A day in the life

Retrofit project manager Northampton Partnership Homes Employee since: November 2016 Location, location, location: Northampton Previous Employment: Director, Artspace Charity

I like to get up earlier than I need to and before the rest of the family gets up. I enjoy the calm of being able to read a book or get some ‘life admin’ done.

First stop, I call into the site office for our whole house retrofit project. This programme will deliver approximately £8m of retrofit works in 2021/22 as a result of the recent Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund award and double that in 2022/23.

Next, I get out for a walkabout and door-knock to find out how the work is going from the residents’ perspective. This is the highlight of my day. I love being able to resolve minor issues there and then and to hear all the positive feedback we’re getting about the works.

Now, I need to visit specific properties with the architect. As part of the whole house retrofit process, an individual design is required for each property.

I like to grab a bite to eat locally with the design team and our sustainability manager.

I need to write up notes and minutes from the morning while it’s all fresh in my mind. I also make sure that diary notes on the housing system are entered so that it’s clear to other colleagues what’s happening on the project.

This is the point in my day where I make sure that I’ve replied to everyone who needs information from me and chased those people who I need to send information.

Time to head home and hear how my little boy’s day at school has gone. I’m lucky enough to live with a chef, so there’s always something delicious on the table, featuring homegrown food from our allotment.

Bedtime is always welcome in our house. The best way for me to switch off after a busy day is curling up with a good book. I’m currently reading The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel. But if I could recommend the perfect book for fellow housing professionals, I’d say to seek out Estates by Lynsey Hanley. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to work in housing and it still inspires me to get up for work every day.

A lazy start, drinking a bucketload of Earl Grey tea with poached eggs and spinach. This would be slowly followed by a long walk or a freshwater swim. And if we’re talking about a truly perfect day, I’d end up at a beer festival full of lovely people, great brews and live music.

May and June 2022 Good governance series

12 May 2022 A new approach to income collection

27 May 2022 Housing Ombudsman workshop: Learning from complaints 11 May 2022 Damp and mould – a call for a zerotolerance approach

18 - 19 May 2022 Housing Management Network annual conference 2022 – the year of housing management

14 June 2022 The Leasehold Summit 2022 11 May 2022 Changes to the Building Regulations to help deliver net zero

25 May - 27 September 2022 How to write a housing strategy

23June 2022 The future of resident engagement – how do we get it right in 2022?

12, 14 and 20 July 2022

Our annual conference is one of the highlights of the housing calendar and this year promises to be extra special as we will be celebrating HQN’s 25th anniversary.

Thanks to our partners