Crawley Homes’ Tenant Conference 2024 Did you know Crawley Homes held a tenants’ conference in Autumn 2024? Those who came gave us lots of feedback and ideas about many aspects of our service. Here is our summary of the event and how actions have been taken forwards. The conference workshops asked for views and opinions on new strategies, standards and proposed changes. They also provided information on performance, satisfaction and how we keep homes safe and healthy. Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, joined Crawley Homes’ senior staff for the Q&A panel, which answered a wide range of questions from the floor. Lunch provided an opportunity for informal discussions. Tenants felt able to speak up and share their views and found the whole day enjoyable, interesting and informative. Colleagues from our contractors Mears, Wates and Liberty Gas, were also part of this successful day.
“Residents posed lots of great questions during our Q&A panel session. Good to have more informal discussions with residents over lunch too. A great day had by all.” Some of your feedback on the event: ‘Very informative and rather an eye opener’ ‘I felt I was able to speak up and was able to say what I needed to and found it interesting listening to other people and the speakers too’ ‘Excellent - really enlightening very pleased that I came and stayed to the end - Thank you all’ ‘This was so helpful to me – I feel like I have been heard and I enjoyed joining in’ Here are summaries of the workshops on the day:
Workshop one: your views on how we consult you A quick trip through our proposed Resident Engagement Strategy. How would you like to influence decisions? What should we be doing? Meetings, surveys, online, face to face? Hear about a range of ways to get involved and tell us what you prefer. What we heard: Participants identified several key actions for improving engagement. Increasing diversity and understanding different communities was a primary concern, as was ensuring that all voices are heard. Some residents expressed frustration at encountering barriers when trying to improve their local areas, while others felt their concerns were overlooked.
Amanda Kendall said: “We had a great turnout and some really insightful information was gathered during the series of workshops. It was great to engage with residents, some difficult conversations were had, but also some amazing feedback.
Acknowledging that not all residents use social media or digital methods of engagement, attendees suggested the introduction of a comprehensive newsletter covering boroughwide engagement activities. They also recommended better communication about upcoming events, greater representation through local residents’ groups, and
collaborative efforts between residents and contractors to bring social value for area improvements. The discussion emphasised the need to understand how different groups experience our services, particularly younger residents.
emphasised, with suggestions for further training to address issues of attitude and service quality.
Participants emphasised the importance of knowing the effect of their contributions and understanding the objectives behind engagement efforts. The draft resident engagement strategy was unveiled, with its focus on opportunities for all levels of participation. Priorities within the strategy have been shaped by resident feedback over the past year, and there was general agreement among attendees that these priorities accurately reflect community needs.
Housing Officer engagement was another significant theme, with an emphasis on taking ownership and building relationships within their assigned areas. Some issues were raised regarding changes in sheltered housing management, with a shift from residential managers to OPSOs, potentially impacting tenant support.
A final show of hands indicated increased interest in future participation, signalling a positive step toward more inclusive and effective engagement.
• specific issues were taken back for attention from the relevant teams
What comes next? • we need to give clear communication of both past and future events and activities, ensuring that their impact is clearly communicated and understood • you can read our draft Resident Engagement strategy on the Tenant Engagement pages of the council’s website crawley.gov.uk/residentinvolvement If you are able, let us know your thoughts and comments, and if you are interested in getting involved, please email us at tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk or call us on 01293 438162
Workshop two: customer care and service vision What does ‘professional’ mean to you? What service standards are important? What makes a ‘happy customer?’ Key discussions revolved around communication and repairs, and service quality. Effective communication with tenants was highlighted as a crucial issue, with a need for clearer follow-up and improved coordination between teams. Concerns were raised about repairs, including call waiting times, availability of appointments, priority handling, and operatives arriving without necessary materials. Additionally, the need for professionalism, honesty, and respectfulness of operatives were
We spoke about a forthcoming tenant portal, which is in development and will streamline communication and service requests.
What comes next?
• our customer service standards have been drafted to include your feedback and what is important to you. These will soon be available on the Tenant Engagement pages of the council’s website crawley.gov.uk/residentinvolvement and we invite your feedback on them • we reviewed our contractor service standards and held meetings with our contractors focused solely on customer feedback and experience. You will soon be able to give your views on these standards too • we have implemented new repairs timescales and processes for call handlers. These will get repairs completed according to priority and your requirements
Workshops three and six : Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey (TSM) We were joined by Acuity Research and Practice’ who conducted our Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) survey for us in March. What was the survey and why did we do it? What did you say? What did it tell us? The report was presented, and copies were distributed to all who wished to take them. The main themes of interest were housing conditions and neighbourhood management. Concerns were raised about unsafe and poorly maintained homes,
including unkempt empty properties, and long-standing maintenance problems. We asked participants how they would define ‘a safe home. The group felt this included things like smoke detection, carbon monoxide detection and the condition of doors and windows. While some repairs were considered effective, challenges remained in communal areas, such as excessive weeds and unresolved potholes.
• developing and refining our work processes when damp and mould are reported; making contact with all those who raised these issues in their survey answers • developing a new agreement with neighbourhood services with agreed expectations and costings for manging weeds, shrubs, grass cutting, fly tipping and graffiti
Neighbourhood design, communal maintenance and fostering a sense of community were also central themes for discussion.
• a determined focus on improving our handling of complaints
As regards antisocial behaviour tenants expressed frustration with unresolved issues, such as drug use in public areas and the lack of accountability for those who neglect their properties.
Our next TSM survey is underway now.
Incentives for responsible tenants and solutions for under-occupied homes were suggested. When discussing respectful and helpful engagement participants shared a desire for more proactive and supportive management.
What comes next? You can find the full report on the Tenant engagement pages of the council’s website crawley.gov.uk/tresidentinvolvement We have been digesting the outcome and themes from the Tenant Satisfaction Measures Survey and incorporated feedback into a range of service developments including: • neighbourhood based feedback; working with surveyors and Housing Officers specifically linked to your neighbourhood and the issues you raised • scrutinising the feedback by characteristics such as age, race and gender to see if satisfaction levels vary and where we need to target any training or support • rolling out our stock condition survey programme to visit each home over a threeyear period to identify improvements needed, plan when they will take place and attend to immediate repairs. These were the issues most important to you
Worskshop four: keeping your home safe and healthy What the law says we must do to keep your home safe (compliance). Fire, gas, electrical and water safety. Damp and mould and the condition of our homes. Main discussions were around: Gas safety Residents emphasised the importance of knowing their gas systems are safe, with key concerns including the presence of carbon monoxide alarms, engineers being aware of the history of previous works, and gas flue work. There was also interest in having female gas engineers. Electrical safety Queries and concerns about electrical installations, the use of conduit and the need for properly trained professionals were answered in the session. Residents also appreciated clarity on testing frequency to ensure compliance. Fire safety Key fire safety issues included discussion over whether there is a need for fire extinguishers, interlinked smoke and heat alarms, and whether there are sufficient alarms in common areas. Clear escape routes, the installation of fire doors in flats, and concerns about cladding safety were also prominent discussion points. What comes next? Compliance policies have been updated and published which cover our approach to these issues and more. These policies can be found in the repairs and maintenance section oif the council’s website crawley.gov.uk/repairs
Workshop five: maintaining your neighbourhood Services currently provided – are they enough? What do they cost? What standards would you like? Service levels and waste management Residents expressed a preference for a single level of service rather than tiered options (bronze/silver/gold). Concerns about fly-tipping led to suggestions such as installing cameras, issuing fines, educating residents (including school programmes), and creating dedicated spaces for different types of waste. Securing bin stores with locks and increasing spot checks by staff were also proposed. Charges and communal spaces Block charges were debated, with concerns about potential animosity among residents. For communal spaces, attendees recommended improved lighting, clearer and updated signage, and collaboration with WSCC on estate issues like street lighting. A structured communication approach, including informing residents about their responsibilities, was raised. Suggestions for communal hallways included scheduled cleaning, decoration, and better security for doors. Cleaning and maintenance Residents linked poor building upkeep to negative behaviours. Issues raised included inconsistent cleaning, poor quality of service, and perceived lack of value for money. Recommendations included clearer service standards, increased transparency about costs, encouraging resident involvement in upkeep, and ensuring cleaners report and address issues. Participants wanted a weekly cleaning schedule to include as standard: stairwell mopping, vacuuming, and wiping down surfaces. Graffiti and scribbles should be removed within seven days, rubbish should be cleared from buildings and communal gardens, and dustbins pressure-washed every two months. Residents emphasised the importance of direct engagement to understand their needs better. What comes next? • there is much work to do here and some great ideas for us to move forwards
crawley.gov.uk
• we have fully examined all costs associated with the current cleaning provision to our blocks and schemes. If you receive a cleaning service, this provides a baseline for the charges for 2025-6.and the level of service they cover. We will monitor this provision and the likely cost of additional services requested by residents if these remain insufficient • we have now concluded an exercise with neighbourhood services to clarify ownership and management responsibilities for different parts of your neighbourhood (for example paving, trees, drains, drying areas) and have drafted a service level agreement setting out a standard expected level of service
Workshop seven: ‘performance and all that stuff’ Find out how we are doing. How much do you know? Take a look at Crawley Homes’ annual report , some simple statistics, performance data and why we need them, plus a very quick look at how social housing is regulated. The session was informal and light-hearted, with a multiple-choice quiz and coloured cards to guess the answer. Attendees from our contracting teams at Wates and Mears were put on the spot about their knowledge of our services and how we perform too. Feedback about services was mostly positive and guesses around performance levels were generally spot-on. Tenants present expressed that they enjoyed receiving this information in a lively and interactive way.
What comes next? • all of the information we discussed has now been published and can be found on the Performance page under Tenant Engagement on the council’s website crawley.gov.uk/resident involvement • an infographic was sent out to all tenants in October. If for any reason you have not received one, or you would like extra copies, please email tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk
Our next tenant conference will be held in September 2025. We hope you will join us.