We recognise that this has been a challenging year for our services. Despite this, you will see there were a number of significant achievements and there are more improvements for the year ahead.
Social Housing Homes in England
Social Housing Homes in Supported Housing
Damp and Mould
If you experience damp or mould, we know it has a big impact on how you feel about your home.
We are committed to tackling damp and mould and work with residents whose homes are affected to come up with a lasting solution to the issue. We are also improving our systems and processes to help us spot patterns and act. This change not only provides customers with a quicker and more effective service, but also enables us to provide better value for money by addressing issues at an earlier stage.
We can, of course, only make things right where we know something’s gone wrong. Where we haven’t heard from a Sanctuary resident for two years, we arrange to visit their home to make sure they’re okay and that their property is safe and secure. If we find something needs attention, we’ll arrange for that work to be done. This includes tackling unreported damp and mould and putting an appropriate solution in place.
Building safety
There is nothing more important to Sanctuary than keeping our customers safe. We have the highest standards when it comes to fire safety in our buildings and work with residents to reduce fire risk.
If you live in a building of at least 18 metres or seven storeys, we have a dedicated webpage where you’ll be able to find your building’s resident engagement strategy, fire risk assessment and other relevant information. You’ll also start to receive a document tailored to your block in October each year which tells you how you can raise any safety issues, how we’ll engage with you over proposed changes to the building, and how you can make a complaint if you feel our service to you has fallen short.
Responsive repairs
If you report an emergency repair we will visit you within 24 hours to make things safe for you. For less urgent repairs, we aim to complete this work within 45 days and where you need specialist or major work delivered by an external contractor we will work with you to arrange the relevant surveys and agree a reasonable timescale with you
Spend this year on routine repairs
Average repair cost per home
Our OneProperty programme is looking at how we can work more effectively to provide a better service to Sanctuary customers. The programme focuses on creating digital solutions so it’s easier for you to manage your home.
One new system in the pipeline is a way for customers to raise and track repairs online without the need to call our Customer Service Centre. We expect residents will be able to track the location of the Sanctuary maintenance team member tasked with their repair in real time. This means you won’t have to wait at home during your appointment window, as you’ll know when we’re about to arrive.
We plan to pilot this service in Scotland before rolling it out across all our areas of operation across 2024.
of the time we will respond to you within 24 hours for emergencies
Average days to complete repairs
Investing in our homes
% of surveyed homes that meet the Decent Homes Standard
Spent on proactively improving the fabric of our homes
In a small number of cases, some of the homes we manage no longer work for our customers. There are several reasons why this might be the case and it often depends on the local context. Sometimes there’s no longer a demand for that type of home in the area.
In other cases, we need to improve the fabric of the home before we offer a potential tenant the property. Whatever the circumstances, we work with our customers and local partners to come up with the best all-round solution.
One example of this in action is Rocky Hill Terrace in Maidstone. We worked with residents and the local council to deliver a £6 million restoration which completed earlier this year.
Rocky Hill Terrace was originally built in the 1830s as six terraced houses built to the design of English architect John Whichcord Snr. The property was converted to 42 self-contained flats for older people in 1975, to better meet the local housing need.
In May 2017, a serious electrical fire significantly damaged the Grade Two listed building, requiring residents to move to a nearby property bought by Sanctuary. Now newly restored, Rocky Hill Terrace has 35 one and two-bedroom flats for affordable rent, again meeting the local market demand.
Environment
Spent on Energy Efficiency works this year
Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund
As energy costs have dramatically increased, we know residents want energy efficient homes that are affordable to heat. We are working hard to make sure every Sanctuary home achieves an Energy Performance Certificate of at least C by 2030, ahead of the Government’s 2035 target.
In 2021 we used a £2.5 million grant from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to improve the energy performance of around 350 homes in Chester, Essex, and Shropshire. This important work was carried out in partnership with other housing associations and the local authority.
In late 2022, we teamed up with four other large UK housing associations to form the Greener Futures Partnership. Sanctuary led a joint bid to the SHDF (involving Abri, Anchor, Home Group and Hyde) for the second round of funding, successful securing £12.5 million to retrofit more than 2,000 homes across England. We added £27 million to our allocation of the grant funding to transform the energy efficiency of homes in Chester, Rochford, Sheffield, and Stoke-on-Trent. The planned improvements include wall and loft insulation, new windows, solar panels, new heating controls, and ventilation measures to prevent overheating.
More than 2,100
homes retrofitted to a minimum EPC band C since 2020
96%
of our new-build homes are EPC B or above
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Your Services
Our teams have been hard at work supporting and engaging with residents across the country. Together we have made a difference in dozens of communities, adding value beyond what people might expect from their landlord.
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Your Sanctuary Community
Working at Sanctuary involves so much more than providing people with a safe and secure place to live. We strive to create neighbourhoods with a sense of community, one you are happy to call ‘home’.
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Your Voice
We want you, our residents, to know that Sanctuary cares, because there can be no doubt – we do absolutely care about you. This is reflected in the great work our teams do every day. Engagement is at the heart of what we do.
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