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Grounds Maintenance

26/03/2025

March 2025

Welcome to your latest update on the communal grounds maintenance service!

Our current contract with Chequers is coming to an end and Groundscapes will be taking over as our new grounds maintenance provider from April 1st. We are working closely with Groundscapes to ensure a seamless transition from our previous contactor and will continue to monitor progress through regular site visits.

You can find out more about our new contracts here: thrivehomes.org.uk/new-cleaning-and-gm

Chequers may begin carrying out the first grass cut of the season which is due to resume over the next few weeks. Groundscapes will start grass cutting from April once the new contract is underway. Groundscapes will also be carrying out tree surveys to identify and prioritise trees which need work done to them over the coming months once.

Interested in becoming a block representative? As a block rep, you’ll join our team on inspections to report back on things like the quality of cleaning and grounds maintenance and any issues within communal areas around your home. For more information email: enquires@thrivehomes.org.uk or call us on 0800 917 6077.

  • Monitoring visits

    As we did with Chequers, our team will have access to the Groundscapes portal so we can see when visits have taken place and view any work notes and photographs of the standard. This helps us to hold the contractor to account and monitor visits more closely.

  • Listening to your feedback

    While we go through the mobilisation period with the new contract, we’re working closely with Groundscapes to ensure a seamless transition. We're also continuing to act on your feedback and working hard to make sure these services meet our standard. 

    We are happy for customers join us on site visits where we can. This way we can address your concerns whilst we’re on site. If you’d like to join one of the team on their visit, simply let us know and we’ll let you know when we’re popping by.

    Listening to your feedback, it’s clear you want to hear how we’ll make sure our current service meets our standards. As part of this, we are continuing to:

    • have regular meetings with the contractor so we can tackle any emerging issues and keep you informed early on
    • monitor visits, including carrying out spot checks. Listening to your feedback on areas to improve, we’ll be checking that contractors tidy up behind themselves, hedges are cut and that plants are not destroyed as part of grass cutting
    • encourage consistent communication across all grounds maintenance staff so service standards and behaviours are consistent across all sites and visits.
    • share Thrive’s policies and carry out structured training for grounds maintenance staff, including an induction and shadowing to make sure the standards on site are understood and being met. This will also help make sure staff understand the chemicals and equipment they are using, and that they have the correct horticultural knowledge of beds and shrubs
    • carry out an estate inspection of each block every three months. Where there are problem sites, we increase these inspections to monthly or weekly where necessary.

    Your feedback helps us keep things on track. You can see exactly when the cleaners will be visiting and what tasks they'll be completing online at: thrivehomes.org.uk/my-home-info.

  • Your grounds maintenance calendar

    Groundscapes is currently working on the new schedules for when our new contract starts in April, and we will publish these as soon as they are available. Please note there may be some changes from the previous schedule.

    To give feedback on any previous visits had to: thrivehomes.org.uk/my-home-info

    We're always happy to hear from you, so if you have feedback to share with us about the service in general or if there is anything you’d like to hear about in my updates, visit: thrivehomes.org.uk/feedback 

We're always happy to hear from you, so if you have feedback to share with us about the service in general or if there is anything you’d like to hear about in my updates, visit: thrivehomes.org.uk/feedback

Adrian Anstee | Senior Estates Officer