contain asbestos.
2. My house has asbestos, Artex. Why hasn’t it been removed? Asbestos is only dangerous if it’s damaged or disturbed. In the UK, up to 50% of households still contain asbestos.
3. Why haven’t you removed the asbestos in my home? Asbestos is safest when left undisturbed. We have surveyed your home to identify asbestos items, and your property is reinspected every five years as part of the stock condition survey.
4. I have a damaged ceiling that I think may contain asbestos. What should I do? Isolate the room and call us immediately on 0300 3300 900, and dial extension number 7325 when prompted.
5. I have a health condition; will the asbestos in my home make it worse? No, asbestos-related diseases are caused by exposure to asbestos fibres and it can take 20 to 30 years after being exposed to asbestos before symptoms appear.

Our role in managing asbestos in your home:

• The law requires us to undertake an asbestos survey on all homes built before 2000. We don’t need to carry out a survey if your home was built after this date.
• These are carried out by our in-house surveyors, who provide information on the location and condition of the asbestos. We provide residents with a copy of these results.
• We inspect communal areas yearly, such as our blocks of flats.
• A reinspection survey may need to be carried out in your home, and we will contact you if this is the case.
• If the survey identifies asbestos in poor condition, we will arrange to seal or remove it.
• We may need to survey your home before refurbishment works occur. If so, we will discuss and arrange this with you if required.

We ask that you allow us into your home to conduct inspections or complete any necessary work.

Asbestos is a safe material if it remains undisturbed and sealed. If you wish to make an alteration to your home, you will need to complete a permission application by clicking here.

If you want to contact us about asbestos in your home, call our Asbestos team on 0300 3300 900, choosing options 2, 5 and 2 or dialling extension number 7325 when prompted.

You can find more information about asbestos here.

The post Asbestos myth busting appeared first on Havebury Housing.

If your enquiry concerns grounds maintenance, tree issues, fly-tips, or abandoned vehicles, you can log it via myHavebury.

All other services will be running as usual, and you can find a full list of extension numbers here.

Thank you for your co-operation.

The post Team training – Friday 28 June 2024 appeared first on Havebury Housing.

As you may know, over the last 16 years, Aaron Services has worked with us to deliver our servicing contract. This includes heating servicing, repairs and replacements.

This year, we went out to tender to appoint a contractor to deliver this service with us. We’re pleased to announce that from 1 August 2024, Liberty Group will be working alongside us to deliver our servicing, repairs and install contract.

Scott Bridge, our assistant director of asset management, said, “We were really impressed with Liberty’s ‘can do’ approach. The service they provide aligns with our one common goal campaign, which we launched last year. This includes contacting residents when they are on the way to an appointment and confirming any follow-up appointments while they are with the resident.  We look forward to working with Liberty Group to improve this service for our residents.”

About Liberty Group

Liberty Group aims to always put its customers first. We’ll have a team of engineers carrying out our servicing works and installations, plus a contracts manager, works coordinator and resident liaison officer who will work from our office in Bury St Edmunds.

The team will wear Liberty Group-branded uniforms and will always carry an ID card when visiting your homes.

What this means for you

Our team will continue to contact you when your heating servicing is due to let you know that Liberty Group will be in touch to book a convenient appointment to complete this.

If your heating stops working and you need to report a repair, you can still do this by calling our usual number, 0300 3300 900, and following the options to report your issue.

The post Our servicing contract appeared first on Havebury Housing.

Originally from London, Marjorie relocated to Haverhill to live with her late partner, where she lived for 17 years. After he passed away, she needed to find somewhere else to live, prompting the move to her flat in Bury St Edmunds.

Marjorie’s home is very welcoming and a great expression of her personality. Even though she is very happy in her home, she tries to get out and about as much as possible.

Marjorie explained that she has some health issues, which means she can’t walk too far, but she does have a mobility scooter that gets her everywhere she needs to go.

“It’s not a bad life for my age.”

Marjorie is heavily involved in bringing community spirit to her independent living scheme. She has introduced some fantastic community initiatives to encourage other residents to use their communal areas and talk to others.

In December last year, Marjorie hosted a Christmas dinner for residents without families, ensuring their communal space was festively decorated.

“That was brilliant. We went around the table, telling each other a little about ourselves, which was really nice.”

She also organises monthly meals for those who would like to join in. She goes above and beyond to make the tables look pretty and make everyone feel welcome. She prepares everything in her flat and asks the other residents to contribute to the cost.

“I feel like I need to do this to know that people are getting out of their flats. There could be days when some of the other residents don’t speak to anyone. I want to
encourage everyone to use their communal spaces. I don’t want anyone to feel isolated.”

At Easter, residents who wanted to get involved were invited to an afternoon tea and buffet, again, all organised by Marjorie.

She has plenty of plans for the summer to encourage the community spirit, including a return of The Mead Singers to perform live.

We gave Marjorie a £100 voucher for food and decorations for the Christmas event last year and we are always happy to assist in ensuring these events can go ahead – whether that’s helping with costs, decorations, or resources. But without Marjorie being the driving force behind her events, many residents wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet and talk to each other. She goes out of her way to make sure people feel a part of the community if they want to be, and she says:

“I really feel appreciated for all the work I do; there are many other people here who offer me help when I need it, which is great.”

We wish Marjorie the best of luck for all her future events. If you have an event or community incentive in your area, please do let us know by emailing communications@havebury.com

The post Meet our resident, Marjorie appeared first on Havebury Housing.

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of household or trade waste. It can vary in size, from as little as a single bag of rubbish, to domestic items such as furniture and fridges and has a real impact on your community.

What to do if you discover a fly-tip:

• If the offence is being committed at the time of the call, please contact your local police team by dialling 101.
• We would advise you not to touch fly-tipped waste, as it may be dangerous.
• Your council will treat this as a serious offence and will prosecute anyone caught fly-tipping waste.
• You can also use myHavebury to report fly-tipping in the area. Once you are signed into the app you will see the “tell us something” icon.
• When reporting a fly-tip you will see a map, which you can use to select the location of where the fly-tip is located.
• Next, you can tell us the nature of the fly-tip (and if you know who has caused this issue). You also have the option of adding a photo to your report.

Our Neighbourhood and Estates team have been working hard with residents to reduce fly-tips and in January 2024, our Engagement team worked with Tollgate Primary school to create posters to encourage people to stop fly-tipping.

Tollgate Primary school were asked to get involved in designing a poster which saw 30 students from across the school get involved.

Jordan Noble, our influence and engagement administrator explains:

“My colleagues and I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project with the students at Tollgate Primary School. The amount of effort each student that took part put into their poster is incredible and a real credit to the school. It’s been heartwarming to see the enthusiasm from the children to help make a difference to some of their local communities. We really hope that this project will showcase just how important it is, not only to us at Havebury and our residents, but the children growing up in our communities that our areas are kept hygienic and tidy. We would love to do more projects like this in the future that involve people within our communities as we all want to live in an area we respect and are proud of.”

Our CEO, Andrew Smith was so impressed with the designs that we have decided to create multiple signs across the Mildenhall Estate which were unveiled at our community day on 12 June 2024.

The winning design was done by Zaena (pictured below)

The post Tackling fly-tipping appeared first on Havebury Housing.

We are really pleased to be able to announce the publication of Havebury News spring 2024, and we hope you will agree it’s a great issue!

Just click the image below to start reading!

What you can look forward to in this issue:

• Grounds maintenance and meet Team One
• Lucy Adams House
• Financial inclusion
• Our performance
• Connecting with our communities
• our Academy and an interview with Andrew Ward a member of our Resident Experience Committee
• Meet our residents, Marjorie and Sarah
• Barbecue and fire safety – with a quiz for a chance to win a £10 Amazon voucher

Plus more!

Your feedback

We would love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Please consider taking our short survey if you have a spare two minutes. The feedback you give will help us with future issues.

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