2012-2013 RESIDENT ANNUAL REPORT

A few words from Vivien Knibbs, Orbit Living’s Executive Director

Every year, we produce an annual report to keep you, our customers, informed about how we are performing against a set of standards. It is also an opportunity to look back at our achievements and to pinpoint where we could do better.

Over the year we have worked hard to develop more efficient and effective services which support our priority of delivering good quality homes in strong communities. That can be a tricky balancing act, especially during a recession and in the midst of the Government’s biggest welfare reforms for decades. Despite these challenging conditions I am confident we can continue to improve and become a stronger organisation, providing you with quality homes and vibrant neighbourhoods in the future.

This annual report is a great example of collaboration between us and our customers. We are grateful to those of you who helped produce this document and those who have worked with us to help shape our services and let us know how we are doing during the year.

I hope you enjoy reading this report. If you have any comments or thoughts about the annual report, we would love to hear from you. You can email us at orbiteastcommunications@orbit.org.uk

2 On behalf of the Orbit East Resident Scrutiny Panel, we are pleased to present you with the Orbit East 2013 Resident Annual Report. This report gives you information of how Orbit East has delivered against the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) regulatory standards and used resident feedback to improve services for all residents.

Resident feedback is really important and the Orbit East Resident Scrutiny Panel works closely with Orbit to review different areas and make suggestions for improvements. In this summary, you’ll see examples of how the panel and other resident groups have worked to help shape positive changes across Orbit East.

We hope you find it interesting and if you would like to get involved with the Orbit East Resident Scrutiny Panel, we would love to hear from you. Just contact the Resident Engagement Team on 0345 600 2535 for more information.

A warm welcome from the Orbit East Resident Scrutiny Panel

SCRUTINYRESIDENT

Contents

Who lives in Orbit East homes?

Working in partnership with residents

Delivering value for money

Tenant involvement and empowerment

Homes

How we rent homes

Neighbourhoods and community

4 and 5

6

7

8 and 9

10 and 11

12 and 13

14 and 15

Pages 3

Homes and Communities Agency Consumer StandardsAs a housing association, Orbit East follows national standards set by the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Throughout the report we’ll tell you how we’ve measured up in the following areas:

Tenancy• how we rent homes in a

fair and transparent way and make the best use of available housing

• how we meet the aspirations and needs of current and potential residents, contribute to local authorities’ strategic aims and help deliver sustainable communities.

Tenant involvement and empowerment• how we give residents

opportunities to influence housing related policies and how our services are delivered

• how we involve residents in scrutinising performance

• how we manage complaints and improve our services by learning from them.

Homes • how we provide

homes that are warm, weatherproof and have modern facilities

• how we provide a cost effective repairs service that responds to, meets the needs of and offers choice to residents.

Neighbourhoods and community• how we keep

neighbourhoods clean and safe by working with residents and other partners

• how we promote social, environmental and economic well-being in the communities where we work

• how we work with other partners and agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour.

More information about the HCA’s national standards can be found at homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/standards

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Who lives in Orbit East homes?

A diverse range of people live in Orbit East homes, with different types of families that come in a variety of sizes and from different backgrounds. We value this diversity and work hard to deliver services that are accessible for everyone.

Types of homes we manage

Rented 3,149

Homes for older people 600 (includes Private Retirement Leasehold)

Supported housing 333

Home owners 1,532(not including Private Retirement Leasehold)

People who live in Orbit East homes

47%of residents

are male

26%of residents are over

the age of 60

53%of re

sidents

are fem

ale

23%of residents are Non-

White British

77%of residents

are White British

24%of re

sidents

have to

ld us

they have

a

disability

6% of residents surveyed did not respond

5

Taking it online!We have increased the ways residents can find out about involvement opportunities and give their feedback online. Our Involved Residents’ blog at oeinvolvedresidents.org.uk has been a great success! The blog has been viewed over 800 times since its launch last September and includes updates on resident events, training opportunities and other projects going on at Orbit East.

We have also trained Neighbourhood staff to use Facebook for community engagement and they are planning to launch Facebook pages in several neighbourhoods.

How you contact us:

Phone calls answered within 20 seconds

2011

2012

2013

80% 73.4% 32,279 calls

80% 53.0% 38,103 calls

80% 63.4% 40,232 calls

Target Actual

Not only did the number of calls increase last year, but so has our ability to answer them more quickly. We’ve improved the way we work in the Customer Service Centre by managing our resources better and by further adopting a ‘right first time’ customer service approach. We will continue to work hard to improve our response times and make sure we are readily available when you want to reach us.

• In 2012-13, 72.2% of residents told us they have access to the internet.

Number ofcalls received

Overall customer satisfactionOur annual STAR survey (Survey of Tenants and Residents) in 2013 revealed that overall satisfaction with Orbit East has increased by 5.6% to 84.2%. We’re working hard to improve on this and throughout this report, you will read more about service improvements we are making to do just that.

Working in partnership with residents6

One of the most important ways for us to improve is to listen to what you tell us. There are a number of ways that we collect your feedback and use it to make improvements:

Feedback

Resident focus groups, blogs, online research communities, panels,

forums and associations

STAR survey

Complaints

MOT (moment of

truth) surveys

Neighbourhood Facebook pages

Committee and Board

membership

All of this feedback allows us to continually learn from what we do. It

tells us what we do well and where we need to

improve, so that we can make positive changes for

all residents.

Get involved!Whether you have a little or a lot of spare time, we are always happy to hear from residents who want to get involved in shaping our services. For more information, please contact a member of our Resident Engagement Team on 0345 600 2535.

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Local offers

Scrutiny panels

Neighbourhood agreements

We also had a challenge to see which team could find the best savings and our Planned Works team saved an incredible £351,000 by sourcing outside funding and getting better prices for energy saving improvements and insulation upgrades. Not only does this benefit residents, but it also helps the National Autistic Society who received a £1,000 donation from the team as their prize for winning the challenge.

Delivering value for moneyGetting the best value for money is really important and we constantly look for ways to achieve this in all that we do. Every team at Orbit looks to identify and track savings and then each year, those savings are reinvested into our communities. Through these efforts, last year we saved an additional £535,000 which is being put towards a wide range of community projects.

Investing in our communitiesMaking a difference to communities is one of our top priorities and in the past year, our Community Investment Fund (CIF) has supported over 30 projects using money we’ve saved by making ourselves more efficient. A fantastic 785 people were able to access training using the fund which, for some, has already resulted in full-time work. Those of you who’ve needed a little bit more help managing your money have been able to get it through a dedicated CAB money advisor in Norwich and other support we’ve given has guided residents through Welfare Benefits changes. The CIF has also funded garden clearance, computers for sheltered schemes, youth projects and more.

Members from the Orbit East Scrutiny Panel linked in with other Orbit resident scrutiny panels from the South and Heart of England to discuss our approach to value for money. They made some great suggestions for potential efficiency savings. We’re going through them now to see what we can do to make them a reality!

we listened

you asked

Estate inspections

Tenant involvement and empowerment

Tenant involvement and empowerment – Resident involvement is about the opportunities we provide for residents to review our performance, influence housing related policies and monitor how services are delivered. It is also about how well we manage complaints and improve our services by learning from them.

We believe that residents should be at the heart of everything we do and that engaging with residents is the best way that we can empower people to help improve our services. There are many different ways that you can engage with us to let us know what you think of our services and how we can improve them for all residents.

Resident First (Regional) PanelLast year, the Orbit East Resident First (Regional) Panel shared their views on a number of key areas including; the successful Residents’ Fair last September, the Orbit 2020 transformation project and a Government plan to reward residents for completing minor repairs in their home.

Orbit East Resident Scrutiny PanelThe Panel scrutinises areas of our business, holds us to account for poor performance and recommends areas for improvement. Last year, the panel completed a review on gas servicing and focussed on how we communicate with residents so that information is clear and ensures we gain access to residents’ homes to complete the servicing. They are just about to start their next review on repairs appointments so keep an eye out for an update later in the year. We currently have vacancies, so if you would like to get involved please just contact Orbit’s Resident Engagement Team on 0345 600 2535.

68.9%of residents are satisfied that we

take their views into account (down 3.7%

from 2012).

86.5%of residents think we do a good job of keeping them

informed about things that affect them as

residents (a decrease of 1% from 2012).

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Our Customer Service Centre Focus Group works in partnership with staff to identify areas for improvement to our Customer Service Centre and monitor service delivery. Last year, residents received information about planned improvements and participated in question and answer sessions with staff where they challenged plans and made suggestions for improving the way we manage enquiries. This led to

changes which have made it easier for staff to identify the type of properties residents are calling about and the introduction of a more personalised greeting to our customers. Overall, residents report that they have noticed a real improvement within the service. Residents highlighted how their ‘calls are always answered within the time limit given’ and that ‘staff remain professional, calm and courteous throughout’.

Customer Service Centre Focus Group

SCRUTINYRESIDENT

The Housing Ombudsman Service investigated two cases last year relating to Planned Works and Leasehold Services. The first case related to Planned Works and the Ombudsman found there was no maladministration, so no recommendations or orders were made. The second case related to both Planned Works and Leasehold Services, where orders were made by the Ombudsman which Orbit East agreed to. We have since reviewed the case in full, addressed the issues and made a payment of compensation.

We have been closely monitoring complaints and using feedback to make improvements in the way we work, so that we learn from our mistakes and make positive changes that benefit all residents. We have also been making changes to our complaints and compensation policies. They are going through our ‘resident approval’ process now and will be published shortly.

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Residents’ associations and groupsWe assisted a group of residents in Blenheim Grange, Carbrooke to form a residents’ association in 2011. Since then, the group has worked in partnership with local agencies to improve the roads, reinstated signs for the area and shaped plans for a children’s play area. It also secured a community cabin, which has provided a place to meet and hold events and activities, such as a summer fete. They also set up a Facebook page to communicate with other residents, just search ‘Blenheim Residents Association’ to find out more.

ComplaintsWe want to give residents the best service possible and this is part of our Customer First commitment. However, sometimes things do go wrong and people wish to make a complaint. This can be a good thing, as it helps us understand the customer experience and highlights areas that need improving. Last year, we responded to 144 complaints and these are the service areas they relate to:

Stage one complaints:n Responsive repairs – 45%n Reactive services (gas servicing) – 17%n Neighbourhood Services – 8%n Leasehold Services – 8%n Planned Works – 6% n Development (new homes) – 5%n Asset Management – 3.5%n Income Recovery – 2%n Lift breakdowns – 2%n Private Retirement Leasehold – 1.5%n Business Support – 0.5%n Care and repair – 0.5%n Customer Service Centre – 0.5%n Supported Housing – 0.5%

92% of the complaints were resolved at Stage 1 of Orbit East’s complaints procedure.

CustomerFirstThe way we work

Disability ForumThe Disability Forum helps us improve our services so that they meet the needs of our residents with disabilities. Last year, the forum provided their views on our Orbit 2020 transformation project, supported the development of our vulnerability policy and fed into a review on our aids and adaptation service standard. Members provided views on the rent incentive scheme and helped to improve the letter our repairs contractor sends to residents when they miss an appointment by suggesting changes in wording and tone.

10 Homes This HCA standard is about how well we provide homes that are warm, weatherproof and have modern facilities. It also includes how well we provide a cost effective repairs service that responds to, meets the needs of and offers choice to residents.

88%of residents are

satisfied with the overall condition of

their home (an increase of 1.4%

from 2012).

of Orbit East homes held a current gas safety certificate as of 31 March 2013.

100%Gas safety

13,003repairs completed

97.26% within targettimescales

Repairs49 community activities such as play area projects, financial advice sessions and craft projects

Together last year in the East and South we delivered:

287days and 1,145 staff hours dedicated to community investment

560 residents took training courses

Our partnership with MITIE, who work across East and South, not only provides repair and maintenance services for resident homes, but MITIE also reinvested £102,000 back into our communities to help residents learn news skills to search for work, get practical information to help them look after their home as well as meet new people from different backgrounds.

Since the start of our partnership, 8 residents have completed a MITIE apprenticeship and there are 6 more residents taking part right now.

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Getting homes ready for new residents

After residents moved out, we prepared 325 homes to be re-let to new residents who need them. It took us an average of 12.6 days to complete the works to get each home ready for new residents.

The Orbit East Scrutiny Panel worked in partnership with Orbit South Resident Scrutiny Panel members and staff to review our Void Property service standard. A range of suggestions for improvements were made and incorporated into the revised standard such as renaming the standard ‘Lettable Standard’, and as part of the review of sheltered homes with the Orbit South Resident Scrutiny Panel, we are introducing checklists for cleaning and labelling where stops taps are located within properties.

Investing in great quality homesWe have worked hard across Orbit East and Orbit South to complete improvements to your home through our Complete Home Improvement Property Plan (CHIPP) standard. Last year, we invested over £17million to upgrade homes so that they are more modern, comfortable and energy efficient. This includes:

1,141 improvements to kitchens, bathrooms and electrics

1,896 homes had cyclical decoration improvements

423 boilers replaced

268 homes had windows and doors upgraded or replaced

124 homes received disabled adaptations

124 homes had insulation improvements

£2,516,000 spent on fire safety improvements

Keeping track of all of our trees!Managing all the trees on our properties is a massive challenge so the Estate Services team has started work on a project to catalogue every one of our trees. Expected to take about five years to complete, the project will give us detailed information on the species of our trees, their location, age and condition. The first step in this project was to create a new ‘tree management policy’ outlining clear guidelines about how trees in our communities are managed.

Our Orbit East Resident First (Regional) Panel reviewed the policy and gave it the ‘resident approved’ thumbs up.

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The tenancy standard is about how well we rent homes in a fair and transparent way and make the best use of available housing. It is also about how well we meet the aspirations and needs of current and potential residents, contribute to local authorities’ strategic aims and help deliver sustainable communities. We also must charge rents in accordance with government guidelines.

Tenancy

(£546,304) (£765,297)

2012-132012-13

3.25%4.87%

(£460,213) (£689,549)

2011-122011-12

3.14%4.22%

677 new tenancies were started last year (including care and supported accommodation)

Gross rent arrears(rent before Housing Benefit payment)

Net rent arrears (rent after Housing Benefit payment)

According to Housemark, we ranked 33rd out of 115 providers when it comes to rent collection

New five year tenanciesWe have successfully introduced a five year fixed term tenancy for some of the new residents who are moving into our homes. Before the end of the five years, we review the tenancy to make sure the home is still suitable and if not, we will explore other available options. This ensures that we can make the best use of the homes we have available whilst helping residents achieve their housing aspirations.

You can find out about the many different ways to pay your rent by visiting our

website on orbiteast.org.uk or by contacting our Customer

Service Centre on 0345 600 2535.

It took us on average 15.2 days to let our general needs properties, a reduction of 2.8 days since 2012

It took us on average 55.4 days to let out sheltered and very sheltered properties, a reduction of 8.3 days since 2012

13At Tethys Place in Lowestoft, we delivered a popular housing scheme consisting of 28 brand new homes for local people. A former brownfield site that was once home to a water tower, now consists of eight affordable rented houses and 12 apartments, as well as eight shared ownership houses. The scheme was created to ‘Home Zone’ standards, which means that it was designed to encourage cars to slow down and keep children from playing in the streets.

442 Orbit East households were identified by their local authority as being affected by the new Welfare Reforms including 377 residents who were under occupying. We saw 313 residents directly and wrote to all 442 households with further information.

To help you understand the new Welfare Reform Changes, we’ve published regular articles in our Your Orbit resident magazine and sent all residents a copy of our handy ‘Guide to Welfare Reform’ last September.

We have also added three new sketch animations to our website to give you a visual way of accessing information so you can check to see if any of the reforms affect you. Go to orbiteast.org.uk and follow the link from our homepage to find out more.

We have a specialist Welfare Benefit Advisor, Sue Conway, who can help guide you if you have any questions about the changes. Contact us on 0345 600 2535 to learn more.

Karen Stevenson, from our Neighbourhoods Team, helped secure about £6,000 in backdated benefits for one of our residents in Norwich. Karen had identified that the resident was struggling to pay his bills and thought he might be eligible for a Disability Living Allowance. She referred him to our Welfare Benefits Advisor who worked with him to review his finances and found that payments he was entitled to receive had for some unknown reason stopped. In the end, he received the backdated amount owed and his weekly income has more than doubled, making a significant impact on his quality of life and financial situation.

We’ve been working hard to tackle tenancy fraud and subletting, and over the last year we carried out 442 checks to make sure the correct residents were living in the right homes. We work closely with the fraud teams at our local authority partners and take action against people who illegally sublet their homes so that those homes can be reallocated to people who really need them. We’ve also developed a subletting guide and checklist that is being used across the East.

Neighbourhoods and communityThis standard is about how well we keep neighbourhoods clean and safe by working with residents and other partners. It is also about how well we promote social, environmental and economic wellbeing in the communities where we work. Affordable housing providers must also work with other partners and agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour in areas where we own and manage homes.

Sustaining our communitiesWe are committed to helping build strong and stable communities, creating places and neighbourhoods where people want to live, feel at home and get a real head start in life. We also have a responsibility to support our residents through these particularly challenging economic times and are providing a wide range of training and employment opportunities and inspire everyone to reach their full potential.

Last year in Orbit East and Orbit South…

Six ‘graduating’ apprentices joined Orbit and partners MITIE, Southern Land Services, Outsource Training and National Apprenticeships Service to celebrate the completion of their successful programme.

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apprentices developed their skills in office administration, construction, sports/fitness and grounds maintenance

residents completed training and/or obtained a qualification

30 840

Last year, Orbit East inspired 22 residents from Norwich, Ipswich and Newmarket to reach their goals by offering them a free two-day course on how to improve their lives. Offered in partnership with GOALS UK, the sessions helped motivate residents in a fun and practical way to make positive changes. One of the residents who attended says; “Having the courage to go on the course was the first step. It was a great two days and I realised I wasn’t the only one struggling. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to help themselves move forward. I’ve changed my attitude and outlook, and no longer sit around waiting for something to happen.”

We’re offering free places on the course again this year and are hoping more residents will take part. Just contact Orbit East’s Community Investment Officer on 0345 600 2535 for more details.

Six ‘graduating’ apprentices joined Orbit and partners MITIE, Southern Land Services, Outsource Training and National Apprenticeships Service to celebrate the completion of their successful programme.

Anti-social behaviourWe have a key role to play in creating safe and thriving communities. We achieve this by working in partnership with local authorities, the police and other key local agencies.

We use a range of methods to deal with anti-social behaviour. These include tenancy agreements and terms, written warnings, action plans, starter tenancies, acceptable behaviour contracts, mediation, anti-social behaviour orders, anti-social behaviour injunctions and legal action where necessary, which can include possession proceedings including eviction or demotion of tenancy.

In Orbit East last year...

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225 anti-social behaviour cases were reported

61 early interventions by our Neighbourhoods Team, including one undertaking where we reached an agreement with a resident to stop their nuisance behaviour

5 cases of mediation

63 written warnings issued, along with 13 verbal warnings

7 injunctions issued (including 4 injunctions with the power of arrest)

3 possession orders issued

We also work together with partners in order to prevent anti-social behaviour and to address persistent cases. There are a number of options/tools only directly available to local authorities or the police. However, we support those initiatives using our influence through existing partnership arrangements. This includes crack house closures, family intervention projects, parenting orders, premises closure orders and environmental anti-social behaviour.

Residents living in rural communities told us that the travel costs of looking for work or getting to and from a new job has been a real challenge for them. Through our Community Investment Fund, we launched a ‘Travel to Work’ bursary scheme and so far 26 residents have received awards to help them get around. These funds were used to help with travel costs and/or specialist driving qualifications.

Through our resident-led improvement budget, we spent £42,000 on improvements across 17 different projects in the East. These ranged from increasing scheme security by installing CCTV cameras, security gates and fob systems to making areas greener with new landscaping, bike shelters and clean up projects. The budget is all about doing little things that can make a big difference to communities!

Orbit East has joined forces with our repairs contractor, MITIE, to donate money for a much-needed play scheme at the Blenheim Grange residential scheme in Carbrooke near Watton. Orbit East provided £20,000 from the Community Investment Fund and MITIE donated a further £27,000 to raise funds for the project.

Resident surveys from the 400 property community identified that one of the key things that would help to improve their community spirit would be a play area. The money will be used specifically for play equipment, including a youth shelter and equipment for children of all ages. The play area will be ready shortly!

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Homes & Communities Agency Reg. No. L4060. Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1965.Registered No. 27802R (Exempt Charity) Orbit South Housing Association Ltd.Registered Office: Foy House, 27-29 High Street, Margate, Kent CT9 1DL Part of the Orbit Group. Orbit Group Ltd, Orbit South Housing Association Ltd and Heart of England Housing Association Ltd are exempt charities. Designed by www.watermarkdesign.co.uk

We are committed to delivering a great level of service to all our customers and making sure that residents are truly at the heart of every decision we make. Your feedback is very important to us, so if you have any comments or thoughts about the resident annual report, we would love to hear from you. You can email us directly at orbiteastcommunications@orbit.org.uk

NORWICH OFFICEFourth FloorYare House62-64 Thorpe RoadNorwichNR1 1RY

0345 600 2535

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