We are always listening, learning and improving!

Last updated: May 2023

Using the Housing Ombudsman’s spotlight report about Anti-social Behaviour (ASB), we are reviewing our Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Policy.

We are looking to provide more detail on how to deal with low level neighbour disputes and to introduce a way to assess if the case needs to be dealt with as ASB or under our neighbourhood management policy.

The updated version will be available on our website this summer and you can access the latest version of our ASB policy, click here.

Update from December 2022

The Housing Ombudsman recently featured anti-social behaviour as one of their spotlight reports.

We have reviewed this report and are currently looking at any changes we may need to implement. We will update this page with more information in the coming weeks. In addition to this, we are continuing to use ASB telephone surveys to understand how well we are handling cases and to help tackle dissatisfaction at an early stage.

Last updated: August 2022

We recognise the need to keep customers informed, and this includes any changes that take place relating to any anti-social behaviour (ASB) cases. To make sure this is happening, we have introduced an ASB telephone survey to understand how well we are handling cases and to help tackle dissatisfaction at an early stage.

Our recent survey results show that 67% of those that were surveyed between April 2022 and August 2022 agreed they were kept up to date throughout their ASB case.

We will continue to survey throughout the rest of the year to monitor this service.

Last updated: May 2023

We are continuing to work closely with Pinnacle, our main cleaning contractor, to deliver the level of service we set out in our communal standards.

As part of this, Pinnacle has recently recruited a set of new cleaners and has been replenishing their cleaning equipment. We are pleased to see this already making a difference, as evidenced by the feedback from a satisfied customer.

“Thrive has listened and acted on my feedback. We now have a new cleaner in our block and the service has improved significantly.”

Find out about the latest actions we are taking to improve the service. 

Update from December 2022

We share your disappointment with the communal cleaning service. Your feedback tells us you're not happy with the cleaning service, so we recently asked if you wanted us to appoint a new contractor now or in 12 months' time.

67.3% of customers told us they would rather keep the existing contract for another 12 months. This decision means we are unlikely to see an improvement in the quality of the existing service, but we will continue to monitor it closely and make sure that we claim credits where required.

If you would like to be part of this, sign up to be a Customer Voice member and we’ll be in touch with details on how you can be involved.

Find out about the latest actions we are taking to improve the service. 

Last updated: May 2023

We have been reviewing how we handle complaints by regularly looking at the latest Housing Ombudsman recommendations in their spotlight reports.

As a result of these reviews, we:

• have enhanced our process for dealing with damp and mould cases
• are reviewing our approach to dealing with Anti-social Behaviour (ASB)
• provided internal training and workshops to look at how we can improve customer experience.

We will keep reviewing the Housing Ombudsman’s best practice advice to make sure we handle complaints in the best way possible.

Learn more about our complaints process and give feedback

Update from December 2022

In October, 100% of customers surveyed agreed that Thrive Homes staff understood their complaint. We are pleased to learn this, as understanding where things have gone wrong gives us a better chance of putting things right.

We want to be transparent with you, so when we communicate our way of putting things right, we will also share the Housing Ombudsman’s guidance with you. We hope that by sharing this it will give you confidence that  we are dealing with your complaint consistently and fairly.

Learn more about our complaints process and give feedback

Last updated: May 2023

Our Grounds Maintenance contractor, Chequers, is currently working to bring sites up to standard before the busy growing and grass cutting season begins.

You can find out what the grounds maintenance team is focusing on and any changes to the service by clicking here.

After a few delays, we’re pleased to tell you that your cleaning and grounds maintenance schedules will be online in the coming weeks. We’ll let you know when they are ready to view!

Update from November 2022

Your Grounds Maintenance service is currently in full operation. Due to the heavy rainfall and snow over the last few weeks, final grass cuttings have been delayed. We are working towards attending every site before the end of December.

In October, customer satisfaction for keeping communal areas clean and well-maintained increased by 7%.

We are still working on a solution to share the grounds maintenance schedules with you online and will be in touch to let you know when you can access them!

Update from September 2022

Your feedback helps us improve our services, so we have carried out a survey to understand where the service is doing well and where it could improve.

There was an increased response rate for this, with up to 20% of customers responding. The data we received shows differences for different types of homes, buildings and estate layouts. We will now look at using this data to ensure that our contractors have a consistent approach to services across our stock, also bearing in mind that different stock may need slightly different approaches.  

Accessing information on demand 

We're still working on a solution to share the cleaning and grounds maintenance schedules with you online so you know when visits are due and when the service has been carried out. We’re pleased to say these will be available by Autumn 2022 and we will be in touch to let you know when you can access them!

If you're looking for an overview of what to expect from the grounds maintenance service, this is available for you to view, download or print on our website at: thrivehomes.org.uk/communalstandards

Keeping you informed of any changes to the service is important to us, so we've created a page to provide you with the latest service status too.

Last updated: May 2023

Thrive Customer Voice members recently completed a survey about our repairs service and shared how important it is to keep you informed. We’re taking action by:

• making sure you know when we will contact you to schedule a repair appointment after you report an issue
• improving the messages you receive when booking a repair and giving you the option to receive text messages if you prefer
• checking our phone conversations to make sure you receive all the information needed about your repair and the next steps. We will provide additional training to our colleagues if needed
• giving you 24 hours’ notice (where possible) if we need to cancel your appointment
• reminding our engineers and contractors to let you know when they are on their way
• letting you know the time and date that we’ll return to carry out further works (if required), before we leave

To make sure our actions are making a difference; we plan to ask customers about their repair experiences in the coming months and we look forward to hearing their feedback.

Update from November 2022

In October, customer satisfaction increased by 8%. Whilst this is positive, we know there is still room for improvement.

You’ve told us that our contractors don’t always keep you informed, so we’ve been holding training sessions with our key contractors on our values and the ways they interact with our customers.

Knowing how important this is, we are planning to review this area in the coming months with our Thrive Customer Voice members.

If you would like to be part of this, sign up to be a Customer Voice member and we’ll be in touch with details on how you can be involved.

Find out about the latest actions we are taking to improve the service.

Update from September 2022

Your recent feedback tells us that our contractors don’t always keep you informed, this is an area we are looking at reviewing in the coming months with our Thrive Customer Voice members.

Last updated: May 2023

Warm and efficient homes

You told us you’re interested in hearing about what we are doing to improve the energy efficiency of our homes.

We’re pleased to share that we’ve now added external wall insulation to 24 homes with a further 58 to be completed by June!

This is just the beginning as we’ve now secured further funding to make more homes easier to heat and reduce energy use. Our properties with the poorest energy performance will be prioritised first. We’ll be in touch later this year with those eligible to schedule a survey and get the ball rolling on this exciting project!

We're always assessing our properties to identify other areas for improvement (such as kitchens, bathrooms, windows, and roof works) through our Home Plan visits and will make sure to keep you informed if your home is included in our upcoming projects.

A quality repairs and maintenance service

We have now reviewed applications to choose a new secondary repairs contractor to support our in-house repairs team and carry out kitchen and bathroom upgrades.

We know it’s important to you that we choose a contractor that will be dedicated to keeping you informed about your appointments and carries out works to our standards.

We’re just finalising the final details of the contract and hope to share details of the contractor with you in June. Stay tuned!

Update from November 2022

We know it is a priority for our customers to cut energy use whilst keeping their home warm. This year, we have allocated an extra £1million towards improving the energy efficiency of our properties.

The cavity wall insulation programme has been completed and our contractors are continuing to assess customers lofts and loft hatches, to install insulation where possible.

We are also looking at installing low energy lighting where we can.

Our next programme of works will be external wall insulation, starting immanently with the first 82 properties. We have met with residents included in the first phase of the programme to provide more information about the works and are also seeking funding for further upgrades.

Click here to find out more about the programme.

Last updated: May 2023

We want every Thrive customer to have all the information they need when they move into their new home. That's why we're actively working with our colleagues across the business to understand what customers need to know about on day one. This also helps us make sure we’re meeting regulatory requirements, such as to provide important fire safety information when moving in so customers know what to do in the event of an emergency.

As part of this we will be reviewing and updating all the information that new customers receive. We're determined to complete this work by 2024 so that every new customer can feel fully informed and confident when they move into their Thrive Home.

April 2022

To ensure we are following our process correctly and fairly, we have introduced a telephone survey to understand how you find the process and where we can improve.

Survey responses to date have highlighted that we are not carrying out agreed actions in a timely manner. Going forward, part of our process will involve working on a clear action plan with customers which will detail any next steps and when they will be completed.

These action plans are being monitored by our complaints team to ensure that they are met.

February 2022

We reviewed our complaints process to ensure it is fair and your voice is heard. As a result, we have made some changes and we have trained our colleagues on the new process.

Last updated: October 2022

To improve your experience of us dealing with your complaint, we’ve been looking at the way we handle complex cases where matters relate to more than one department or service. 

Our complaints coordinator now oversees complex cases to pull all findings into one response and act as an impartial reviewer. This is making sure you receive a full response that is fair, on time and clear.

Learn more about our complaints process and give feedback

July 2022

You said: sometimes we don't keep to our promises to call you back when we said we would.

We are: ensuring that if your query can't be answered at first point of contact, we will arrange an appointment to call you back so you know exactly when we will be in touch.

You said: there are times that repairs are outstanding and you have to contact us for an update.

We are: using a report to make sure all open repairs are monitored closely and that customers are kept updated. Customers can expect to hear from us within three working days of a non-urgent repair being reported.

July 2022:

We’re committed to maintaining our homes and their components.  We aim to carry out major works (such as window replacements or new kitchens and bathrooms) in line with the expected lifespan of the component as recorded on our database. Examples of typical component lifespans include:

• Kitchens – 20 years
• Bathrooms 30 years
• Windows and doors – 30 years
• Boilers - 15 years
• Radiators - 30 years

You said: When customers request information on their component replacement date, if the resident disagrees with the data held on file, physical or digital inspections should take place.

We are: ensuring that physical inspections now take place when customers request an upgrade is carried out before the end of the expected lifespan to assess the condition of the component.

Regardless of the expected lifespan, Thrive aims to carry out a condition survey for all properties every five years. It’s at this point that upgrades could be brought forward or pushed back depending on the condition and compliance of the component(s).   

May 2022

Listening to your feedback, we know you would like a mobile app solution to manage your account online.

The reason we removed the myThrive app is because it could only be used on smartphones with the latest updates. This meant that customers with older phones or those that prefer to use a tablet, would not be able to use it. 

This is a common issue with mobile apps, so we opted for a mobile enabled website. This means it can be used by any device with an internet connection, regardless of the age of your phone. 

We know some find it convenient to have a button on your phone to access the myThrive hub, instead of having to visit a website first. If this is you, we have good news! 

We have added some instructions for you to save the myThrive hub as an icon on your smartphone or tablet, meaning you can access it easily from your home screen like other mobile applications.

Find out more at: portal.thrivehomes.org.uk/saveasmobileapp

In October 2021, we also changed the layout of the statements view so that your balance and payments information is clearly displayed on a mobile device. 

Last updated: September 2022

Each year, we spend around £3.5 million upgrading our homes. In our recent Thrive Customer Voice activity, members told us they were most interested in hearing about these upgrades in our Annual Report. Acting on your feedback, we included this information in our Annual Report which you can view here: thrivehomes.org.uk/annualreport.

We know it is a priority for our customers to cut energy use whilst keeping their home warm. This year, we have allocated an extra £1million towards improving the energy efficiency of our properties. We have now completed the cavity wall insulation programme where possible, and our next focus will be on loft and external wall insulation.

Last updated: September 2022

We want to be able to handle your queries at first point of contact. Listening to your feedback, we have now scheduled training to take place with our customer services team twice a year so that they are able to assist with rent and service charge enquiries straight away. 

Have you got a suggestion for us to improve our services? We'd love to hear from you! 

Click here to give feedback!

Last updated: September 2022

We are proud to deliver quality, well maintained homes. When things go wrong, we work hard to put it right and provide customers with a clear action plan.

Customers should all be provided with a clear action plan detailing any remedial works and when they will be carried out and completed.

We want to be accountable for service failures and we are committed to putting things right. Where repairs haven’t gone to plan, we encourage customers to give feedback so that we can look to carry out remedial works.

Following recent complaints feedback, we have identified that some appointments for remedial works are not being honoured as originally scheduled. This is because our planning teams have been unable to differentiate between routine works and remedial works following a complaint.

We understand how frustrating this may be to customers, so we have made a change to our planning system to make it clearer for our colleagues to identify when a scheduled appointment is for remedial works following a complaint. This enables us to make sure that these appointments are kept and prioritised over other non-urgent routine works