HouseMark Benchmarking – presentation to CWAG

Paul Edwards

Director of Data Services

6 March 2015

Agenda

• Some background to HouseMark

• Our key data outputs Core benchmarking VFM Scorecard Social Housing Dashboard Priority Performance Benchmarking PlanForm

• Strategic PIs

• Discussion and next steps

HouseMark history

• Founded in 1999.• 950 member organisations including 43 ALMOs• Leading provider of comparative cost & performance

data.• Sector changed = refreshed service offer

Data services

• 2 levels – in depth and priority overview• Optional additional PI’s• Mapping forms to assist data entry• Optional mini modules – Welfare Reform / ASB

Flexible Data Input

• Improved in year validation of Priority Performance Benchmarking (PPB)

• Enhanced system generated checks and manual review - 65% of customers have noticed improvement in data quality

Enhanced Validation

• Proposed update of PPB indicators following consultation

• Evolution of services to meet customer needs - PlanForm

Listening to Customers

Make evidence-based decisions

Understand current VFM

Core Benchmarking

• know your costs at a detailed level

• understand costs relative to performance

• explore what drives your costs• self-assess VFM

• do the right things to maximise impact of limited resources

• do things right • use scenarios to model

changes• support your decisions with

evidence

Key business insight

Core Benchmarking

Core Benchmarking will enable you to: Make cost and performance comparisons with other

HouseMark members Understand your key cost drivers Learn from other high performing/low cost social

housing providers

7

Core Benchmarking coverage

Data – enhanced visualisation

VfM ScorecardBeta tested in 2014

More flexible scorecard in 2015

Social Housing Dashboard

Improved quarterly priority performance benchmarking

reporting

Social Housing Dashboard

Priority Performance Benchmarking

• Priority Performance Benchmarking has a quicker and easier to use data entry interface

• Reduced suite of PIs & enhanced validation• Enhanced online reporting

Example PPB online report

Priority PIs

• 34 priority PIs collected through our core benchmarking and PPB modules 24 quarterly PIs 10 annual PIs

Priority PIs

Corporate health

Percentage of staff turnover in the year Quarterly

The average number of working days / shifts lost to the organisation due to sickness absence per employee Quarterly

Percentage of staff satisfied with your organisation as an employer Annual

Customer contact & complaints

Percentage of calls answered Quarterly

Average time taken to answer inbound telephone calls (in seconds) Quarterly

Percentage of complaints resolved at first contact Quarterly

Major works & cyclical maintenance  

Percentage of properties with a valid gas safety record at the end of the period Quarterly

Percentage of dwellings that are non-decent at the end of the period benchmarked Annual

Average SAP rating of self-contained owned general needs dwellings at the end of the year Annual

Responsive repairs  

Average number of calendar days taken to complete repairs Quarterly

The percentage of repairs completed at first visit Quarterly

Average number of repairs per property Annual

Appointments kept as a percentage of appointments made Quarterly

Priority PIs

Rent arrears & collection  

Rent collected from current and former tenants as a percentage of rent owed (excluding arrears b/f) Quarterly

Rent collected from current and former tenants as a percentage of the rent due (including arrears b/f) Quarterly

Current tenant arrears as a percentage of the annual rent debit Quarterly

Current tenant arrears net of unpaid housing benefit as a percentage of the annual rent debit Quarterly

Former tenant arrears as a percentage of the annual rent debit Quarterly

Current and former tenant arrears as a percentage of the annual rent debit Quarterly

Rent written off as a percentage of rent due Quarterly

Percentage of rent lost through dwellings being vacant Quarterly

Number of tenants evicted due to rent arrears as a percentage of all tenancies Quarterly

Rent collected (calculated method) Annual

Anti-social behaviour  

Percentage of ASB cases that were resolved Quarterly

Void works & lettings  

Average re-let time in days (standard re-lets) Quarterly

Percentage of re-lets accepted on first offer Quarterly

Percentage of properties vacant and available to let Quarterly

Percentage of properties vacant but unavailable to let Quarterly

Tenancy turnover of properties Annual

Priority PIs

Satisfaction

Percentage of complainants satisfied with case handling Annual

Percentage of residents satisfied with the most recent repair (when surveyed in accordance with the organisation's own survey format) Quarterly

Percentage of residents very or fairly satisfied with quality of new home (new build only) Annual

Development

Standard units developed as a percentage of current stock Annual

Affordable units developed as a percentage of current stock Annual

PlanForm

• Real time HRA business plan comparison and analysis tool

• Information presented on an anonymised basis• Minimal data collection effort – data sourced direct from

business planning software – and real time reporting• Combined with benchmarking – a forward and

retrospective VFM tool – linking strategy to operations• Better business planning • Free subscription enhancement!• 24 business plans already uploaded – on target to

achieve 50 by end of March 2015

PlanForm

Open Data Zone

• Launched at the end of September 2014 as the first instalment in our suite of Big Data products

• In its first two months of release website had 1200 unique hits

• Created to help you navigate through the wealth of open data to enable you to understand the context of your benchmarking results and to inform future decisions on rent policy, new build and managing welfare reform

Strategic PI set

• Coverage & purpose Monitor ALMO effectiveness

• To what extent does existing PI set meet this need?

Support other strategic aims• What additional PIs are required?

Anything else?

Next few slides highlight possible PIs suggested by Tim Campbell from Barnet

Corporate PIs – supporting corporate priorities

Corporate Priorities Possible Definition

  

Benchmarking

 Where in HouseMark

Level of Homelessness Households in Short

term overnight accommodation

Table 784A CLG P1E Live Tables.Homeless households accommodated in

B&B, Shared Facilities and Self Contained units. (Either Pending

enquiries/ found to be intentionally homeless or where Sectn 193 Duty is

owed)This is a key financial risk to the Council

 

Delivery of Affordable Homes

Additional Homes provided on HRA land

  

Benchmarking is not well developed. This is a key deliverable in helping to

reduce Homeless costs and meet strategic targets

  

 

Satisfaction with the managing agent

tenant satisfaction with overall service

provided

Housemark.Measure of overall resident satisfaction.It is a reputational issue for the Council

as a landlord.

Collected via annual CORE benchmarking and via STAR specialist

benchmarking  

Key PIs – supporting strategic service aims

Service Area 

PossibleDefinition

Benchmarking 

Where in HouseMark

HomelessnessFamilies B&B

accommodation for more than 6 weeks

DCLG P1E returnsFamilies in B&B for more than 6

weeks is areputational and legal risk to the

Council

 

Homelessness

Total Number of cases where homelessness was prevented and

relieved

P1e ReturnsThis measures the ability of the

provider to manage the Homeless caseload and prevent placing

people in Temporary Accommodation, and reduce the

financial risk to the Council.

 

Homelessness

The proportion of all homeless households

accommodated in B&B, Shared Facilities and Self Contained units pending enquiries or found to be intentionally homeless

 Table 784A CLG Live Tables (Extract). This measures the ability of the provider to manage homeless

applications and efficiently discharge the Council’s duty to

house thus reducing thefinancial risk to the Council.

 

Key PIs – supporting strategic service aims

Service Area 

PossibleDefinition

Benchmarking

 Where in HouseMark

Lettingsaverage time taken to re-let standard voids

HouseMarkThis is an important efficiency measure. Reputation/Financial

risk to Council. 

Excludes major works voids. 

Core BM & PPB - Quarterly

Major Works Voids

Percentage of dwellings that are vacant but

unavailable to let - GN & HfOP

HouseMark.This indicator measures the

number of properties vacant but unavailable for letting,

Reputational/financial risk to the council

Core BM & PPB - Quarterly

Income Collection

Rent collected as a percentage of rent due

(including arrears brought forward)

HouseMark.This measures the ability of the

service provider to effectively and efficiently manage the income

collection service, and reduce thefinancial risk to the Council.

 

Core BM & PPB - Quarterly

Leasehold Income Collection

Leasehold service charges collected as a percentage of service

charges due

HouseMark.This measures the ability of the

service provider to effectively and efficiently manage the income

collection service, and reduce thefinancial risk to the Council.

 

Core BM - Annual

Key PIs – supporting strategic service aims

Service Area 

PossibleDefinition

Benchmarking 

Where in HouseMark

ArrearsTemporary Accommodation

arrears as percentage of debit

Local Indicator. No Comparative dataThis measures the ability of the service

provider to effectively and efficiently manage the income collection service, and

reduce thefinancial risk to the Council

 

Repairstenant satisfaction with how landlord deals with repairs

and maintenance

Housemark.This is a key measure of whether the

service provider provides a good repairs and maintenance service from the tenant’s

perspective. It is areputational issue for the Council as a

landlord.

Core BM – Annual (HouseMark require that surveys are no more than two years old for

benchmarking purposes)

Estate Managementtenant satisfaction with

neighbourhood

 Housemark.

This is a key measure of whether the service provider provides a good grounds

maintenance and communal repairs service from the tenant’s perspective.

It is a reputational issue for the Council as a landlord.

Core BM – Annual (HouseMark require that surveys are no more than two years old for

benchmarking purposes)

Statutory ServicesPercentage of dwellings with a valid gas safety certificate

Housemark.This measures the ability of the service

provider to ensure that the annual safety check has been completed, when due, and

reduce thelegal and reputational risk to the Council.

Core BM – Annual – note we have amended this PI to read: ‘Percentage of

properties that require a gas safety record which had a gas safety check and record

completed’

Key PIs – supporting strategic service aims

Service Area 

PossibleDefinition

Benchmarking

 Where in HouseMark

Decent Homes% of properties failing to meet the decent homes

standard

Housemark.This measures the ability of the

service provider to deliver an asset management strategy that reduces

thelegal and reputational risk to the

Council.

Core BM & PPB - Annual

Energy Efficiency average SAP rating

Housemark.This measures the ability of the

service provider to deliver an asset management strategy that reduces

thelegal and reputational risk to the

Council.

Core BM & PPB - Annual

Customer Experiencecalls resolved at first

contact

Housemark.This measures the ability of the

service provider to deliver a good customer experience

reputational risk to the Council.

We don’t measure calls resolved at first contact: we measure % of calls

answered – CORE & PPB – Quarterly and average time taken to answer

inbound telephone calls (in seconds) – CORE & PPB - Quarterly

Customer Experience% complaints resolved at

first contact

Housemark.This measures the ability of the

service provider to deliver a good customer experience

reputational risk to the Council.

Core & PPB - Quarterly

Discussion and next steps

Key considerations• Are these the right PIs?

Numbers Coverage

• Can the information be sourced?• Is there an appetite for collection?• Frequency of collection?

Thank you for listeningContact details:

paul.edwards@housemark.co.uk

07841 861974