Background
Focus Housing provides affordable housing and practical support to people encountering problems related to unemployment and poverty, and aims to improve the lives of those experiencing disadvantage. Many of the people housed were previously homeless or in priority housing need, i.e. in substandard or overcrowded accommodation.
The housing group manages more than 14,000 social rented properties in the West Midlands and has spent £7 million on an internally funded home improvement programme.
Focus Housing's service objective for maintenance of these properties is to deliver an efficient, cost effective and responsive repairs service, sensitive to the needs of its clients and the housing stock. It will seek to meet all its legal obligations, completing all repairs within agreed priority timescales.
Project
Seddon Maintenance Services' (SMS) won its first responsive maintenance contract with Focus Housing in Birmingham in 2003. The contract was for the maintenance of over 3,500 properties in the Central Birmingham area.
Focus Housing has a policy of working, where possible, with locally based contractors and those who may be in a position to support its social investment objectives, and the organisation demands that all contractors have a reputation for providing a quality product or service, combined with a commitment to Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety issues.
Seddon Maintenance Services' is well placed to deliver this form of contract. The company's pro-active approach to planning means work is delivered effectively and in a timely manner, while its ability to respond promptly to urgent maintenance needs has been key to the division's success.
In fact, the SMS division has expanded to include a 24-hour responsive maintenance call-out service, a planned repairs and a void refurbishment programme. Catering to both single sites and large housing schemes, SMS delivers excellent levels of service and ensures its employees carry out the necessary work to maintain a safe and secure environment.
Seddon Maintenance Services' worked with Focus Housing to establish a planned and systematic process for upgrading properties, based on Focus' stock condition data and a gradual shift towards a preventative maintenance approach.
Endorsement
"We have developed a close association with Seddon Maintenance Services over a period of time, via Version 5 of the NHF Partnering Contract. As with any new venture we faced challenges at the outset but over the life of the contract we have seen dramatic performance improvements in service delivery."
Richard Chapman, Property Services Manager, Focus Housing