We consider value for money to be quality services being delivered at a competitive market price. We have a wide range of contracts in place to make sure:
- the communal areas of your building are safe and well maintained (for example, fire safety and water quality)
- we can react to repair or replace something that has broken
- the grounds maintenance and cleaning are carried out, and any bulk waste is removed quickly.
Most of these services are delivered to you by contractors. We carry out a competitive tendering process to choose who we use. We directly compare the quality and cost of delivering services offered by these potential contractors. By doing this we can select the contractor who offers the best value for money.
Our contracts
We enter into contracts for a set number of years. We employ Contract Managers to work with the contractors to make sure that they have everything that they need to offer a good service and hold them to account if the service they deliver falls short. For grounds maintenance and cleaning, we also have a team of Property Managers who inspect the communal areas of every block between four and 12 times per year (depending on the complexity of the building) to make sure that the building is well looked after and safe for those that live there.
What if things go wrong?
If a contractor does not deliver what you are paying for, we will in the first instance talk to them about it and give them an opportunity to put things right. Contractors are expected to put things right at no cost to the customer. If this is not achievable there are some circumstances where we would negotiate a refund on behalf of our customers. Very occasionally we reach the point with a contractor where it is necessary to end the contract due to poor performance. If this happens, there is a legally binding process that we have to follow before the contract can be terminated. This can take some time to go through and is a last resort.
If you have any issues with the services that are being provided, please contact Customer Services who will ensure that the issues are picked up by the correct Contract Manager.