See inside... for more information

Transcription

1 See inside... for more information Meeting the requirements of the Scottish Social Housing Charter

2 2 FOREWORD BY THE CHAIRPERSON I am delighted to introduce our 28th Annual Report incorporating our fifth report on the key results from the Scottish Social Housing Charter. Members of the residents panel and staff put in a considerable amount of time in 2015 to identify what information might be of most interest to you, as well as what format and layout would be most attractive and easy to read. This seems to have paid off as the feedback we received in both 2015 and 2016 was very positive. We have therefore followed the same format again this year as always, we would welcome your views on the report... whether or not they are positive! Rental income is an important issue for both the Association and our tenants. The past few years have seen many of our tenants affected by reductions in welfare benefits, low and zero hours contracts and delays in receiving benefits when moving onto Universal Credit many more people will start to move to Universal Credit from December this year. In recognition of this, we listened to the feedback from tenants regarding the annual rent increase and again limited our annual rent increase to inflation only. We know that this won t take away the financial pressures many tenants are facing, it is hoped that it will at least help. Investment continued throughout the financial year of 2017/18 with bathroom replacements and we installed new fencing at properties in Airgold Drive and Ledmore Drive to make the front gardens more private. We had very good feedback from tenants and we were very happy with the contractors who carried out the work. Our replacement programme continues on track in the current year, with new kitchens and boilers just about to start at Lochgoin Avenue. The Linkwood development is now on site and good progress is being made! There are 134 houses in total, many with back and front doors, and there is a good proportion of much needed family housing. The properties will have solar panels and we hope this will result in lower heating bills for the residents. When they are completed, we will acquire 36 and the remaining 98 will be retained by Glasgow Housing Association. I would like to thank the Management Committee for their time and commitment throughout the year. We continue to have a strong Committee with a good mix of people I am grateful to each of them for all the time they ve given up on a completely voluntary basis to help ensure that the Association is managed well now and in the future. I also want to thank all our staff for their hard work throughout the year and would like to welcome Duncan McKnight and Tony Birmingham as permanent staff members and a number of temporary staff who have helped us in recent months Charlie Charlton, Mandy Devlin, Maureen Faulds, Ellen McGeechan, Lizi O Rourke and Sarah Wilson. We said goodbye to Elaine Bannerman and Gavin Burt. Last but no means least, a very big thanks to you our members and tenants for supporting us during the year and for your continued support for the period ahead. Susan McDonald MBE

3 Introduction The Association is now in its fifth year of reporting on the Annual Return on the Charter (ARC for short). Each year every landlord must complete an ARC and submit this to the Scottish Housing Regulator. We then take steps to ensure that the key results in the ARC are reported to tenants. This report will detail the Association s performance across different standards and outcomes and will be compared to the Quality & Efficiency Forum (QEF) benchmarking group. The group comprises 26 registered social landlords, mainly from Glasgow and the west of Scotland. The report is divided into 5 different sections and includes the performance indicators that we must report on. It covers the period 1st April 2017 to the 31st March Customer/Landlord Relationship: Equalities Communication Participation Housing Quality and Maintenance Quality of housing Repairs, maintenance & improvement Neighbourhood and Community Estate management, anti-social behaviour, neighbour nuisance & tenancy disputes Access to Housing and Support Housing Options Access to social housing Tenancy sustainment Getting Value from Rents and Service Charges Value for money Rents and Service charges In August 2015, MI Housing Services Ltd carried out face-to-face surveys of Cernach Housing Association tenants and owners. The survey was designed to enable the Association to seek the views of its tenants and owners on the overall satisfaction with services provided, and to be able to report what you think about us to the Scottish Housing Regulator. 388 face-to-face tenant interviews and 65 owner interviews were carried out and the overall results were extremely positive. Throughout the year, our Housing Officers also carry out our own face-to-face interviews in order to get an up to date assessment of your opinions of our services. The survey results also formed a large part of our ARC, which we submitted to the Regulator in May Tenant Participation Our Residents Scrutiny Panel is still very much involved in the review process of our policies and procedures. The panel are given opportunities to make comments and discuss policies prior to them being approved by our Management Committee. We would like to say a big thank you to all of our Residents Panel members for their time and contribution towards the review process of our policies throughout the year. We are always looking for new members to join our group, and if you are interested please get in touch with the office to find out more information. 3

4 Planned Maintenance What took place in 2017/18: Fencing This year we followed on from the previous year s fencing at Airgold Drive which we carried out in response to tenants request: New metal fencing to frontage and garden divisions was therefore erected at Ledmore Drive in June As part of our overall fencing programme, we also carried out work to install metal fencing to rear garden lane and garden divisions, where necessary, at tenanted properties between 4-22 Ledmore Drive. The work also included replacement with metal fencing of the much vandalised fencing at corner of Ledmore Drive and Linkwood Drive.This work was carried out in March We also completed rear garden area division fencing and lane fencing renewals to Ledmore Drive, where required, also in March All of the metal fencing work was carried out by CTM Fabrications Ltd Painting External painting and internal close decoration was completed by our contractor Bell Group in October at Fettercairn Ave, 81, 83 Fettercairn Ave and 52 Katewell Ave. Thriving Places: Living in Drumchapel Community Budgeting As many of you will know, Cernach Housing Association is the anchor organisation for the Thriving Places project in Drumchapel which creates dialogue with people who live and work locally and use their knowledge about how to shape the community and integrate new ideas and services. The Community Connector, Ted Scanlon, has held many events throughout the year including decision making events for awarding funding to community projects. These community budgeting events have led to even more money for the Drumchapel area to be awarded next year! Why not head along to more Community Budgeting events in the next year and see which of the projects you find most worthwhile and vote for what YOU want in YOUR area. Total funding NHS Research Community Budget Thriving Places 4 Consultation We would encourage all of our customers to be involved in community events ran by Thriving Places which have included; Burns night, Valentine s Day and St. Patricks Day celebrations, cooking demonstrations, lunches and Tea Dances. These were in order to speak to as many residents as possible to feed into a huge consultation about many areas of living in Drumchapel. The full report is available on request, but some of the issues discussed include the Shopping Centre, possible uses for empty land and employment opportunities. The report makes many recommendations but only through the support of the community can these be realised! A selection of Events that Thriving Places Supported St. Patricks Day Rabbie Burns Day Pancake Tuesday Valentines Day Mothers Day AFFIT! Family Day Cooking Demo

5 Thriving Places: Living in Drumchapel (cntd) Community Hub The new Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland charity shop opened in Drumchapel Shopping Centre earlier this year. Part of this vibrant and attractive shop includes the Thriving Places Hub which moved there from their old premises in May. This hub welcomes all members of the Drumchapel community who want to pop in for a chat about their area, find out some activities locally and find out more about the Thriving Places project and how they can help. Best of all it has free Tea! So head on over to the shop and speak to Ted, who can help you be a part of improving Drumchapel. Housing Management Our Gross Arrears of equates to 2.56% of the total rent due for the financial year. The Quality Efficiency Forum had an average of 3.58%. The table below shows that we have collected % of the total rent due. Our performance in this area is better than our peers in the QEF who have an average of 99.27%. Performance Measures Cernach Performance Average QEF Performance Rent collected as percentage of total rent due in the reporting year % 99.27% Gross rent arrears (all tenants) as at 31 March each year as a percentage of rent due for the reporting year 2.56% 3.58% Voids and Allocations Void loss is when a property is empty and we do not receive rental income. To maximise our income we aim to minimise void loss. In 2017/18 the Association lost 3,851 of rent through properties being empty. As a result we lost 0.13% of our total rental income for the year 2017/18 due to void properties. It took us an average of 8.16 days to re-let empty properties the QEF average is days!! Percentage of lets by source of let Figure 1: percentage of lets by source of let Did you know that 95.45% of our tenants were satisfied with the standard of their home when moving in? This is a huge improvement on last year s figure of 78.38% and better than the average of the QEF group which is 90.79%. We are always looking to improve our performance and welcome any comments from our new tenants on what we can do to improve. Our Housing Officers carry out 6 week home visits to all new tenants to ensure they are happy with our service and to answer any questions they may have about the Association or their tenancy. 5

6 6 The Customer Landlord Relationship Welfare Benefit Advice Cernach HA provides a Welfare Benefit Advice Service on a Wednesday of each week to our tenants as well as a Debt and Money Advice Service on a Thursday. The service helps customers receive the benefits they are entitled to, carrying out benefit checks, supporting tenants with submitting claims, challenging decisions and pursuing appeals. The Welfare Benefit Advisors help to ensure our customers can afford to pay their rent and other bills, and so sustain their tenancies. Over the last financial year, this service has brought financial gains to our tenants of 141, Here s how the Debt Advice Service benefitted one of our tenants... The client resides with his partner and two children and his partner is currently expecting another child. They are in receipt of Income Based Employment Support Allowance. The client s partner receives Personal Independence Payment, and they receive Child Tax Credits. The client visited with an issue with Debt and required some assistance in managing their finances. The client s problems arose when they moved into their current home at the beginning of the year and failed to notify their creditors of the change of address. The client was unsure of how many debts he had and whom they were due to. He thought that quite a few of the debts dated back a few years. The client and his partner would like to take control of their outgoings and make arrangements to start clearing the debts and improving their credit file. We then advised the client on how he could find out details of his creditors. We provided instructions on obtaining a credit report from the three main credit references agencies. It was discussed with the client that if some of his debts are over a certain period they may be time barred and we would explore this issue further once in receipt of the credit reference reports. The client has returned for several visits and we are in the process of negotiating repayment arrangements with the client s creditors at a suitable rate taking into consideration his financial circumstances. The client also reports that he is now purchased a TV licence. The case is still ongoing but the client has reported back how he feels much more confident in dealing with his debts and doesn t have to avoid incoming phone calls or letters. The client was also happy that he managed to avoid any legal action or sanction by purchasing a TV licence and that the cost of this was taken into account as essential expenditure. This shows that the advice and work carried out by the Welfare Benefit Advice staff is needed and represents another value for money service provided by Cernach. Did you know 100% of our tenants stated they were very or fairly satisfied with our overall quality of services? This is a great improvement on last year s figure of 96.95% and we want to keep this up! Why not join our residents panel and contribute to the work of the association and make sure our standards match your expectations. You can compare how we measured against last year s results and the average QEF in the graph below. Satisfaction with our overall quality of services Figure 2: % of tenants satisfied with the overall quality of services 100% of our tenants felt we were good at keeping them informed about our services and decisions. This is above the QEF average of 95.35% % of our tenants were satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord s decision making processes. This was above the average QEF performance of 92.58%.

7 7 The Customer Landlord Relationship (cntd) Complaints Performance We welcome and value complaints as we want to understand and learn why customers are unhappy. 100% of our 1st and 2nd stage complaints were responded to in full in the last year within the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) Model Complaint Handling Procedure (CHP) timescales. The QEF average was also 100%. This is an excellent continuation of last year s performance and we hope to continue to deliver timely responses to complaints. 46% of our 1st stage complaints were upheld and 100% of our 2nd stage complaints were upheld. You can make complaints online through our website, over the telephone, in the office and in writing to the Association. For a copy of our Complaints Summary Policy please contact our office. Housing Quality and Maintenance Did you know we completed non-emergency repairs in an average of 2.46 working days? The average QEF Performance is 4.38 days. We are proud to report that we are in the top quartile of the QEF group. How Satisfied are you overall with the repairs service provided by Cernach? The Association had a total of 1,895 nonemergency repairs reported in 2017/18. Our average length of time taken to complete emergency repairs in 2017/18 was under an hour (0.82hrs to be exact!) We are pleased to report that we are below the average QEF Performance of 2.49hrs. The Association has exceeded its target of 2 hours and is very pleased with the great response time of our contractors to complete emergency repairs. Did you know 100% of our tenants were satisfied with the repairs service? This is a great result and we encourage all tenants to give us feedback on our repairs service and quality wherever possible! Figure 3: % of tenants satisfied with the repairs service benchmarked against QEF The chart to the riight highlights how we performed against the average QEF performance. We exceeded our target of 3 working days for non -emergency repairs We carried out a total of 324 emergency repairs in 2017/18

8 8 Housing Quality and Maintenance (cntd) Did you know we had 1,722 reactive repairs completed in 2017/18 (eligible for right first time) % of our reactive repairs carried out in the last year were completed right first time. This can be compared to the average QEF Performance of 92.46%. Did you know that in 2017/18 we received 19 medical adaptations applications? We approved and completed all of these applications. It took us an average time of 31.9 days to complete approved applications for medical adaptations.. A medical adaptation is a collective term for a broad range of products (including assistive technology) and changes to the fabric of a building that enables people of all ages to carry out ordinary, daily activities that have been affected by: impairment; ill health; traumatic injury; or ageing % of our stock met the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS). This was above the average QEF result of 92% 100% of our properties were at or above the appropriate NHER (National Home Energy Rating) or SAP (standard assessment procedure) ratings specified in element 35 of the SHQS, as at 31 March each year. This can be compared to the average QEF performance of 75%. We carried out 99.87% of gas safety inspections in 2017/18. These were all completed within 12 months of the previous inspections. We are pleased to report our performance was above the average QEF performance of 99.8%.

9 9 Neighbourhood and Community Estate Management, Anti Social Behaviour and Sustainment We were pleased that 96.3% of our tenants were satisfied with the management of the neighbourhood they live in. You can see in the chart how we compare with the average QEF performance. How satisfied are you with the management of the neighbourhood you live in? Again this year the main area of dissatisfaction related to the bulk uplift service, bin collections and litter which services are all provided by Glasgow City Council. Our 2015 tenant satisfaction survey highlighted that 30% of tenants surveyed either did not know who was responsible for the bulk uplift service or believed the Association was responsible. The Association continues to work with Glasgow City Council (GCC) and raise awareness to our own tenants of the council services. The Association always strive to assist GCC where possible with their enforcement of laws related to improper disposal of waste. Did you know that in 2017/18 we received 24 complaints of neighbour nuisance and anti-social behaviour (ASB)? 100% of our ASB cases were resolved within the timescale. Figure 5: % of tenants satisfied with the management of neighbourhood

10 10 Access to Housing and Support Did you know that 32 properties became available for let in 2017/2018? Unfortunately, demand for our properties exceeds supply. We currently have 1584 applicants on our waiting list. This was due to the introduction of the Glasgow Housing Register which launched in May In 2017/18 we had 32 properties that became available for let which is 4.8% of our housing stock. Our average time to let a property was 9.16 days over the course of 2017/18. We had no offers refused during the year 2017/ % of Cernach tenants were satisfied with the quality of their home when they moved in. 100% of our new tenancies to existing tenants (transfers) were sustained for more than a year. 80% of our new tenancies to homeless applicants were sustained for more than a year. 92% of our new tenancies to housing list applicants were sustained for more than a year. New Homes in 2019 Cernach is delighted to be building 36 new homes for social rent on Airgold Drive, Ardhu Place and Invercanny Drive. Work started in November 2017 as part of a larger 134 home joint development with Glasgow Housing Association, known as Linkwood Drive. The Association s 4.8m investment is supported by grant from Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government. A range of house types will be provided, including semi-detached and terraced houses for families, alongside smaller cottage flats and homes designed for wheelchair users. The new houses will be available to rent in You can see a rough mock-up of what one style of the new homes will look like here. Looking ahead, the Association hopes to develop a further 48 houses on the adjacent site.

11 11 Good Value from rents and service charges Did you know 97.5% of tenants felt their rent represented good value for money? This is above the QEF average performance of 84% and an improvement on our figure from last year of 96.18%. You can see below how we compare to the average QEF performance. Taking account of your home & the service you receive, do you think your rent represents good value for money? Figure 6: Percentage of tenants that think the rent represents good value for money 83.1% of our factored owners stated they were very or fairly satisfied with the factoring service provided by Cernach. We are pleased to say this is well above the QEF average of 62.5%.

12 Financial Highlights For Annual Report 2017/18 Income & Expenditure Account For Year Ended 31st March 2018 PROFIT & LOSS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR TO 31ST MARCH A non-accountant s guide to the accounts Turnover 3,736,449 3,644,600 Income from rents, factoring etc. Operating Costs -2,558,125-2,450,359 Costs of management & maintenance of houses,etc. Operating Surplus 1,180,324 1,194,241 Surplus on sale of housing stock 0-18,468 Surplus made on houses sold under Right To Buy. Right to Buy has now ended Release of negative goodwill 55,575 61,158 An amount of Negative Goodwill released to reserves. Interest Receivable 15,706 19,661 Interest earned on money invested. Interest Payable -57,508-62,505 Interest paid on loans Other Finance Charges - 1,144-25,452 Changes In amount owed to Pension Company Net Surplus For Year 1,192,953 1,168,635 Amount left after deducting all expenses. Reserves Brought Forward 8,191,437 7,022,802 Accumulated reserves from previous years. TOTAL REVENUE RESERVES 9,384,390 8,191,437 Accumulated reserves per Statement of Financial Position STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31ST MARCH Non-Current Assets Housing Properties - Depreciated Cost ,628,204 23,174,741 Net cost of houses owned. Other Non-Current Assets 622, ,021 Cost of new office, computers, office equipment, furniture etc. 23,250,646 23,829,735 Negative Goodwill -2,334,160-2,389,735 Represents value of homes bought from GHA over price paid Current Assets Receivables 136, ,781 Money owed to the Association. Cash 4,510,231 3,584,800 Money in bank. Creditors due within one year -750, ,569 Money owed by the Association to be paid within one year. Net Current Assets 3,895,761 2,978,012 Total Assets Less Current Liabilities 24,812,247 24,418,012 Creditors Due After One Year -3,515,089-3,936,297 Amount of outstanding loans to be paid after one year. Deferred Income -11,912,632-12,290,158 Grant income received not yet released to reserves. Net Assets 9,384,390 8,191,557 Net value of the assets of Cernach Housing Association. Capital And Reserves Share Capital Number of current 1 shareholders. Designated Reserves 9,384,390 8,191,440 Money built up from surpluses made over the years.. Total Capital And Reserves 9,384,526 8,191,557 Net funds of Cernach Housing Association. 12

13 Income and Expenditure Summary 2017/18 Income % Rents 3,030, % Service Charges 28, % Grants released from Deferred Income 460, % Revenue Grants 24, % Factoring 11, % Wider Action 29, % Services to other RSL s 66, % Community Connections 85, % Release of Negative Goodwill 55, % Interest Received 15, % 3,807, % Expenditure % Management Costs 853, % Service Charges 28, % Reactive Maintenance 322, % Planned Maintenance 391, % Bad Debts -6, % Property Depreciation 765, % Factoring 11, % Wider Action 29, % Welfare Rights Services 7, % Services to other RSL s 66, % Community Connections 85, % Interest Payable 57, % Other Finance Charges 1, % 2,614, % Surplus 1,192,953 RENTS & SERVICE CHARGES OTHER INCOME DEFERRED INCOME The Association s income is generated from rent and service charges totalled 43,059,093 (2017-3,002,762). Additionally, 460,240 ( ,023) of grants which have been released from deferred income during the year. MANAGEMENT COSTS SERVICE CHARGES REACTIVE MAINTENANCE PLANNED MAINTENANCE DEPRECIATION The Association s operating costs in the year increased by 105,766 to 2,556,125 (2017-2,450,359). The most significant costs to the Association were management costs of 853,633 ( ,361). 13

14 14 Our Team At 31st March 2018 Name MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Continuous Service Since: Office Bearer Title Susan McDonald, MBE 1990 Chairperson Andy Biddell 2016 Vice-Chairperson John Brannan 2016 Secretary Karen McGinley 2014 Ann Hardie 2015 Janette Meechan 2015 Rosemary McGill 2011 Frank John 2016 Shereen Frank 2016 Muriel Wylie 2016 Jean McFarlane 2016 Diane MacMillan 2016 Michael Mellon 2016 Tracy Bowie 2011 Nicola Kemp 2018 CERNACH HOUSING ASSOCIATION STAFF Name Title Appointed Caroline Shepherd Director 2015 Gavin Burt Depute Director 2010 Colin Armstrong Development Manager 2016 Karen Dyson Finance Officer 1994 Paula Baylis Housing Officer 2016 Jim O Connor Housing Officer 2013 Laura-Jane Richards Housing Officer 2015 Emma McShane Housing & Corporate Services Officer 2017 Bruce Strathearn Maintenance Officer 2014 Carylanne McLellan Maintenance Assistant Officer 2007 Kirsty Boag Housing Services Assistant 2016 Anne Smith Corporate Services Assistant 2016 Ted Scanlon Community Connector 2016 AGENCY SERVICES RECEIVED FROM: Fettes McDonald FMD Financial Services Ltd. 1991

15 15 Thank you for reading our Charter Annual Report We hope that you have found it helpful in understanding our performance. We pride ourselves in our commitment to our community, making the environment in which we live and work a great place to be. However for this to be achieved we need your feedback! If you feel an area of our performance is poor, please get in touch with us and tell us why you are dissatisfied. On the other hand, if you wish to give any staff in particular or the organisation in general a compliment or make any suggestions then contact our office or visit our website. Customer Feedback Form Name Address Telephone We really value your comments and welcome your participation and so would ask that you take some time to note in the box below your feedback on the content and layout of our Annual Report on the Charter. Alternatively you can your comments to admin@cernachha.co.uk Comments If you think you would find it interesting to join our Residents Scrutiny Panel please contact Emma at our office on or emma@cernachha.co.uk.

16 Cernach Annual Report can be downloaded from our website, and if requested, Cernach Annual Report can be made available in different languages, in Braille and or on CD. Additionally, we are able to offer a sign or language interpreter free of charge. Cernach Housing Association Ltd FREEPOST RRBL-YAEZ-AJZZ 79 Airgold Drive, Drumchapel, G15 7AJ Property Factor Registered No. PF Tel: Fax: info@cernachha.co.uk Cernach Housing Association Opening Hours Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 9.00 am 5.00 pm Wednesday am 5.00 pm Designed and printed by NJ Graphic Design t: m: e: info@njgraphicdesign.co.uk