Major works
The Capital Works team is responsible for delivering a wide range of major works across our properties and estates. It works with our strategic construction partners, Wates and United Living, to deliver these schemes.
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What the team does
The team delivers the HRA (Housing Revenue Account) yearly Capital Programme. These include:
- estate-based regeneration such as the £120m Heath Town programme
- the high-rise infrastructure and building safety programme, such as the schemes at Merry Hill and Graiseley
- the whole house retrofit programme to our non-traditional housing stock
- the major empty homes refurbishment scheme (400 per year)
- the internal Decency standard programme (kitchen and bathroom replacements)
- the roofing programme
- the gas boiler replacement programme (900 per year)
- the medium-rise estate improvements
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How this benefits customers
The team’s work provides customers with safe homes that meet the Decent Homes standard. It also undertakes a raft of fire safety works at high rise blocks and completes thermal efficiency works to the non-traditional housing stock, ensuring they are warm and energy efficient.
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What customers can expect
Tenants have their bathrooms and kitchens replaced every 15-20 years as part of a planned programme of works.
Through the demand-led programme, if a customer raises a report about a major repair needed and the WH inspector agrees to the replacement kitchen and/or bathroom, the team will include this within the programme. When works start we will aim for the work to be completed in 25 days.
The team works to a 60-day deadline to ensure empty homes, requiring major works, are ready for the next tenant.
If a works programme is planned, the team visits each customer and sends letters to affected customers 28 days, 14 days and seven days prior to works starting. This ensures that vulnerable customers can be identified and supported.
The team responds to any customer issues or complaints during works within 24 hours – often on the same day.
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How we measure success
Wates and United Living have key performance indicators (KPIs) that they must achieve to ensure we continue having high levels of customer satisfaction while works are ongoing.
The team also undertakes customer satisfaction surveys, and the data are analysed every quarter.
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How we continue to improve
The team analyses the customer satisfaction survey data every quarter and identifies any opportunities to see where improvements can be made, based on customer feedback.
The team keeps up to date with all best practice and legislation relating to fire safety, building regulations and policy updates and learns from feedback.
It is actively reviewing how it can reduce the number of days teams can turnaround the replacement of kitchens and bathrooms, while maintaining high standards, and is working to turnaround the refurbishment of empty homes faster.
- How the team's work fits within the Consumer Standards