HOME | Spring | 2023

Swan joined Sanctuary as a subsidiary on 8 February 2023. Sanctuary is one of the largest not-for-profit providers of housing and care in the country. You can find out more about Sanctuary at www.sanctuary.co.uk

Swan will continue to run as a standalone operation for now. We will continue to provide our regular services to you. There will be no change to your rent or service charge, or how you report a repair, because of the partnership. You can find out more about what this means for you as a Swan customer at www.swan.org.uk/sanctuary

HOME

set to go digital

We hope that you enjoy this issue. It is packed with useful information, such as how to report damp and mould issues, results from our customer consultation and information on our new estate days. These estate days enable our repairs contractor, Axis, and Swan staff to meet with you face-to-face, which is so important as we work to put customers at the heart of all that we do.

Our new customer plan also aims to put you first. Based on your feedback, this year we will be focusing on keeping our promises. For example, contacting you when we say we will. We will also be working on resolving complex problems better for you, giving you a great service from start to finish.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please get in touch at improvement@swan.org.uk

Pete Morley-Watts Executive Director of Customer Experience

You may have noticed this Home is shorter than previous editions. After the next edition, which is due out in the summer, Home will only be available in a digital format. Now, more than ever, it’s vital that Swan does all it can to reduce its carbon footprint. Reducing the amount of print we produce is a small change that will have a big impact in terms of making our ways of working greener.

However, we do understand that some of our customers still need hard copies of Home so we are happy to provide these on request at information@swan.org.uk

Our three-yearly customer survey is now complete, and the results are currently being analysed with a view to creating a plan of action alongside our Help Us Get It Right (HUG) members.

Here is an exclusive first look at some of the feedback received from the consultation. More information about this will follow in future editions of HOME.

Chevron-Circle-Right According to our survey the top two online platforms used by customers were Facebook and Instagram

Chevron-Circle-Right When customers were asked about the best ways to give their views the top three answers were:

completing surveys raising complaints

Customer Survey – The results are in Count Me In

social media

Chevron-Circle-Right The top three topics of interest were: repairs services service charges upkeep of the areas around customers’ homes

has been a really good experience to be involved in the HUG group. I have been able to feedback on policies and initiatives in place to improve the customer journey based on what we experience ourselves as Swan residents. We have healthy debates and discussions on what works well and what can be improved.”

Rent increase update

Your voice is important to us. Join in, share your views and let us know what matters to you. Using surveys, online polls and questionnaires, Count Me In gives you the chance to get involved and help shape the services we provide you.

We will consult with you on a range of topics and you can tailor what you want to be involved in when signing up.

Find out more and sign up here: countmein.swan.org.uk

We want to let you know that we will be increasing the rent for our social housing tenants in the autumn by 7% in line with the Government rent standard. This rent increase will apply to all our social and affordable tenants.

We understand that there are real pressures on the cost of living and this was not an easy decision to make. The rent you pay is still far below the average rent in the private sector and allows us to deliver our services to you. You can find out more and read our Frequently Asked Questions on the rent increase at www.swan.org.uk/rent

If you need a printed copy of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) contact improvement@swan.org.uk For further information about the rent increase visit www.swan.org.uk

“It

- Sylvette

Damp, Mould and Condensation

At Swan, we take reports of damp and mould very seriously. If you spot signs of damp and mould in your home, please report it to us immediately, even if the problem is only small.

You can do this by contacting Axis. Call 0800 783 2768, text 07786 205 096 or email swanresidents@ axiseurope.com

More information and advice can be found by scanning the QR code:

Axis introduce call back system to save customers’ time

If you are reporting repairs to Axis by telephone you are now able to avoid long wait times after a call back function was added.

By selecting this option, you can end the call and carry on with your day knowing that you have kept your place in the queue and that you’ll be called back at the same time as you would have got through to a customer service advisor.

To date Axis has called back 100% of customers who have requested a call. On average, 90% of these call backs are successful.

Exclamation-triangle Advice to reduce and avoid damp and mould

Check-Circle Remove moisture in your home when you can

A common cause of mould is condensation or moisture on surfaces in your home. This is most common in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. To avoid this, wipe condensation or water droplets from walls, tiles, shower screens and windows. If you discover a leak or damp patch in your home, please report this to us as soon as possible.

Check-Circle Keep your home properly ventilated

Open your windows and use vents regularly to let out moist air and let fresh air in and use any extractor fans you may have. To stop moisture from spreading when you are cooking or bathing, keep the doors to the bathroom and kitchen closed.

Check-Circle Stop rooms from getting too cold

Very cold rooms can provide ideal conditions for mould to grow, so it’s recommended you don’t let the temperature in your home fall below 14 °C (the ideal temperature for your living room is 20°C, for the bathroom it’s 23°C and for the bedroom and kitchen it’s 16°C).

Check-Circle Try not to dry clothes on radiators

Drying clothes on radiators increases the moisture that they release and can create damp spots in your home. Instead, try and hang them on a clothes airer - place this in a well-ventilated room with any doors to the rest of your home closed.

Check-Circle Avoid placing furniture close to walls

Mould can grow in spaces where air can’t circulate, so avoid leaning large items of furniture or storing lots of items against walls, with no space for air to move.

Axis estate days

Swan residents meet the Axis team and report repairs directly

A series of estate days has begun with Axis teams meeting with Swan residents to find out what repairs they would like done.

The first of these was held at the Exmouth estate in January with more planned in the future.

Axis’ customer service manager for Swan residents, Stephanie Rogers, said:

“These focussed days of repairs and fault finding give our team the chance to look closely at what may need repairing and an opportunity for residents to meet us face to face and feed back to us about our service generally. We can meet residents who we may not otherwise reach – and they can chat with us direct and put a face to our names.”

Stephanie added: “We will fix what we can on the day and schedule the outstanding repairs to be undertaken in the following weeks. We find it extremely valuable when residents point out anything that is broken or not working whether it’s in their home or around the communal areas of the estate.”

This programme of regular estate days will help Axis provide a better and more consistent service. Regular estate inspections will continue alongside the automated repairs reporting system where residents can report a repair to Axis and schedule an appointment.

Amy Wood, Administrator and Shanice Ayres, Administrator

Swan resident, Dion Martin and Shanice Ayres, Administrator