Homes for modern living

We know that how most people use their home has changed a lot since some of our older properties were built. We’ve also had lots of feedback from our tenants telling us that improving the quality and energy efficiency of their homes is really important to them.

We’re looking at some of our older properties as a whole, to see what improvements we can make.  

Planned works are due at your home over the next few months; this could be something like a bathroom or kitchen replacement. Because of this, it seems the right time to see if there are any other improvements that we could make to your home at the same time.

Don’t worry, we’re not planning on selling your home! We need to carry out an assessment and a range of surveys to see whether your home is suitable for this project.

Before we make any decisions, we want to understand a little bit more about you and how you use your home.

We also need to get more information about the current condition of your home to help us identify the right improvements for you.

Once the assessment is complete, we’ll be in touch to let you know the outcome. If your home isn’t right for this project, we’ll still carry out improvements as part of one of the other projects we’re working on.

At this stage we can’t say exactly what improvements will be best for you, as every tenant's home will need an individual programme of works.

We understand that our tenants are just as unique as the homes they live in, so we need to find out more about you and look at the condition of your home before making any decisions.

We’ll agree on the exact improvements you’ll have after we’ve assessed your home and spoken to you about how you use your home.

You won’t need to move out for us to carry out these works as we’ll work around you and your households needs. Your contractor will take the information you gave us about your needs into account and will do their best to minimise disruption as much as possible.

They’ll also give you plenty of notice and regular updates so that you know what to expect. 

We’re working with the above contractors on this project. We’ll let you know exactly which contractor will be working on your home when we first contact you.

Your contractor will call you to arrange a convenient time to carry out an assessment on your home. They will also carry out all the works to your home. If you need any repairs to these works within 12 months of them being completed, they will carry out the repair (this is known as the defect period).

Any contractors visiting your home will have ID badges. If you have any concerns about anyone visiting you, please ask to see their ID so you can confirm who they are before letting them in. 

MEL Research are Tenant Insight Specialists who we’ve partnered with to help us collect, measure and monitor tenant satisfaction. MEL Research will call you and ask a few questions on our behalf, to see how you feel about your home and the improvements.

They’ll call you before we start works, during the works, 1 month and 6 months after works have been completed. It’s really important that we get your feedback to make sure that you’re satisfied and each questionnaire should only take a few minutes. 

After we’ve confirmed whether or not your home is a part of the project, your contractor will be in touch to arrange a start date with you. In most cases, this date will be around 8 weeks after you’ve agreed to the works we’ve proposed.

If your home is not included in the project, we will contact you to let you know the next steps. 

We have already piloted this project with around 42 homes in Birmingham. You can see some of our before and after photos and video footage further down this webpage.

There’s no cost to you for these upgrades. As your landlord, it’s our role to make sure you have a quality home that meets your needs. 

These works won’t necessarily save you money, but we hope that by the end of the work your home will be more modern and comfortable.

We may also install more modern systems that work better than the current ones in your home. In some cases, that may result in lower household costs. 

Yes of course, we want to understand the needs of everyone who lives with you. Your contractor will have a chat with you about any vulnerabilities and discuss what we can do to meet your needs.

In some instances, we may need to refer you to our Aids and Adaptations Team so they can support you further.

Children can remain at home for the duration of the works but please make sure they are supervised at all times.

Your contractor will need a safe and comfortable environment to work in. Please ensure any pets are kept away from the area that they are working in.

We will still carry out the works if you have rent arrears. We will put you in touch with your rent payment officer so that they look carefully at your personal situation and offer the best way forward for you.

If your home is selected to be included within the project, we’ll send you the contact details for your designated Liason Officer with your contractor.

If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, you are also more than welcome to get in touch with your Contract Delivery Surveyor.