It’s never just a repair

Finding solutions that work for our residents

One recent case really sticks with me. A leak from a neighbouring home was affecting a mum and her three children, two of whom have special needs. Delays outside of anyone’s control meant the repair couldn’t be resolved as quickly as we wanted, and the leak was affecting electrics in the living room and two of the children’s bedrooms. We know delays can be frustrating, especially when we’re unable to share all the details, but we’ll always keep residents updated as much as we can.

After speaking to the family, it was clear that a hotel wouldn’t meet the children’s needs, so we found alternative temporary accommodation that worked better for them while repairs were completed.

That’s what good service looks like to me – listening to residents and finding solutions that work for them.

Listening to residents and learning from them

The best improvements we’ve made to our service have often come directly from residents. We set up a Repairs Focus Group because we wanted dedicated opportunities to hear what residents think is working, what isn’t, and what they’d like to see us do differently.  We also learn from the times when things don’t go as well as we’d like. Those experiences help us identify what we can do better and continue improving the service for residents.

One thing residents told us was that they wanted to feel more confident carrying out simple jobs themselves. That led to our DIY workshops, which have now run twice and continue to grow. Keep an eye out on social media for our next workshop on Thursday 1 October.

Residents also told us they wanted to report repairs outside normal office hours. Thanks to our brilliant IT colleagues, Poppy the chatbot can now help residents book repairs appointments 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Communication is another area where residents rightly challenge us. In response, we introduced an additional Repairs Assistant role to help keep residents updated during major communal issues such as lift breakdowns or water outages. A simple text message can make a huge difference.

Looking beyond the repair

Listening to residents doesn’t just help us improve repairs. It also helps shape how we work as an organisation.

Over the past few years, I’ve been involved in strengthening our approach to damp and mould following the introduction of Awaab’s Law. That included working with residents through surveys and focus groups, helping shape clearer processes, and supporting learning sessions so colleagues understood their responsibilities and the importance of responding quickly and effectively.

I’m passionate about bringing people together across HARCA and was proud to suggest having our managers’ away day, which gives colleagues space to collaborate, learn and solve problems together. More recently, I’ve been involved in launching HARCA’s Women’s Network, creating opportunities for women across the organisation to connect and support one another. Both initiatives are about building stronger relationships so we can work more effectively for residents and colleagues alike.

More than a job

I live in East London, so the communities HARCA serves are my communities too. Having worked here for many years, I’ve built relationships with residents that go far beyond repairs. Whether it’s helping someone with their shopping when a lift is out of service or simply stopping for a chat, those small moments remind me why I do this job. Because at the end of the day, every repair has a human impact.