Social 

Beyond Housing has a stand-alone script for categorising the risk for damp and mould. This dictates how quickly we visit the property dependent on the category rating.

Beyond Housing’s escalation process is as follows:

• Severe HHSRS – 24hrs
• Severe customer reported – 5 calendar days
• Moderate – 15 calendar days
• Slight – 60 calendar days.

We are currently reviewing tools to support, diagnose and categorise customer reported damp and mould and will include a:

• Scoring matrix
• Video calls
• Designated advisors to specialise in damp and mould case management.

Surveyors carry out stock condition surveys to 20% of properties annually, ensuring a full inspection of every property within a five-year cycle. If damp or mould is identified during a survey, an HHSRS job is initiated and escalated for immediate action. Dedicated operatives address the issue on-site, performing necessary remedial works where able to and document the process and follow-on works digitally using a standardised form.

Once the risk has been removed any follow-on works must be completed within a timeframe. When a damp and mould operative attends an affected property, they complete a live inspection form identifying the initial ‘category rating’ and ‘end category rating’ following remedial works. The report also identifies if the property is safe to reside once initial works have been carried out, which then sends an automated report to the responsible person to action forming an escalation process.

Beyond Housing complete a physical 6-month post inspection for all HHSRS cases and a digital 6-month post inspection for customer reported cases.

When a report of typical condensation rating is reported the customer is sent an advice leaflet and hygrometer to their home to provide guidance on how to ventilate their home and reduce condensation levels. Advice leaflets and hygrometers are distributed by our operatives during visits and are also sent to customers via post for ‘typical’ rated condensation diagnosis.

We consulted with residents to gather valuable feedback on our website information and advice leaflet. This input helped us improve the clarity and effectiveness of our materials, making it easier for customers to understand how to report damp and mould issues.

We’ve also created a new damp and mould policy, informed by customer feedback, which will be published shortly. This comprehensive approach ensures our policies and information align with customer needs. Both the policy and website information now have the ‘customer stamp of approval’.

To provide even better support, we’re establishing a dedicated team of case management handlers to handle category 1 and 2 damp and mould reports. These specialists will be the primary point of contact for affected customers, providing clear communication throughout the entire process. From the initial report to the completion of works, residents will receive regular updates on progress.

The table below confirms the total number of Customer and HHSRS reported damp and mould cases requiring action for category 1 and 2.

The complete number of individual properties requiring action for category 1 and category 2 during the 23/24 period was 1,063 which accounts for 7% of Beyond Housing’s stock.

Achieved an excellent increase of 13%, driven by the implementation of new policies and processes, including the addition of two priority levels, among other interventions.

Notable improvement of 11% attributed to the introduction of locality plans and tier two and three investment projects, among other proactive measures aimed at community enhancement.

Enhanced by 9%, with frontline colleagues playing a pivotal role, supported by additional soft skills training and the integration of LOVED language, among other efforts to prioritise customer wellbeing.

An 8% rise, driven by a large-scale repairs project underway, facilitating improvements and learning opportunities, alongside various customer-centric initiatives aimed at enhancing satisfaction levels.

Marked an 8% increase, from a heightened approach to customer feedback through various channels, alongside a new process of closing the feedback loop, which includes actively addressing and implementing suggestions from customers.

An improvement of 7%, enhanced communications regarding repairs and regular newsletters tailored to local and general audiences, among other initiatives aimed at fostering transparent and informative dialogue with customers.

Demonstrated a 6% increase, indicating the integration of complaints management into the business, with lead officers ensuring resolutions and appropriate compensation for poor experiences, alongside measures aimed at preventing recurrence and addressing root causes. 

To help build sustainable and economically thriving communities, Beyond Housing provides an employment support service to help people get nearer to or into employment or training. This involves the provision of a person-centred, wrap-around support service that can include confidence building, career planning, identifying training needs, support with job searching, building CVs and job applications and interview skills, essentially identifying and working towards removing the barriers to employment.

In addition, and as a pathway into employment, we provide volunteering and work experience opportunities to build employability skills, a sense of purpose and community connection. Beyond Housing also directly employs over 30 apprentices every year, aiming to increase this year on year to 50, and to ensure at least 50% of the new intake comes from its residents. The programme has excellent success rates, with the majority of the apprentices finding permanent employment with Beyond Housing.

In 2023/24 we supported residents with:

• 618 work experience hours through 18 placements
• Recruited 9 apprentices, and in total employed 30 apprentices
• Helped 281 people become work-ready
• Helped 112 people into employment
• Recruited 19 new volunteers
• Volunteers provided 6,037 hours of their time.

Case study – Read about Carla’s employment success

Reach & Respond provides a range of services to help people stay happy, healthy and independent in their own homes no matter their age. Our services range from technology solutions to welfare calls and visits. We offer a range of Lifeline home units, which can be combined with telecare sensors from our large portfolio to create personalised care and support.

Reach & Respond provides customers and their families with the reassurance that no matter what the emergency or when it happens, someone will be there to help. With just the push of a button, our response team is here 24/7, 365 days a year. On average it takes one of our responders 24 minutes to arrive. Our responders are often able to assist customers without the need to call the emergency services, though sometimes customers do require medical intervention. Talking to our customers and supporting them while they wait for an ambulance is a part of the responder role that is often forgotten or overlooked but, it can be the most rewarding.

In addition to our emergency response service, we also offer welfare visits to customers who would like some company or someone to check if they are okay. One of our customers said “Having someone to come and check on me every morning is reassuring, especially if anything goes wrong, I know someone is coming. My family lives far away and I like the company every day. The staff are very nice and always listen to me”.

Discover more about the service offered by Reach & Respond

Case study: Reach & Respond partnership work

This is a portal for customers to take control and manage their tenancies online and in one place. They can check their rent balance, make a payment, report and track repairs, update personal information, view, and print rent statements.

Read more on the Me & My Home login page

This is our community resource and training centre based in Dormanstown which offers free internet access.

In 2023/2024, 52 new customers accessed Westfield Farm and 2,134 appointments were made by customers to use the IT suite.

Discover more about Westfield Farm

The adaptations team delivers minor adaptations directly to customers in their own homes and they have extended this offer to include ‘Adaptations Without Delay’ whereby some minor adaptations can be provided without the need for an Occupational Therapy assessment (such as grab rails, key safes, lever taps and additional banister rails).

Beyond Housing works in partnership with local authority areas Home Improvement Agencies, Handyperson’s Adaptations teams and Occupational Therapy teams to deliver minor and major adaptations and identify (and feed into the development of) suitable accommodation for customers with specific requirements for adaptations. This service enables customers to remain living independently in their homes without the need to access supported or specialist accommodation.

Read more about the adaptions service

Beyond Housing has a dedicated safeguarding coordinator to ensure that customers and their families are supported against any potential abuse their role is underpinned by service area safeguarding leads to embedding safeguarding as part of all service delivery.

This is done through induction, training and awareness raising with all colleagues, detailed policy and procedure, and the development of a concerns system, monitored continually, where colleagues and external agencies can raise concerns to be investigated, as well as partnership working with statutory, specialist and third sector services to deliver robust interventions to support customers.

Read more about safeguarding

This team focuses on providing intensive customer support including advice on universal credit, fuel poverty grant support and advice on direct government rental support.

In 2023/24 this service supported customers across 436 cases to access a further £1.84m in benefits, resulting in the level of rent arrears remaining under control.

The community partnership and engagement team are a dedicated resource to support localised initiatives and is the link between Beyond Housing and external partners. They work alongside teams from across the business and external partners to develop and support community change.

One example is when they worked with partners and the local community to support the delivery of the transformational regeneration of the Church Lane North estate in Grangetown.

Work this year involved us seeking resident views on options for new open spaces, in partnership with an architect. The team held a drop-in session with residents to give them the opportunity to discuss updates on the regeneration works and develop a working partnership with Groundwork NE, to deliver onsite engagement, develop resident-led activities to enhance the green spaces and support the community beyond the end of the regeneration works on site.

Read more about how we engage with our customers on the Be Involved webpage

The intensive housing management service is delivered by tenancy management advisors and underpinned by tenancy support officers.

The service is available to all customers for an initial period of 13 weeks. It provides assessed needs, support and risk planning, and direct hands-on support to empower customers to maintain and sustain their tenancy. Typically, customers using the service will be struggling to declutter their homes due to a physical disability or a clinical condition such as hoarding.

The tenancy management advisors will also assist customers with accessing longer-term support through statutory services such as adult care or accessing third-sector voluntary support services. Customers engaging with this support service are 75% more likely to remain living independently in their own homes.

Case study – Intensive housing management