Larkfield report card 2016-17

Our Charter Report Card

Our Performance In this report we will let you know how we performed on the standards set out in the Scottish Social Housing Charter (the Charter).

The Charter covers: • • • • • • •

Equalities The customer/landlord relationship Housing quality and maintenance Neighbourhood and community Access to housing and support Getting good value from rents and service charges Other customers

We report on how we are performing to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) each year and you can see the full report on the SHR’s website https://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/find-and-compare-landlords

What we have reported on In our Charter report we have focussed on the standards which we believe are the most important to you, our tenants: • • • • •

How well we keep you informed Housing quality and maintenance Anti-social behaviour Tenancy Sustainment Rents and service charges

We have also included additional information so you are able to see where we are doing well and where we need to improve: • • • •

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How we compare to other landlords The previous year’s performance Ratings for performance The actions we are taking to improve performance

call 01475 630930 or email info@larkfieldha.org.uk

How we measure our performance Our performance information comes from a range of sources. We carry out a detailed and independent Tenant Satisfaction Survey on our services every three years, employing the same face-to-face methodology used in previous surveys. Most of the customer satisfaction information for 2016/17 is based on the November 2015 survey. Customer satisfaction with repairs and with the standard of homes for new tenants when moving in is, however, measured using in-house surveys.

The ratings

We are doing well

We are doing ok

We could do better

In most instances, we have compared ourselves against the Scottish Housing Regulator’s Scottish average (which includes all councils and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs).

Tenant Satisfaction INDICATOR: Percentage of tenants satisfied with the overall service provided by their landlord

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

88.2%

94.8%

94.8%

89.7%

Our relationship with you INDICATOR: Percentage of tenants who feel their landlord is good at keeping them informed about services and outcomes

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

95.4%

99.6%

99.6%

91.1%

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INDICATOR: Percentage of tenants satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord’s decisionmaking processes

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

95.4%

99.6%

99.6%

83.8%

We are committed to barrier-free participation and offer a range of ways for people to participate.

These include local meetings, online surveys, tenant forums and tenant conferences.

Housing Quality

INDICATOR: Percentage of stock meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS)

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

56.1%

92.8%

93.7%

93.6%

Almost all our properties have met the SHQS. The small number of non-compliance incidents relate to properties requiring external improvements within mixed tenure blocks. There are also a small number of properties which have SHQS works planned for 2017/18.

INDICATOR: Percentage of tenants satisfied with the standard of their home when moving in

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

63.64%

25%

82.35%

90%

We have implemented a number of changes to improve the standards that our properties should meet before a new tenant moves in. We also review feedback from our new tenants through their settling-in visit, shortly after they move in.

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Maintenance INDICATOR: Percentage of tenants (who have had repairs or maintenance carried out in the last 12 months) satisfied with the repairs and maintenance

INDICATOR: Average length of time taken to complete emergency repairs

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

84.4%

94.7%

99.7%

90.6%

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

1.9 hours

2.1 hours

2 hours

4.7 hours

We are working with our reactive repairs contractors to improve performance on the average time taken to complete non-emergency repairs during 2017/18.

INDICATOR: Average length of time taken to complete nonemergency repairs

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

5.7 days

4.8 days

7.3 days

7.1 days

The length of time to complete non-emergency repairs has increased from last year and is slightly above the Scottish average.

INDICATOR: Percentage of reactive repairs carried out in the last year completed right first time

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

83.2%

84%

86.6%

92.4%

Our performance on reactive repairs completed “right first time” has been improving year on year from 2014/15. We are working with our reactive contractors to continue improving our performance on “right first time” during 2017/18.

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Anti-social Behaviour INDICATOR: Percentage of antisocial behaviour cases reported in the last year which were resolved within locally agreed targets

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

88.2%

100%

100%

87.2%

For every 100 homes, 2.1 cases of anti-social behaviour were reported to Larkfield in 2016/17.

Tenancy Sustainment INDICATOR: Percentage of tenancies sustained for more than 1 year

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

100

90%

100%

89.04%

Rents and Service Charges The rent we collect is needed to ensure we have money to repair, maintain and upgrade your home; manage your neighbourhood; provide housing management and access to support and advice services.

Total number of each property size and average rent for each Size

No. of Properties

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

1 Bedroom

12

£53.90

£56.89

£57.75

£71.67

2 Bedroom

127

£74.74

£78.89

£80.08

£73.13

3 Bedroom

212

£86.20

£91.19

£92.49

£79.42

4 bedroom+

31

£97.72

£103.16

£104.70

£88.02

Although our rents for two, three and four bedroom properties are above the Scottish average, the increases we applied this year and last year were below the Scottish Average. We are pleased the difference between the Larkfield average rents for two, three and four bedroom properties has decreased from last year.

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INDICATOR: Percentage average weekly rent increase to be applied

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

2.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.3%

We will be consulting on our rent increase for April 2018 and this will allow us to examine the affordability of our rents and our costs and to establish a better understanding of what value for money means to our tenants.

INDICATOR: Rent collected as a percentage of rent due

INDICATOR: Total rent arrears as a percentage of rent due for the reporting year

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

99%

99.6%

100.2%

99.6%

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

2.61%

3.9%

5.04%

5.3%

Our total rent arrears have increased from the previous year, although they remain below the Scottish average. We have faced new challenges with the roll-out of Universal Credit and we are making sure that those tenants who may be affected are notified and getting all the help and support they need to pay their rent on time.

INDICATOR: Average length of time taken to re-let properties

INDICATOR: Amount of rent lost due to homes being empty as percentage of total rent due

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

17 days

16.2 days

28.7 days

31.5 days

Larkfield 2014/15

Larkfield 2015/16

Larkfield 2016/17

Scottish Average 2016/17

0.3%

0.3%

0.3%

0.9%

Our number of days to re-let homes increased this year although still below the Scottish average.

Our total days included the time taken to complete major works prior to the start of the tenancy including kitchen, bathroom and central heating improvement works.

www.larkďŹ eldha.org.uk

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What do you think?

We want to know what you think of this report to help improve the information we provide on our performance in the future. If there is anything you would like to ask or discuss in more detail then please get in touch – we would be delighted to hear from you.

There are lots of other ways to get involved to help us improve our services. For more information: Call us on 01475 630930 Email info@larkfieldha.org.uk Write to 14 Lothian Road, Greenock, PA16 0PG Visit our website www.larkfieldha.org.uk

Larkfield will produce this information on request in Braille, Audio Tape, Large Print and Community Languages.

To find out more, telephone us on 01475 630930.

Larkfield Housing Association Limited is a registered society under the Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, Registered Number: 2509 R(S), Registered Office: 14 Lothian Road, Greenock PA16 0PG. It is a Charity registered in Scotland, Charity Number: SC032418; a Registered Social Landlord with the Scottish Housing Regulator, Registration Number: HCB 293; and registered as a Property Factor Id: PF000279. Part of the Link group © Link group Ltd 2017.

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call 01475 630930 or email info@larkfieldha.org.uk