Leeds Jewish Housing Association (LJHA) staff were welcomed to Civic Hall by the city’s Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress after achieving outstanding customer survey results including an overall satisfaction rating of 86.9%.
Left to right: Mark Grandfield, Councillor Dan Cohen, Lady Mayoress Mrs Elayna Cohen and Craig Simons with LJHA staff and guests at Leeds Civic Hall.
The Regulator of Social Housing requires social housing providers to ask residents 12 standardised questions annually.
Known as Tenant Satisfaction Measures, these cover numerous aspects of the tenant experience such as the quality of homes, response time to complaints, anti-social behaviour, repairs and maintenance, home safety, communications and cleanliness.
LJHA’s latest results show the association scored well above the upper quartile in all 12 categories including ‘satisfaction with complaints’ where it smashed the benchmark figure by over 17%. In the past two years, increases across all metrics have approached or exceeded 20%.
The statement ‘LJHA treats me with fairly and with respect’ was supported by 94.1% of residents with 92.9% agreeing that communal areas were clean and well-maintained.
91.3% of respondents said they were kept informed about things that matter, with 91% expressing their satisfaction with LJHA’s positive contribution to the neighbourhood.
Other eye-catching figures include 89.4% of tenants describing their property as safe and secure, 87.3% saying they were happy with the repairs service and 85.3% describing their home as well-maintained.
Residents were also asked to provide anonymous comments about LJHA’s performance over the past 12 months.
One wrote: “They're always very nice and efficient. Whenever I've had a query, they have always come back to me. They're always so very nice and the flat is beautiful.”
Another said: “It’s a wonderful place and so kind.”
A third commented: “Everything is perfect, quick and effective.”
And a fourth stated: “I’ve moved to a three-bedroom house. The people have been really nice and I'm over the moon with them all, very friendly.”
Commenting on the survey outcome, Mark Grandfield, LJHA Chief Executive, said: “We have been on something of a journey in recent years, with continuous improvement the central theme of what has been achieved.
“LJHA was ranked in the lowest quartile for resident satisfaction just four years ago. However, following significant investment in customer service training, we have made major advances in this area and across other metrics with scores up by close to or beyond 20% in all categories over the past two years.
“This is all down to the professionalism and dedication of our staff at every level. They are a fantastic team to work with.”
Craig Simons, LJHA Director of Operations, said: “As a relatively small housing association, I believe we are punching well above our weight.
“Despite our success, we are determined to strive for even higher standards with ongoing training central to our work including ‘huddles’ run by staff taking place every two weeks.
“It was an honour to be invited to Civic Hall by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress to celebrate our achievements. They are wonderful supporters of LJHA and we were proud to spend time with them in such an impressive and historic setting.”
Addressing LJHA staff at the gathering, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen, said: “I'm very lucky in that I live in north Leeds and so I've seen at first-hand, spoken to your residents face-to-face, and witnessed in a real, meaningful way the transformation across Leeds Jewish Housing and your engagement with your residents.
“How residents view Leeds Jewish Housing, how they feel about their property, about the relationships they have with each and every one of you - the change in the quality of that relationship is palpable.
“I wanted to recognise on behalf of the city that movement, that change, that journey. We need to engage in a deeper more meaningful way, but you've done that and your residents’ lives are significantly improved because of it.
“Ultimately, that's why we're here in the jobs we do, we're here to improve the lives of residents to give safe, secure, comfortable housing, but there's so much more around that. I wanted on behalf of the city to recognise that, to thank you for that.
“Senior leadership was clear that this is not a normal level of improvement. This is dramatic, sustained and impactive. Because of that, they were clear that what we did today could not just be a normal event.
“It had to be here, it had to be in the heart of the city so that you know how valued you are by the city, and the city itself could recognise the immense work that every single person in this room - from the most senior leader to the most junior member of staff - has undertaken to improve lives for your residents, for our community, for our city.”