Agenda item
Brent based Registered Providers (RP) Delivery of Social Housing
This is a report on Registered Providers active in the borough and the level and quality of services they deliver to local residents in partnership with the Council.
Minutes:
The meeting was joined by Debbie Smith (Head of Region, Genesis), Carl Byrne (Director of Housing, Genesis) and Jeff Fletcher (Business Manager, Genesis) who introduced the report and gave members a high level oversight of Genesis’s service delivery to residents in Brent. Members heard that as one of the leading housing associations in the UK, Genesis demonstrated a strong presence, with more than 6000 properties in the borough as of March 2017.
The committee heard that Genesis was committed to working and maintaining strong relationship with residents and landlords. As part of this, all tenants had been issued with a handbook, setting out clear expectations and responsibilities. Moreover, clear communication channels existed and residents could contact Genesis through their customer service contact centre and central email address as well as seek information on their website when necessary. Members were also updated that on 1st February 2018 a decision had been made by Genesis to merge with Notting Hill Housing. The merge would happen over a transition period of at least two years, during which IT systems as well as service and management structures would be integrated. As part of the merger process, plans were being put in place to appoint a local contact officer, whose details would be shared upon completion of the process.
Responding to members’ enquiries on the relationship between Genesis and residents, officers explained that whilst challenging due to the on street location of most properties, Genesis was committed to address this and engage with residents as much as possible. As part of this, regular site inspections were carried out on a quarterly basis and residents were invited to join. In addition, residents were encouraged to take part in forums and information was shared through the use of noticeboards, newsletters and email updates. Genesis stated a commitment to support setting up of residents groups to set up and there was a designated team to support this process. Finally, members heard that residents were encouraged to engage at various stages of housing management contracts monitoring processes, especially with contractors to scrutinise their work and that this was promoted throughout the entire stock of properties
On the matter of engagement, members noted that significant issues still existed in terms of regular and consistent engagement with local councillors, with little or no follow up given on members’ enquiries. Acknowledging the Committee’s concerns, Genesis gave assurances that members views would be taken on board and Genesis would seek to address these in order to bring it up to the required standard. In welcoming members recommendations, officers stated that should members have any unresolved queries then these could be send to the designated members enquiries email address for further consideration and response. In addition, Genesis updated that it was in the process of introducing a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system which would further improve its ability to process and provide an audit trail of all interactions made.
When asked about the conversion of social tenancies to affordable rents, Genesis explained their long standing conversion policy. The Committee was advised that the overall turnaround of converted tenancies was relatively low, at about 2%, due to the low annual number of voids. Generally, conversion of rents from social to affordable was based on a combination of factors including the housing association’s ability to build, grants attached to the property, grants available from central government and the revenue required to be raised, with an affordability assessments carried out on each instance.
With regards to Genesis’ Leasing Scheme, members heard that this was a scheme for temporary leasing of homes, which had been operational for a number of years. The representatives stated that in principal Genesis would seek preliminary agreements with the private landlords and these were available to Brent Council for use as temporary accommodation, thus helping to manage the housing register
Members expressed concerns that over the past several years the number of available temporary accommodation had been gradually decreasing and sought assurances as to whether Genesis was actively pursuing the market. In response, officers explained that the market had proven a difficult one to enter but highlighted that Genesis was committed to address the issue and was working diligently to attract more landlords.
Regarding tenancy tenure, Genesis representatives explained that all new tenants who have joined since April 2012 were only issued a 5 year fixed term tenancy. Their circumstances were regularly re-assessed and tenancies would be extended provided these had remained unchanged. However, Committee was asked to note that changing a tenancy from secure to fixed requires more subsidies and often had to be done in combination with other products such as shared ownership. In the event of the occupiers passing away for example, the leased properties could either be sold on to the free market or, if under a secure tenancy, be transferred on to any heirs/families.
An area for concern was Genesis performance and the lack of Brent specific figures. Instead, members heard that these were combined with Barnet and showed 82% satisfaction levels. Managers assured the committee that performance scores were an accurate reflection of the current situation and were carried out by independent agencies. Managers also pointed out that whilst Brent satisfaction levels were not dissimilar to that of other boroughs, level of complaints remained higher than desired but reassured members that Genesis was working to improve this.
Spotlighting on Genesis property maintenance, the Committee sought further clarification on the current level of repairs investment in Genesis properties in Brent as well as overall standard of properties and plans for stock surveyance. In response, the representatives explained that the overall condition of the properties was considered good, with only 2% of homes in Brent not deemed in decent condition. They briefed members on the current plans in place to conduct a stock conditioning survey, which was expected to provide an overview of current stock and the condition it is in as well as flag up any issues. With regards to repairs, Genesis reps explained that the 2016/17 financial results reaffirmed Genesis’s sustained focus on maintenance of existing assets, with ongoing repairs programme in place.
In terms of community funds, a Genesis representative explained that this was a pooled resource which consisted mostly of legacy funds. The funds were used to support a range of activities. The Committee was informed that there was a round of funding ongoing at the moment and residents’ opinion had been sought through consultation, with any project that had been approved for funding but not started would have the funds rolled forward.
In light of the forthcoming Universal Credit, members sought further clarification and reassurance on the envisaged impact it may have on tenants, particularly given the high number of tenants’ arrears. Genesis representatives acknowledged the situation but reassured the Committee that a positive trend had been observed, with a growing number of sustained tenancies and a declining number of evictions over the last several years. Representatives explained that the current issues included a slight temporary spike which was expected to stabilise within 3 to 6 months of the full Universal Credit roll out. Furthermore, they reassured the Committee that Genesis was working collaboratively with Brent Council and the DWP in order to provide robust service to residents, with a number of services put in place to provide support to residents and mitigate potential impact of UC.
In terms of fire safety, members queried the current fire safety arrangements in Genesis properties and the level of information given to residents at the start or during tenancies. Genesis representatives explained that residents had been contacted and offered to have smoke alarms installed. They had also been provided with support and information on fire safety. In addition, they explained that an extensive fire risk assessment had recently been commissioned to review the current position in light of the Grenfell Tower fire. This had led to a project group deciding not to allow for any items to be kept in the communal areas in all Genesis properties in order to keep them clear of obstacles, with regular checks conducted every 3 months.
8.25pm – following this item the Committee adjourned for a short break. The meeting resumed at 8.35pm.
RESOLVED that:
i. Responses to set of questions submitted to Genesis by Scrutiny team to be shared with the Committee
ii. Code of conduct for residents and female violence policy to be shared with the Committee
iii. Confirmation on how much is being invested on repairs in Genesis properties in Brent
iv. Communication channels with Genesis to be improved
v. Details of local contact person following merge with Notting Hill Housing to be shared with councillors
vi. Statistics on female violence, anti-social behaviour cases and number of follow ups
vii. Statistics on number of new tenants given fixed terms tenancy in Brent
viii. Statistics on financial viability study on Brent House
ix. Contact information on who residents can contact regarding installation of smoke alarms to be reviewed and updated on website
Supporting documents: