services for communities rents masterclass housing management efficiencies network 23 rd november...
TRANSCRIPT
Services for Communities Rents Masterclass
Housing Management Efficiencies Network
23rd November 2010
Today’s Rent First Masterclass presenters
• Kevin Robertson, Business Manager, Senior Management Team, Services for Communities
• Stuart Orr, Revenues and Debt Manager, Service Support Unit, SfC
• Joy Campbell, Senior Officer Rents Policy & Performance, SSU, SfC
• Isla Paterson, Income Maximisation Co-ordinator, SSU, SfC
• Tracey Kelly, Rents Team Leader, South-West Neighbourhood, SfC
Introductions Kevin Robertson 10.30
Our organisation, service and performance
Stuart Orr 10.40
Policy Stuart Orr 11.00
Strategy Joy Campbell/ Stuart Orr
11.05
Procedures and Partnerships Joy Campbell 11.25
Service in Focus – Income Maximisation Isla Paterson 11.40
Service in Focus – Early Intervention Pilot Tracey Kelly 11.50
Quality Assurance Joy Campbell 12.00
Questions, Challenge, Discussion HME Network 12.15
Lunch 12.30
Projects, Staff, Current Performance Stuart, Joy 1.30
Strategy reflections and looking forward Stuart 1.50
The Rents future – roundtable discussion Kevin Robertson 2.00
End 3.00
Rents Masterclass – Programme
Performance
Quality Assurance
Customer
Projects
Staff
Procedures
Policy
Strategy
Rent Collection
Service
Challenge Discussion
Questions
Rent First
Services for Communities The Service Model
Environment Community Safety
Housing & Regeneration
SfC Senior Management
Team
Services for CommunitiesThe Neighbourhood Model
Leith/City Centre
South/West
West North
South
East
Housing Environment Community
Safety
Central Support Services
Housing and Regeneration The Service Model
Edinburgh Building Services
Strategy & Service
Support Unit
AssetManagement
Assessment Homelessness
and Support
Housing & Regeneration
Housing and RegenerationThe Service Model
Rents
Estates
Tenant Participation
Housing Advice
Homeless
Empty Homes
LocalHB
teams
Service Support
Unit
Housing and RegenerationThe Neighbourhood and Housing Stock
Leith City Centre1,800
South West5,700
West1,500
North4,000
South3,500
East3,500
Total Stock20,000
Number of
Council Homes
Rent Collection ServiceNeighbourhood & Support Services
Local N’hoodTeams36 staff
Rent QAG
Income Max
Former TenancyArrears
Policy & Performance
Court
Support Unit
11 staff
Rent Collection
Service
Rent Collection ServiceStaff Configuration, Generic/Specialist
Leith City Centre
2.5 staff
South West
10 staff
West 2.5 staff
North8 staff
South6.5 staff
East6.5 staff
Support Unit
11 staff
Rent Collection
Service
Gross Rent and Arrears
0
20,000,000
40,000,000
60,000,000
80,000,000
2001/2 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10
Year
£
Gross Rent Debit
Current Arrears
13.1% 13.1% 15.8%11.8% 9.3% 7.5% 6.6% 6% 5.4%
Net Debt %
Performance
Tenants in Serious Arrears
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
2001/2 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10
Year
No.
Current Tenancies
Number in Arrears
8.1% 6.5 9.4%7.1% 5.5% 5% 4.7% 4.6% 4.1%
% in Arrears
Performance
Cases Lodged in Court and Number of Evictions
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
2001/2 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10
Year
No.
Cases lodged in court
Evictions carried out
Performance
• Social and Financial Inclusion
• Rent Setting and Charging
• Recovery of Arrears and Eviction
• Tenant consultation and involvement
• Training and learning
• For each policy • Aim• Scope• Statement of principle• Responsibilities• Plan, do, and review
Policy
• 1st Strategy • 2003 -2006• Performance• Performance• Performance• Nod to social
inclusion
• 2nd Strategy• 2008 – 11• Informed by review of
1st and focussed research
• Ambition the mission• Rent First is born
Strategy
• Key Objectives • Prevention and social
inclusion• Maximising rental
income• Improving and
learning• Consistent Outcomes
• Service Standards• Fair and just• Customer focussed• Up to date and
improving• Working together
Strategy 2008 -11
• Other Key Points • Making payments
easier• Help and advice to
put customers in control
• How we know if what we do is right
• Other Key Points • Improving all the time• Spending the rent
money collected• Keeping tenants out
of court• The Rent First
promise
Strategy 2008 -11
• Rent Protocol• Early Advice• New and sustaining
tenancies• Taking court action
• Former tenancy arrears
• Inclusion – Advice & Support
• Revenues & Benefits• SRF/RIEN • Terminations
Procedures and Partnerships
• Income Maximisation Service
• R• R• T• T
• Other Customer Initiatives
• Mystery Shopping • Rent surveys• Rent tenants forum• Benefit Gathering• Campaigns• Tenant Led inspection
Customer - Service in Focus
• South West Early Intervention Pilot
• Engaging Tenants • Joint Working with EHAP• Finding out all the tenants
needs and issues• Affordable/Realistic
Arrangements• Changing Staff
perceptions• All possible action taken
to avoid court
• Outcomes• Closer Monitoring• Supporting tenants• Tenants
engaging/continued contact
• Sustaining Arrangements• Resolving issues
resulting in arrears• 58% less court action• 69% less evictions• Sustaining Tenancies
Service in Focus
Quality Assurance
• Analysing performance
• Quality Audits & Reviews
• Consistency
• Support & Guidance
• Continuous Improvement
• Customers/Stakeholders
• M • I
Lunch
• Major Projects • Rent Charging
System• Plain English• Write policy and
procedures• Lean
Projects
Staff
Systems Training
Housing Officer Focus Group
Rent Arrears
QAG
Rent Collection
Staff
• Money• Targets• Bids • Shared Ownership• Challenge• Diagnostic• Support to achieve
• Inclusion• Targets • Bids• Shared Ownership• Challenge • Diagnostic• Support to achieve
Performance
• Major projects accomplished
• Clear progress on several fronts
• Some red herrings• Working in the SfC
neighbourhood context
• Inclusion is as important as collection
• Early intervention the right approach
• Desire and smart working can get you places
2nd strategy reflections
• HB to become Universal or Pension Credit
• If direct payments link broken – arrears up
• HB penalties for under-occupancy and long term unemployed
• Risks to inclusion
• Service reconfiguration
• Financial assessment and advice as core business
• Partnering with employment initiatives
• More generic working• Lean embedded
What might 2012 – 2015 look like
• Rents and self assessment
• Rents and IT• Rents as Lean leaders• Rents and partnerships• Rents and reformed
welfare• Rents and staff
engagement
• Rents and getting the basics right
• Rents and Value for Money
• Rents and other landlord services
• Rents and performance• Rents and customer
engagement
The rents future – discussion topic guide