Paul CoatesI am delighted to have taken over from Ash Fox as Bromford's Chief Customer Officer. Whilst this is a new role for me (officially starting on 11 March) I am not new to Bromford. I have worked here in a variety of customer roles for the past 8 years. Alongside my team, we are focussed on working closely with customers to deliver high-quality services - I look forward to sharing more about this in future editions of this newsletter.

 

Update from our Service Delivery team 

Over the last few months we have implemented a number of initiatives to address the high volume of repairs that we have been tackling. This has allowed us to attend an additional 1,000 scheduled appointments over the last two months. This past Christmas was also the first time we have provided a full repairs service over the festive period which meant that we had at least 50% of our workforce available and were able to respond to customer calls faster than previous years. We have also continued to work on strengthening our support to customers who report issues with damp or mould.

Over the past few months we have brought an extra five people into our surveying team, allowing us to reduce the backlog of surveys that customers have requested. This is really important because we need to carry out a survey when a customer reports a damp or mould issue to identify the cause of the problem, so we can make sure we take the right action to address each individual case. 

Additionally, we have now set out and agreed our approach around how we will contact customers after we complete a repair relating to damp or mould. We'll now contact you six weeks after the repair has been completed to check on your experience and again after three months to ensure that the damp and mould issue is fully resolved. This will help us to improve the service you receive, will help us ensure that you are fully satisfied with the work we have done and to put things right if you are not and will make sure that the issue is fully resolved and does not return. 

Money Matters

In recent weeks there have been reports in the press, like this one from the BBC, that energy prices are going to fall in April. But from conversations with customers, we know that paying energy bills remains a concern for many people. Our website has several tips on how to reduce your energy use and lower your energy bills plus links to other organisations that can offer advice and support.

If you’re on a low income the Government has advice on how to claim benefits and financial support, including the winter fuel payment and warm home discount scheme, on its website. 

2024 rent review 

We have now started to send out this year’s review letters, which set out the changes to your rent and service charges that will come into effect from April. If you haven’t already received your letter it should be arriving over the coming weeks. 

If you have any queries after you’ve received your letter, we’ve updated our website with information or you can contact your neighbourhood coach or a member of our income management team, via the chat on our website. 

Find out more about this year's rent review

Customer portal unavailable from Monday 4 to Monday 11 March

We will be carrying out some essential maintenance to our customer portal during February. This will mean the portal will be unavailable from Monday 4 to Monday 11 March. 

Find out more about how to make a payment or report a repair during these periods.

I'll be back with another update in a few months time, but for now all the best.

Paul Coates

Chief customer officer