Every year we carry out planned investment works on existing homes for customers who rent from us. This includes things like kitchens, bathrooms, boilers and windows. We have a planned maintenance programme that aims to keep your home in the best possible condition, safe and comfortable. You can find out more information on how often we’ll upgrade your home on our webpage.
This planned maintenance programme applies to homes rented from Accent. If you're a shared owner, you're normally responsible for maintaining and replacing items inside your home. However, we may carry out major works to the building, such as roof replacements, where this is our responsibility under the terms of your lease.
Last year we spent over £26 million on big upgrades to our homes.This included more than 4,000 upgrades:
501 kitchens
604 bathrooms
654 new windows
773 front and back doors
1041 boilers
258 radiators
74 fascias and soffits
104 gutters and downpipes
228 roofs
We also upgraded 84 homes to an energy rating of at least an EPC C.
Improving your experience of planned works
This year, we've made a number of changes to improve the experience customers receive when planned maintenance works are carried out in their homes. We've worked more closely with our contractors to make sure everyone involved in delivering works shares the same commitment to excellent customer service. Regular meetings and clearer expectations have helped us improve communication, monitor performance more closely and ensure customers receive a more consistent service.
We've also introduced new ways for customers to share information with us before work begins. Customers can now tell us about any concerns they have, any personal circumstances we should be aware of, and how they would prefer us to keep in touch. This helps us provide a more personalised service and make sure support is tailored to individual needs.
To provide even more support, we're creating a new customer contact role in Accent. This team member will respond to enquiries and check in with customers while works are taking place, helping to keep customers informed and address any issues quickly.
Looking ahead, we'll be rolling out a new kitchen and bathroom refurbishment options guide, allowing customers to see available styles and finishes before making their selections. This will make it easier to choose options that best suit their home and preferences.
We are also strengthening our standards for planned maintenance works. This includes clearer commitments around appointment times, response times, communication throughout the process, and contractor responsibilities. These improvements will help ensure a more reliable, consistent service and a better overall experience for customers.