I’m part of our Housing Officer team, working in local neighbourhoods to support tenants and help look after the areas they live in.
We know some tenants have felt that we haven’t always been clear about who their Housing Officer is, what the role involves, or how to access support. We’ve listened to that feedback and made changes to improve how we work.
We are now called Housing Officers; this better reflects the work we do.
Our team has also grown, and changes have been made to how we are organised so we can focus on smaller local areas and respond more effectively to issues. We want to:
- Build stronger relationships with tenants
- Listen, learn, and respond more effectively
- Work more closely with tenants and partner agencies
Tenants will have recently received an email introducing their Housing Officer team.
Over the past year, Housing Officers have been working across neighbourhoods to support tenants and help maintain local areas. This includes:
- Carrying out 9,752 block inspections and 65 neighbourhood inspections to check shared areas
- Completing 5,688 tenancy visits to check in and offer support
- Removing 1,056 cases of fly tipping and clearing 898 items from communal areas
- Supporting tenants through 301 welfare concerns and 55 safeguarding cases
Some of this work is visible in neighbourhoods, while some takes place in the background — including working with partners to resolve issues that affect local communities.
This work helps to:
- Keep neighbourhoods clean, safe and well maintained
- Identify and address issues early
- Support tenants to remain safely in their homes
- Connect people to the right support when they need it
A significant part of my role involves supporting tenants through more complex situations.
Recently, one of my colleagues supported a tenant through significant repairs and follow‑on issues in their home. This included arranging temporary accommodation and providing ongoing support to help them feel safe and settled again.
The tenant was also dealing with personal challenges at the time. With the right support and encouragement, they were able to rebuild confidence and make positive changes. They later shared how much that support meant to them.
This is one example of the kind of support we provide every day. Supporting tenants is at the heart of what we do.
If you would like to read the full story, click here: https://www.forhousing.co.uk/case-study/practical-support-and-positive-change-through-reasonable-adjustments/
We know some tenants would prefer to contact their Housing Officer directly.
To help make sure tenants receive the right support as quickly as possible, all initial contact is handled through the Customer Connect Hub. This allows enquiries to be picked up straight away and directed to the appropriate team.
Tenants can get in touch by:
- Calling 0333 123 55 22
- Completing an online form
- Using the Live Chat on our website
When a tenant gets in touch, we will listen and make sure the enquiry is directed to the right place. If it requires a Housing Officer, it will be passed to the local team, who will respond. Where another service is better placed to help, enquiries are directed accordingly.
This approach helps improve response times, reduce delays and ensure urgent issues are prioritised.
We know we haven’t always got it right in the past, but we are listening to feedback and acting on what tenants tell us. So, we can make sure they are satisfied with the service they are receiving, and we are all doing our best to positively impact the lives of social housing tenants.
If you would like to learn more about my team, and what we do, click here.
