Reading housing annual report 2023 to 2024

Hello, and welcome to this year’s Housing Annual Report, a detailed overview of Reading Borough Council’s Housing Service achievements and milestones from the past financial year. As your Lead Member for Housing, I’m pleased to share this report, offering a clear and open summary of how we, as your landlord, have allocated resources and invested your rent to support our community of tenants.

In this report, you’ll find examples of where our service has done well, as well as our continued commitment to delivering high-quality housing services and meeting our role as your landlord. This report isn’t just about celebrating successes; it’s also an honest reflection on areas where we aim to improve. We want to create a positive environment with you, our tenants, and share how we are working to make the services we provide even better.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and support. It is through our shared efforts that we can transform challenges into new opportunities. I encourage you to please take a moment to read the report and let us know what you think. We look forward to working with you in the year ahead with the shared aim of improving services.

Cllr Matt Yeo
Lead Member for Housing

How every £1 of your rent is spent

Private Finance Initiative*	11p
Day to day repairs & planned maintenance	22p
Major repairs	23p
Housing management	17p
Rent collection	9p
Interest & debt charges	18p

Headline Achievements for 2023 to 2024

• Shortlisted as finalists for homebuilder of the year at the Affordable Housing Awards.
• Delivery of new low carbon homes and initiatives across the borough, including properties in the Kentwood Ward, Arthur Hill Swimming Pool Site on King’s Road, homes at North Street and, the installation of new air source heat pump heating systems in Granville Road.
• We have continued to provide support and assistance to our tenants which has ensured that we maintained top quartile rent collection levels of just under 99%. This is despite the increasing financial pressure on our tenants due to the cost-of-living crisis.
• Digital improvements such as website improvements and the introduction of customer service videos have been made to enhance the customer service experience.
• Positive results in the annual tenant satisfaction survey across a large majority of areas.
• Management of Hexham Road, Coley and Whitley Wood Community Centres.  These all now deliver a wide range of activities for tenants, including Food Pantries, Coffee Mornings, Mental Health Drop-ins, Youth Clubs and Health Check ins.
• Carried out 100% of annual gas servicing in tenanted properties that have gas appliances.
• Let homes to 503 households via the Housing Register, of these, 57 were brand new council homes.
• Debt Advice and Tenancy Support resulted in over £136,000 in debt being written off for our tenants. The team also assisted our tenants in collectively claiming over £200,000 in additional financial support within the 2023/24 financial year.

The Regulator for Social Housing has been working with Government, tenants and landlords on how best to strengthen the regulation of social housing since the 2018 social housing green paper was published.​ This resulted in the introduction of the new Regime for Consumer Regulation which is supported by the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023. ​The regulations are effective from the 1^st April 2024, however as part of preparing for this, the report for 2023-24 has been set out to present our performance and information based on these new regulations.

1. Quality & safety standard

The Safety and quality standard requires landlords to provide tenants with safe and good quality homes and services. Landlords must deliver repairs, maintenance and planned improvements in an effective, efficient and timely manner.​

This includes requirements that landlords must meet around: Quality of Homes, Decent Homes, Health & Safety, Repairs & Maintenance and Adaptations.

What we have achieved?

It was a busy year within our property services and repairs teams in delivering works to improve and maintain the homes of our tenants.

A further 40 Air Source heat pumps were installed in Granville Road 8 storey flats to reduce carbon outputs and improve energy efficiency. This means that three blocks have been completed during the current year. This programme of work is now complete.

We have also complete Phase 1 of the Crosswall refurbishment, for 18 Crosswall flats at Bamburgh Close to improve the thermal comfort and efficiency within the properties.

Phase 2 has commenced for a further 36 flats at Newcastle Road and Hadrians Walk East, which will continue into the following programme year. The works include a new highly insulated external wall incorporating triple glazed windows and air source heating.

Our Housing Energy Support Team (HEST) has been set up to supports our tenants with energy efficiency issues, including any Damp and Mould related issues within their property. The HEST team received 420 referrals for support in 2023/24. All residents that were referred were visited and offered support within their properties. The team successfully resolved 93 referrals of these, in addition to 299 cases from the previous year as there was a huge demand for support. Successfully resolving a referral includes giving advice, guidance and education to the tenants on how to maximise the efficiency of their properties, and how to successfully reduce the chances of damp and mould issues returning. The team continues to work with and assist their remaining cases as  quickly as possible.

How we compare to last year

• Repairs fixed first time: achieved 92.92% – down from 93.1% last year.
• Gas Safety Certificates: achieved 100% – same as last year at 100%.
• Average number of days for repairs to be completed: achieved 12.24 – down from 13.34 last year.
• Average cost per responsive repair:  £207.02 – up from £171.16.
• Average cost per void repair:  £1714.85 – up from £1516.77.
• Overall Satisfaction with repairs: 80% –  up from last year 77%.
• Overall Satisfaction with quality of your home: 86% – down from 88% last year.
• Average Energy Performance Certificate rating: 70 – Down from 74.

Transparency influence & accountability standard

This standard means that landlords must be open with their tenants and treat them with fairness and respect. Tenants must be able to access the service in a way that meets their diverse needs, raise complaints, influence the landlord’s decision making and provision, have regard to the landlord’s performance information and be able to hold their landlord to account. ​

This standard includes requirements landlords must meet around: Fairness & Respect, Diverse Needs, Tenant Engagement, Landlord Service Information, Performance information, Tenant Satisfaction Measures, Complaints & Self-Referral.

Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM’s)

The TSM’s are a submission that all Registered Providers of Social Housing must complete and send to the Regulator for Social Housing every year. This now forms part of the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standards outlined above.

The TSM’s are made up of Tenant Satisfaction Survey results and specific management information that the Regulator requires to monitor our performance. Please see the table below published in August 2024, covering the period April 1^st 2023 – 31^st March 2024:

RP01 – Homes that do not meet Decent Homes Standard	RBC answers
Percentage not meeting decent homes	2.00%
No of homes that did not meet decent homes in period	136

RP02 – Repairs completed within target timescale	RBC answers
Percentage – Non Emergency in timescale	82.79%
Number of non emergency repairs completed in timescale	15781
Number of Non emergency repairs completed in period	19062
Percentage – Emergency in timescale	98.84%
No of emergency repairs completed in timescale	1867
Number of emergency repairs completed in period	1889

BS01 – Gas safety checks	RBC answers
Percentage of gas safety checks completed	100%
No of dwellings owned that have received gas safety checks that required them	4768

BS02 – Fire safety checks	RBC answers
Percentage of fire safety checks completed	100%
No of dwellings owned that have received fire safety checks that needed them	385

BS03 – Asbestos safety checks	RBC answers
Percentage of asbestos safety checks completed	100%
No of dwellings owned that have received an asbestos survey that need one	260

BS04 – Water safety checks	RBC answers
Percentage of Legionella Risk Assessments completed	95.18%
No of dwellings owned that have received a legionella risk assessment that need one	79

BS05 – Lift safety checks	RBC answers
Percentage of Communal Passenger Lift Safety checks completed	100%
No of dwellings owned that have received a lift safety check that need one	123

NM01 – Anti-social behaviour cases relative to the size of the landlord (per 1000 properties)	RBC answers
Total cases opened per 1000 properties	23.84
Total number of asb cases opened	135
Total hate crime cases per 1000 properties	0.71
* of total asb opened – how many are hate crimes	4.00

CH01 – Complaints relative to size of landlord (per 1000 properties)	RBC answers
No of Stage 1 per 1000 properties	56.52
No of Stage 1 complaints received	320
No of stage 2 per 1000 properties	5.29
No of Stage 2 complaints received	30

CH02 – Complaints responded to within Handling Code guidelines	RBC answers
Stage 1 – percentage responded to on time	56.52
No of Stage 1 complaints responded to on time (by complaint start date)	202
Stage 2 – percentage responded to on time	57%
No of Stage 2 complaints responded to on time (by complaint start date	17

Tenant satisfaction survey

These are the results from our annual Tenant’s Satisfaction Survey.

	Top-Line Findings – Reading Borough Council Housing Services  2023, 641 responses overall  (2022, 561 responses overall; 2020, 625 responses overall)	2023	2022	2020	Change (2023 to 2022)
Q1	Overall satisfaction with RBC Housing Services	78%	82%	81%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q2b	Satisfaction with overall repairs service over the last 12 months	80%	76%	74%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q3	Satisfaction with time taken to complete most recent repair	75%	73%	N/A	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q4	Satisfaction that RBC Housing Services provide a home that is well maintained	83%	84%	N/A	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q5	Satisfaction that RBC Housing Services provide a home that is safe	86%	88%	86%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q6	Satisfaction that RBC Housing Services listen to your views and act upon them	73%	79%	69%	Statistically significant decrease of 5% or more
Q7	Satisfaction that RBC Housing Services keep you informed about things that matter to you	81%	87%	82%	Statistically significant decrease of 5% or more
Q8	Agree that ‘My landlord treats me fairly and with respect’	89%	91%	81%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q9b	Satisfaction with RBC Housing Services’ approach to complaints handling	36%	29%	18%	Increase of 5% or more
Q10b	Satisfaction that RBC Housing Services keep communal areas clean and well maintained	77%	70%	N/A	Increase of 5% or more
Q11	Satisfaction that RBC Housing Services make a positive contribution to your neighbourhood	79%	85%	N/A	Statistically significant decrease of 5% or more
Q12	Satisfaction with RBC Housing Services’ approach to handling ASB	68%	67%	N/A	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q13a	Satisfaction that RBC Housing Services give you the opportunity to make your views known	80%	84%	64%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q14	Staff at RBC Housing Services pleasant and polite? (Yes)	95%	94%	95%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q15	Likelihood of recommending to family and friends – promoters or passive	78%	82%	80%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%
Q16	RBC Housing Services has stayed the same or got better in the past year	85%	83%	87%	Similar results, change of no more than 4%

Complaints performance figures 2023 to 2024

This information shows the council’s performance on responding to complaints made to the housing services team,including Repairs. The table shows the number of complaints received, the number where we upheld all or part of the complaint meaning we have not quite delivered the service our tenants expect of us, the percentage of complaints we responded to within the required time frame, and the two most common themes out of all complaints made.

The number in brackets shows the results for 2022-23 so you can see how this year compares to last year’s results.

Number of complaints received	Housing services	Repairs
Stage 0	56 (99)	46 (20)
Stage 1	165 (151)	104 (96)

Complaints upheld / partially upheld	Housing services	Repairs
	36.9% (41.8%)	81% (87%)

Complaints responded to on time	Housing services	Repairs
	70.1% (65%)	59.5% (57%)

Largest theme within the complaints made for 2023 to 2024	Housing services	Repairs
	Quality of services received – 29% of all complaints (Communication – 22% of all complaints)	Time taken to resolve issue – 24% of complaints (Failure to resolve issue – 20% of complaints

Stage 2’s are recorded separately, as these are deemed to be an extension of the original complaint, so are not recorded again for reporting purposes. There were 47 complaints that were escalated to stage 2, in comparison to 20 in the previous year (2022 to 2023).

6 determinations were made by the Housing Ombudsmen against the Housing & Communities service following the escalation of complaints to the Housing Ombudsmen. These determinations were all for administration within the following areas:

• 2 x Complaints Handling
• 2 x Property Condition
• 1 x Moving into a Property
• 1 x Information and Data Management

To improve upon this performance the Housing Service has undertaken a strategic review of its complaints and processes around complaints handling. We will make the required changes identified from this review which covers complaints handling, communication and processes when tenants move into new tenancies, along with the recommendations made by the Housing Ombudsmen and implement the key learning opportunities that can be taken.

Whilst it is recognised that sometimes mistakes will happen, Reading Council’s Housing and Communities Team will make sure that all mistakes can be learned from, and create an environment of continuous improvement and learning to deliver better services for our tenants.

For more information on our Complaints Policy and Procedure, please visit our website Housing complaints procedure – Reading Borough Council

Tenant Involvement Fund (TIF): You said, we did:

The TIF is a pot of money available for tenants and officers to identify small scale environmental projects to benefit their local area.  To apply for this fund, tenants can  submit directly through an online form or through speaking to their housing officer or environmental maintenance officer.   The TIF panel is a group of tenants who have received full training and assess each bid to check for suitability of the project, whether the fund is appropriate to be used and whether broader consultation has been thorough and that tenants views have been fully considered. Below is a summary of some of the projects completed using the TIF budget in 2023 to 2024.

Avon Place – New car park

Avon Place had limited parking spaces for residents to park their cars, was often congested and parking was difficult. The TIF panel approved the project to use a piece of land owned by housing services that was being used for parking, to be upgraded into a permanent car park. A dropped curb and vehicle access crossing was installed, to allow more cars to park more easily.

146-168 Hexham Rd – New cycle storage

Residents within this block of flats requested a solution for storing their bikes as there was nothing in place for this. The Tenant Improvement Fund was used to take advantage of land next to garages on site to install a new secure cycle parking unit.

Communal gardens at Weirside Court

Based on tenant’s feedback, the Sheltered Team successfully applied to the Tenant Improvement Fund to upgrade the landscaping in communal gardens at Weirside Court, this has allowed the activities and events programme to grow to make use of this space.

How we compare to last year:

• Calls answered and dealt with in timescale % 60.4% – down from 68.8% last year
• RBC Listens to tenants views and acts on them 73% – Down from 79% last year*
• Number of complaints per 1000 properties: 56.5 – up from 26.9 last year
• Complaints answered in time: 63% – increased from 61.3% last year
  (20 days for stage 1 complaints, 40 days for stage 2 complaints).

*Taken form the 2023-24 Tenant Satisfaction Survey.

3. Neighbourhood & community standard

This standard means that landlords have to work with other organisations to help make sure tenants can live in safe and well-maintained neighbourhoods.​

This includes requirements around: Maintenance of Shared Spaces, Local Cooperation, Domestic Abuse & Safer Neighbourhoods.

What we have achieved:

• Opened the new Community Centre in Lyndhurst Road, which now hosts weekly coffee mornings and a youth club
• Moved Whitley Wood Community Centre to a new temporary site in Lexington Grove.  This has provided a bigger, more modern community space for tenants to use and access services locally 
• Introduced a new Safer Public Realm Team to focus on tackling area based anti-social behaviour 
• The Sheltered Team redesigned all communal notice boards to ensure they are RBC branded and the information provided is relevant and individual to each sheltered scheme
• The Sheltered Team worked with New Directions College to use the commercial kitchen at Cedar Court as a working and training space for adult learners, whilst providing a meal provision to the tenants living there
• The launch of a separate support module  of the housing system for the Sheltered Team.  This ensures the right support is provided at the right time and tenants are fully supported right through from application stage, to moving into their new home, as well as throughout the duration of their tenancy.

How we compare to last year

• Satisfaction that the landlord makes a positive contribution to neighbourhoods: 79% – down from last year 85%
• Average cost per home for estate management £282.16 – up from £226.95

4: Tenancy standard

This standard means that landlords have to allocate and let homes fairly. It also sets requirements for how landlords manage and end tenancies.​

This includes requirements around: Allocations & Lettings, Tenure, Tenancy Sustainment and Evictions & Mutual Exchange.

What we have achieved  within the Tenancy Standard

New homes delivered by us:

Scheme	number of units
Tyrell/Padley Court conversions	4
Ian Mikardo Way	1
North Street	37
Arthur Hill	15
Homes purchased by Local Authority New Build Programme	21

Housing register in 2023 to 2024 – the numbers:

The Housing Register, known as Homechoice, is a register of households who have applied for social housing within the borough.  Properties advertised include both RBC owned housing stock and Registered Providers (RPs). The below outlines the headline figures of the performance of our allocations team for the year 2023/24;

• Numbers joining the HR = 2348
  • Total number of households on the Housing Register as at 31/3/2024 = 4,061
• Numbers housed:
  • RBC homes let = 284
  • RP homes let = 219

• Who we housed:
  • 39.22% of lettings were to homeless households
  • 5.49% were to the quota queues, including care leavers and Adult Social Care customers ready to move on
  • 3.92% were to key workers
  • 30.20% were to waiting list applicants
  • 21.18% to transferring tenants, including RP tenants

• Under Occupation numbers
  • 15 tenants downsized to more suitable homes via the incentive scheme, thus freeing up family homes for those who need them most.

We were pleased to continue working in partnership with Registered Providers in the borough. During the year we saw London and Quadrant Housing develop the old Toys R Us site, delivering 115 affordable homes for letting via the Housing Register, and a further 51 properties in Green Park Village.  Abri developed the Former Battle Hospital site, delivering 14 affordable properties including much needed 3- and 4-bedroom homes.

The Debt Advice and Tenancy Support Team attended over 592 appointments to support our tenants struggling with financial issues. This support includes ensuring that tenants are claiming the correct benefits and financial support from the Department of Work and Pensions, Council Tax Support and help with any outstanding debt the tenants may have. This provision and support has lead to over £136,000 in debt being written off for the tenants involved, and help tenants collectively claim over £200,000 in additional financial support within the 2023/24 financial year.

Our Sheltered Support Team provide housing related support.  This is to help our tenants with tasks such as assistance with reading letters and completing forms, developing and maintaining life skills to help with independence, applying for aids and adaptations or signposting to other services.  We hold regular meetings in our Extra Care Sheltered Housing Scheme, giving tenants a chance to raise concerns, suggest improvements and be updated on events or works planned in the months ahead.  In our general Sheltered Housing schemes, we have committed to meeting with tenants annually through “Have Your Say” events and estate walkabouts, where our tenants can share feedback on service improvements and issues that matter to them, such as cleaning standards and identify improvements or changes they would like to see in their community.

Key benchmarking figures:

• Average Home Re-let Time: 53.96 days – Improvement on last year’s 61.55 days
• Rent Collected: 98.90% – down from 99.35%
• Satisfaction with service provided by Housing Services: 78% – Decreased from previous year 82%
• Tenancy Turn over 5.49% – decrease from 5.89%

Contact us

To find out how you can become more involved in shaping tenant services or if you have any questions or feedback on our annual report, you can contact tenant.participation@reading.gov.uk

0118 937 2730

As well as contacting us, you can also go direct to the Housing Ombudsman Service. The Ombudsman resolves disputes involving tenants and leaseholders of social housing landlords like Reading Borough Council. Residents and landlords can contact the service at any time for support in helping to resolve a dispute.  It is free to tenants.

www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk

info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

0300 111 3000

Housing Ombudsman Service,
PO box 152, Liverpool, L33 7WQ