Over the past year, resident complaints have highlighted concerns over the way our contractors behave in their homes.
Among the most common complaints is instances of contractors failing to show up to scheduled appointments on time, or at all, or failing to communicate any changes quickly.
But there are other criticisms we need to tackle, such as contractors arriving without proper identification, being rude to residents, leaving a mess behind or even causing damage while they are there.
Language barriers and health and safety concerns have also been raised, with some of you claiming areas of work in your homes have been left hazardous.
Our contractors are representing us when they enter your homes. Both you and us are trusting them with the responsibility of ensuring everyone feels safe and comfortable living there and we expect our contractors to take that responsibility seriously.
We know the behaviour and professionalism of contractors goes a long way to shaping your experience and your opinion of us, and as such we are simplifying our code of conduct so the demands and expectations on contractors are clear for both you and them.
Download the updated Code of Conduct
This revised code emphasises the importance of factors such as displaying appropriate identification, maintaining cleanliness and respecting your privacy. Our contractors will be signing up to this code before they work with us.
We have approached a number of residents who submitted complaints for their views on our code of conduct, while also receiving input from our asset management scrutiny group. Thank you to everyone who took part, whether that was in person, over the telephone or in writing, as your feedback has had a direct influence on the shaping of these new guidelines.
It was clear from our discussions that this updated code of conduct must be reinforced through robust contract management and high standards being demanded of our contractors. One of the ways discussed to help hold contractors accountable was the potential to include financial penalties within our contracts for those who don’t meet the high standards expected of them. Elements of this will now be built into the way we assess contractor performance in future.
If you are interested in having your say on the services we provide we have a wide range of opportunities for you to get involved.
