It was recently announced that the government is introducing a new Social Housing (Regulation) Act, which will see a number of new standard being introduced for social housing landlords to meet.
We have provided an update below on what this will mean for LiveWest customers, as well as more information about the Act.
What is the Social Housing (Regulation) Act?
The Social Housing (Regulation) Act is a series of regulations that social housing landlords, such as LiveWest, must legally follow.
The bill was introduced as a result of the government’s Social Housing White Paper in 2020, which set out the government’s commitment that there would not be another situation similar to the Grenfell Tower fire.
The Bill will help to drive up standards at housing associations and hold landlords to account for the service they provide to their customers.
What will it mean for LiveWest customers?
Customers may notice some changes to the way we do some things, some of which we have already started to do. Customers may also be asked to provide feedback about their experience as a customer.
New Tenant Satisfaction Measures
Our regulator has introduced a set of new Tenant Satisfaction Measures which will measure the performance of social housing landlords. This includes a new survey which will give our customers opportunity throughout the year to tell us what they think about LiveWest as a landlord. If you have previously asked us not to include you in our customer surveys, we will be in touch to check if this is still your wish just in case you do want to take part. We will also be publishing our performance against these measures every three months starting from July 2023, so keep an eye out for more information soon.
Building safety
The safety of our customers is a priority for us. We are currently carrying out a review of all buildings which are over 18 meters or 7 stories, including ensuring what actions will be taken in the event of a fire are up to date, upgrading fire doors and other safety equipment which stops the spread of smoke and fire.
For customers living in these buildings, we will be providing regular safety information and giving opportunities to feedback on safety.
Complaints
We aim to get things right first time, but occasionally things do not quite go to plan, and customers may feel they want to raise a complaint about the service they have received. We are committed to resolving complaints as quickly and effectively as possible, and that we learn from mistakes we have made.
Our new shared ownership model
Training and qualifications for LiveWest colleagues to support customers
Our colleagues are committed to providing an excellent service for customers, and to make sure we continue to do that we are ensuring further training and development is provided for colleagues. By colleagues being more qualified, they will be able to bring more expertise and will be better equipped to support you.
Listening to our customers
Part of the new regulations are to make sure social housing landlords are working for the needs of customers and listening to feedback, something we are already committed to doing. We have a wide range of opportunities for customers to get involved and have their say on the service they receive from us. Find out more and join our customer engagement groups.