The difference we make

Our second review of the year was the Stockport Homes’ approach to damp, mould and condensation. Because of the current spotlight on this area in the sector, we felt that it was important for customers to scrutinise it and potentially look for things that could be changed to improve the service and how its delivered to customers. We identified that the scope for our review would cover the quality of information available to customers on damp and mould and how effective SHG are in responding to reports of damp and mould.

To understand how customers use the service and how effective it was, we carried out a number of activities that included, assessing the communications customers receive when they report issues, reviewing information that is available on the website and we also conducted a survey with customers who have reported an issue in the last twelve months.

We found positive elements to the service, such as customers can easily report issues relating to damp and mould and that there is a clear process in place for responding to initial reports. However, we found that some improvements were required to a number of elements of the service and therefore we recommended that the service undertook their own thorough review taking into account our findings. This has since taken place and our recommendations were quickly addressed. One of the outcomes that we were pleased with was the creation of a Damp, Mould and Condensation Response Team, that will include a quicker initial attendance at a customer’s home following a customer’s report of damp, mould or condensation.