As part of creating our new organisation – Notting Hill Genesis – we’re introducing a new way of working with you. The new model puts you at the centre of what we do and aims to ensure that we make the most of modern automated technologies, alongside personalised support, so that we can deliver our services in ways that suit your individual needs and lifestyles.
We’ll be introducing the new model in phases between now and February 2020 and will let you know directly when your area switches over and what you need to do to make the most of the service.
The first boroughs to transfer are Newham and Westminster on Monday 30 September. If you live in either of those areas, you’ll now have a named housing officer (if you are renting) or property management officer (PMO) (if you are a leaseholder), who will act as your first point of contact for all queries. In most cases, calls will be automatically diverted to colleagues in our customer service centre if officers are unavailable, which means you should always be able to speak to someone if you need to.
You’ll also be able to sign up to our online My Account service, where you’ll be able to manage a range of issues relating to your tenancy or home yourself. For example, you’ll be able to raise and track repairs, manage payments and check your balance through My Account. The system also sends automatic notifications to remind you when payments are due to help prevent you falling into arrears.
If you live in Newham or Westminster, you should receive a letter or email with further details during October, so please look out for that.
Learning from your experiences
The introduction of the new model follows a six-month trial in Tower Hamlets, where our head of region Debbie Smith has been working closely with teams in the pilot.
“The trialling teams and their residents in Tower Hamlets have been really helpful in shaping our new model to help us deliver a meaningful and effective service,” says Debbie. “Thank you to everyone who’s been in touch or has come along to one of our open days to share your experiences and provide useful feedback.”
My Account is also providing popular with those residents who are already able to use it.
“The response from residents has been really positive,” says housing officer Kira Curtis-Howard. “They’ve told me they enjoy having more control over their repairs and their rent accounts. It also means I have more time to get out and about meeting residents.”
The new model has been developed in line with feedback from the resident consultation we conducted at the time of our merger in spring 2018 and will be crucial to fulfilling the commitments of our resident promise.