The latest Tenants' Champion report reveals 63% of social housing complaints this year in the borough were related to repairs.

Richmond Council's full Council meeting later today (Tuesday, 8 July) at 7pm will discuss the Tenants' Champion report covering April 2024 to March 2025.

The Tenants' Champion service, which began in 2011, acts as a local escalation route for the borough's social housing residents when they are unable to resolve complaints with their housing association landlords.

Compiled by Councillor Paulina Vassileva, the report notes that the service assisted 145 households (compared with 138 the previous year).

Of these, 116 were new cases (the same as last year), while the remainder consisted of official cases from previous years that continue to require ongoing support.

Twenty-two of the new cases were forwarded to the relevant ward councillor for help in the first instance, and one new case, concerning a private sector tenant, was directed to alternative advice services.

Of the new cases, 92 were focused on repairs (63 per cent), 26 on housing transfers (18 per cent), and 24 on anti-social behaviour (17 per cent).

Cllr Vassileva wrote: "Reflecting on my third year in the role has put the spotlight on the unfortunate reality that our housing partners haven't been immune to ongoing challenges in the wider construction industry, contractor failures and recruitment and retention shortages.

"I am pleased to note that our main housing partners with history and origins in the Borough, have effectively worked with my service throughout the last year to put in place new, efficient processes to maximise Tenants' Champion input with a view to minimising complaints backlogs and Housing Ombudsman referrals.

"Regrettably, some of our partners with fewer properties in the Borough, have not been as successful."

Councillor Paulina Vassileva (credit: Richmond Council).

Aims for next year:

1. Continue to offer a Tenants' Champion service for Richmond Borough's housing association tenants and leaseholders.
2. Host the twice-yearly 'Tenants' Champion Interagency Forum'. This will include ensuring that the multi-agency Mental Health and Housing Joint Working and Hospital Discharge Protocols are functioning and kept up to date. It may also involve facilitating training opportunities for partners.
3. Continue to analyse themes, trends and case volumes to assess how housing associations' management practices are affecting residents and to promote good practice in key areas.
4. Maintain a focus on effective joint working to ensure services are collaborating well, particularly on unresolved cases involving anti-social behaviour.
5. Progress efforts to champion best practice in housing association engagement with residents, ensuring standards in Richmond Borough remain exemplary.
6. Continue supporting related housing initiatives such as the Social Housing Improvement Plan and the Community Ambassadors Project by sharing updates with multi-agency partners and through the annual report.

She added: "The focus for the service going forward next year will be to work with those partners where things aren't working so effectively yet.

"I appreciate everyone's willingness to discuss problems frankly and remain optimistic for notable progress.

"To be able to do my role well I need to fully listen to a resident's concern, build trust with them so they feel supported, but be clear about what might be achieved.

"I also need to build good working relationships with colleagues from housing associations, the police, council teams, voluntary sector organisations and mental health staff."

To read the full report, click here. To view the agenda for today's Council meeting, click here.

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