Resident involvement

We always encourage residents to get involved with our staff, and we are happy to support tenants and leaseholders when they would like to be more actively involved in agreeing decisions that affect them, their homes and their neighbourhood.

There are a number of ways that tenants and leaseholders can get involved, at a level that suits each individual. This can include becoming a member of customer care sub groups, the stakeholder panel, local action groups, attending resident consultation events and open days, and also by taking part, and contributing to satisfaction monitoring exercises.

All of these avenues provide residents with the opportunity to voice their opinions, raise any concerns about the improvement work that is being carried out under the Decent Homes programme, and represent themselves and others on issues that affect them.

There are lots of opportunities to have a real say on the improvements, whether it be to the external of your home, or works that will be carried out within the interior of your home.

If you would like to get more involved and would like a full list of involvement opportunities within Sandwell Homes, please contact the Participation Team on 0845 359 7600.

Customer Liaison Officers

Customer Liaison Officers (CLOs) are an integral part of our Decent Homes programme. There are two teams of CLOs. One team comprises of Sandwell Homes’ staff. The second team of CLOs are employed by the construction partners who deliver the improvement works on behalf of Sandwell Homes.

Predominantly, our customers will have contact with the construction partner’s CLOs, who will be the first point of contact before, during and after any improvement works are completed.

Once the construction partner begins work on site, each tenant or leaseholder will receive an introductory letter from a CLO, requesting a visit whereby they can collect information. This information will ensure that the CLO is aware of any special needs or individual circumstances that need to be considered whilst improvement works are undertaken.

The CLO will explain what works are going to be undertaken, what precautions need to be taken to ensure health and safety. The CLO will also provide their contact details and the out of hours emergency service details. Once work commences, the CLO will be in regular contact with the tenant and will be the first point of contact in the event of an enquiry or concern.

CLOs are responsible for ensuring that tenants and residents receive first class customer service at all stages of the improvement works.

Resident consultation

Residents are provided with opportunities for consultation so that they can influence the improvements made to their home. The process varies between the low rise and the high rise programmes but essentially all residents are invited to an open day prior to any works commencing. Open days will be arranged to take place at an accessible time, and at a venue that is either estate based or local to the high rise block.

The consultation events are valuable, as they provide a wealth of information about proposed works, designs are available where appropriate, and relevant choices are showcased. Staff from Sandwell Homes and the construction partnership are available to discuss forthcoming works, gather feedback and address any concerns.

On the low rise programme consultation also takes place at the initial visit. The CLO details the works taking place and provides the opportunity to make appropriate choices with regards to kitchen layout and the colour of worktops/ cupboards.

Regular consultation takes place on the high rise programme. Windows, doors, tiles and other features are showcased at events throughout the duration of the project for customer feedback.

Annual events and one off exercises also take place to consult with customers about the Decent Homes Programme, and help drive through service improvements.

Resident choice

Where appropriate, residents are given the opportunity to make choices about how their home will look or about features within their home.

On the low rise programme, this may include decisions about kitchen layout and the colour of worktops/ cupboards. Whereas on the high rise programme, this may include the colour of the external cladding, design of an entrance porch, communal area colours and tile designs.

Choices will vary depending on what improvement works are required for any particular home or high rise block.

Service Standards

Tenant approved standards for Decent Homes improvements have been developed and agreed by all of the construction partners involved in delivering the Decent Homes programme.

The standards provide details of what the Investment Division is, what work is involved, what procedures and processes are followed, and what levels of service our customers can expect.

These standards are available from all Sandwell Homes offices, and can also be viewed/ downloaded from the library of information section on this web site.

Customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is what we strive for during the delivery of the Decent Homes Programme.

Customers undergoing improvement works are asked to complete a customer satisfaction survey upon completion of works (every three months for residents undergoing external high rise improvements). This information is important in identifying how well we are doing, what our customers think of the service being provided, and is vital for identifying areas where we can improve the service being provided to customers.

To complement the valuable data being collected via customer satisfaction surveys, we also undertake telephone surveys. From time to time, we may undertake specific evaluation and satisfaction monitoring exercises; for example, how customers coped during the refurbishment of a lift in a high rise block.

We encourage all residents to complete a survey. We also welcome further comments, compliments and complaints to help us to gain a better understanding of the Decent Homes experience from the tenant/resident point of view to improve the services we offer.