Throughout the year we monitor our performance – and have resident panels scrutinising our services – to make sure that we are delivering the best possible outcomes for our customers. Here is how we performed in 2024/25.

Receiving the highest regulatory ratings

We were awarded the highest ratings following an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing. As well as retaining our G1 rating for governance and our V1 rating for viability, we earned a C1 rating under the new consumer standards.

The regulatory judgement put us in the first batch of housing providers to be awarded the C1 rating following the introduction of the new approach to consumer regulation, which took effect on 1 April 2024.

The new consumer standards aim to strengthen the accountability of social landlords for providing safe homes with quality services, and treating residents with respect, so the top-grade C1 assessment put us amongst the best in the sector for the services we deliver to our customers.

It is important for us to make sure that customers fully understand their rights under the new consumer standards, so we shared information, guidance and training from Four Million Homes, which is a government initiative aimed at empowering social housing residents. 

Monitoring satisfaction

Back in 2023, the government introduced Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), which were a new way for housing providers to assess how well they’re doing. These are a set of standard questions that help us understand what’s working, what’s not, and how we compare to others.

We used a trusted independent survey provider called Pexel for our round of surveys in July 2024, and we received feedback from a total of 619 customers. Compared to 2023/24, overall satisfaction improved, and we made progress in three other satisfaction measures. While there’s always room for improvement, we’re on the right track and customers are feeling more positive about the services we provide.

Our Tenant Satisfaction Measures scores

Listening to your feedback

We really value resident feedback as it’s crucial in helping us make improvements that matter. That’s why we keep track of every compliment, service request (which were previously known as ‘grumbles’), and formal complaint that comes our way.

In 2024/25, we received:

Over the course of the year, we held two scrutiny events, which allow residents to ‘deep dive’ into certain topics. Based on the feedback given at these sessions, we identify areas which need improving and work to address them.

One of the scrutiny sessions focused on customer contact, which was highlighted through customer feedback and our Gateway Membership Team as an area where we could look to improve. Thanks to this session we have made significant changes to how we communicate with customers. 

In line with our 2025-30 Business Plan, we created a new set of service standards that sets out what residents can expect from us and what it should feel like to be a Watford Community Housing customer. We also added service messages to our phone system to manage expectations and created contractor appointment cards to let customers know about missed appointments and how they can reschedule.

We’ve taken the time to understand more about our customers’ individual requirements when it comes to communication. By extending our use of interpretation and translation services, we are better able to tailor our services to meet people’s needs and expectations. We also engaged directly with customers who have visual impairments, after their homes were transferred to us from Hendon Christian Housing Association, to understand how we can support them.

Handling complaints

We’ve made big strides this year in how we handle complaints.

Over the past year, we received 206 complaints and 443 service requests. This increase in complaints was expected as we now have significantly more customers than in previous years. This is due to our stock transfers from West Herts Homes and Hendon Christian Housing Association, properties we now manage on behalf of Herts County Council, as well as our own new build properties. We have also been actively encouraging people to report concerns and go through the formal complaints process so that we can ensure issues are resolved. 

To improve how we respond to complaints, we invested in staff training modules on damp and mould, mental health awareness, and supporting customers with their online account. 

We also held a ‘Complaints Lunch and Learn’ session, led by our Customer Relations Manager, and a deep dive into complaints that involved both customers and senior leaders reviewing 22 stage two complaints to make sure that they resulted in the best outcome for our residents.

Communicating effectively

We made significant improvements to how we communicate with customers and gather feedback. As part of our complaints process, a manager is assigned to investigate the nature of the complaint and these managers will now call customers directly to gather information and determine the best outcome. 

We have also updated our Recharge Policy and our Customer Feedback Policy, launched a new customer survey to gather feedback on external contractors, and we are continuing to keep our website updated with the latest timescales for different types of repairs. We are also using email and text messages more as immediate communication tools, to keep customers up to date with important information.

In 2024/25, we achieved 100% compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s timescales, meaning residents get timely, clear and well-written responses to complaints every time.

The Big Door Knock

On 20 June 2024 we held our fourth annual Big Door Knock, which is an event that sees all of our staff head out into our neighbourhoods to visit customers in person. It is a great chance to hear resident feedback and make improvements to the areas which matter most to them.