Issue - items at meetings - Housing Management Performance Report Quarter 2 2013/14

   39.1   The Sub Committee considered a report of the Executive Director Environment Development & Housing, on Housing Management Performance Report Quarter 2 2013/14. The report was presented by the Head of Income Inclusion & Improvement, Housing.

39.2         Councillor Farrow thanked officers for the report but was concerned that some of the figures weren’t accurate. Paragraph 4.2 showed that 99.03% of tenants were satisfied with the repairs undertaken but he had been informed that not all tradespersons were handing out survey cards for the customer to complete, and therefore the response couldn’t be accurate. He also noted that 98.26% of homes met the required standard for Decent Homes, and questioned whether that figure was correct. Mr Melson also questioned the high level of satisfaction of repair work undertaken, and said that people would not always give an honest response if they had to return a satisfaction survey direct to the person who had undertaken the work. Mr Cryer (Mears) said that he accepted the concerns about the surveys and that was why the company had introduced a pilot scheme whereby customers could return their survey by post. In addition Brighton & Hove City Council were introducing a scheme whereby selected volunteers from the Home Group would make phone calls and get responses direct from tenants to ensure the level of satisfaction recorded was accurate. With regard to Decent Homes, the figures provided in the report had been collated by the Council on APEX (an asset management system). The council kept records of all housing stock which showed when key building elements such as kitchens and bathrooms were installed. The standard of all properties was constantly monitored. Some tenants had said that they didn’t want a new kitchen or bathroom installed, which is then recorded as having met the standard, in line with government guidance.

39.3         Councillor Mears was concerned that the Housing Stock Condition survey was being undertaken by Mears, as it would be difficult for a contractor to survey their own work. The Chair agreed and suggested to officers that the survey should be undertaken by an independent body. The Head of Property and Investment, Housing, said that the survey undertaken was a ‘normal’ survey and not a Housing Stock Condition one. Councillor Mears said that she was aware of a tenant at Rosehill Court who had received a letter from Mears saying a Housing Stock Condition survey would be undertaken. The Head of Housing said she look would look into the matter.

39.4         Councillor Peltzer Dunn noted that the average time take to complete routine repairs had increased 50% over the same quarter last year and asked why that was. Officers informed him that the categorisation of repairs had changed; urgent repairs which were their own category were now categorised as ‘emergency repairs’. In order to allow emergency repairs to be prioritised and to provide residents with flexibility of appointment time and any further works which may be required (such as ordering parts or multiple trades) the target for routine repairs to be completed was 20 working days.

39.5         Councillor Peltzer Dunn asked whether the ‘percentage of appointments kept by contractor’ included appointments missed because the tenant was not at home, and whether the ‘cancelled repair jobs’ included cancellation by the tenant. Officers advised that the appointments kept related only to the contractor, but the cancelled jobs included cancellation by both the tenant and the contractor.

39.6         Councillor Wilson noted that 93.93% of repairs to lifts were restored on the same day as the contractor was called out, and asked how long it took to repair the remaining lifts. Officers said they didn’t have the information at the meeting but would provide it later.

39.7         Ms Hayes raised a question about repairs, and asked why it took two contractors to undertake a straightforward job; recently two people came to repair a wall socket. Mr Cryer suggested it could have been an apprentice as Mears currently had four electrician apprentices.

39.8         Councillor Farrow referred to Appendix 2 to the report and said he was concerned at the level of those in arrears with their rent following the changes to Housing Benefit. Officers advised that the figures in the report were correct as of end of September 2013 and the numbers had changed since then. In particular the ‘percentage of under occupying council households who are in arrear at month end’ had decreased from 77% to 72%; the ‘percentage increase in arrears of under occupying household since 1 April’ had increased from 44% to 52%; and the ‘percentage increase in arrears of all current tenant arrears since 1 April’ had increased from 29% to 52%.   The Chair added that the number of tenants affected by the changes had reduced from 947 to 749 and the figure was expected to reduce further. The reduction had been achieved through a number of measures including the Tenant Incentive Scheme to move properties and through mutual exchanges.

39.2         The Chair asked for officers to prepare a report provide a report for the next Housing Committee meeting providing further information on this matter.

39.3         RESOLVED – That the Housing Management Consultative Sub Committee note the report.