We’re investing £1.2m to improve your homes, schemes, and communities

As part of our five-year plan to create thriving homes, this month we’re sharing our planned improvement plans for 2024-25.

Last month Honeycomb Group announced a new five-year corporate plan that’s centred around creating thriving futures.

The plan has been developed thanks to customer feedback and aims to create thriving homes, thriving customers, thriving communities, a thriving business, and a thriving culture.

For Staffs Housing, creating thriving homes means creating quality affordable homes that are economical to run, safe, and a place you as our customers feel proud to live in.

Our Property Team will play a huge role in delivering this by making sure homes reach EPC rating C by 2030, meet the new decent homes standard, and that customers feel safe at home.

Alongside this, they will also be responsible for making investments and planned improvements, to ensure homes are fit for the future.

We caught up with Head of Property Kath Ing, who shares the team’s £1.2m proposals for planned improvements this year (2024-25).

 

What are the priorities for planned improvements this year?
“Our priority is always to make sure our homes are safe and compliant for our customers and their families.

“Alongside that, we’re also looking to improve the energy efficiency of our homes, because it’s something residents have told us is important to them.

“We’ve also recently completed property surveys to ensure we’re making better strategic decisions about the investment our homes need.

“This year we’ve got a budget of £1.2m which for the most part will be spent on replacing windows, doors, fire doors, and consumer units at any home or scheme we’ve identified needs replacing.

“Then we’ll also be completing some new kitchen, storage heater, boilers, and roof replacements to make sure our homes remain quality homes too.”

 

How will you create more energy efficient homes?
“We’ve got an ongoing storage heater replacement programme that is replacing any heating systems that aren’t fit for purpose. Replacing them with better solutions that will not only help to improve energy efficiency, but also reduce utility costs for customers too.

“Our latest project finished this summer, with more being rolled out in September ready for the winter months.

“We’ll also be replacing identified windows and doors too, which will help to improve energy efficiency by keeping out the cold.”

 

How will these planned maintenance projects help to ensure residents feel safe in their homes?

“This year we’ve invested to make sure we have a skilled workforce that can continue to keep you safe at home.

“Alongside that, projects like our fire door replacement programme, should reassure residents that we take their safety very seriously.

“The programme is replacing identified fire doors in apartments or communal areas to keep residents safe in the event of a fire. Last year we replaced over 150 doors, and this year we’re aiming to replace even more.”

 

How will you keep residents involved as part of any improvements or maintenance?
“As well as listening to customer feedback to help inform any projects, we’ll also be giving customers more choice with things like bathroom and door replacements.

“We want our customers to feel empowered to be able to make decisions about their home and feel proud of their homes too.

“We’ll be making sure to keep customers informed throughout any improvement projects, while also keeping them up to date with any successful projects by sharing news and updates in our resident’s magazine Be Mag.”

Want to find out more about repairs and maintenance, visit www.staffshousing.org.uk/repairs