News

Keeping customers safe in their home is a fundamental responsibility for us. Yet, like many housing providers, we have seen a steady rise in ‘no access’ cases in recent years.

When access cannot be gained to a home this can delay and even prevent essential safety checks and works, such as gas and electrical inspections, and assessments linked to Awaab’s Law.

Subsequent repeated visited can be time-consuming and the financial impact is significant.

‘No access’ cases currently cost us more than £1 million each year, resources that could be better invested directly into customer services and further safety improvements, such as installing 445 fire doors, 420 electric boilers or 166 new bathrooms.

To help fix this, we are establishing a centralised team of Compliance Engagement Officers within its property directorate, who will work in close partnership with its housing, legal, compliance and repairs teams.

Tania Emery, Building Safety Director, said: “We’re committed to keeping all our residents safe in their home. Working with our customers to gain timely access to their homes is essential for safety and maintenance works.

“While front-line colleagues and contractors may leave calling cards or attempt repeated visits, these actions do not stand up if statutory deadlines are missed, and can create direct tension between regulatory obligations and the practical realities of arranging visits..

“By creating a dedicated team we can take a proactive, consistent and customer-focused approach. This will help us keep people safe, reduce avoidable costs, and reinvest more of our resources where they matter most - improving homes and services.”

‘No access’ cases are currently handled across several teams, which can lead to missed appointments, delays to essential inspections, higher costs and increased regulatory risk.

The new approach focuses on early, constructive engagement with residents to remove barriers and secure access voluntarily. This includes working closely with customers to ensure appointments are convenient, for example trying to avoid school drop-off and pick-up hours for customers with children.

A dedicated team of Compliance Engagement Officers will provide centralised case management, improve communication, coordinate more effectively with contractors, and strengthen data and oversight, with an initial focus on high-risk areas such as gas and electrical safety and Awaab’s Law hazards.

For customers this approach aims to provide earlier engagement, clearer communication, and more opportunities to resolve access issues before they escalate, while helping us to reduce avoidable costs, improve compliance and ultimately keep our customers safe in their homes.