Property Care Helps Wolverhampton EMB To First Status Success

Leading Midlands repair and maintenance company, Property Care has helped Wolverhampton-based Bushbury Hill Estate Management Board to achieve top quartile overall satisfaction in its first ever STATUS survey.

Bushbury Hill Estate Management Board appointed Property Care to carry out refurbishments and responsive repairs to its 840 homes in 2006 and in a recent survey tenants gave them a seal of approval reporting top quartile figures of 92 per cent satisfaction with the overall service and a 97 per cent satisfaction rate with the attitude of the team of operatives.

Karen Williams, chief officer of Bushbury Hill Estate Management Board explains: “Like many organisations with a relatively small number of homes we knew it was neither efficient nor indeed realistic to employ our own DSO. We identified an increasing need for external support in order to transform satisfaction levels and to increase productivity and cost efficiency saving. We recruited Property Care in part based on their proven track record and we’ve found that since working with them our repairs have been faster, of higher quality and really the STATUS results say it all.”

Karen goes on to explain how the partnership has developed into something far more than a responsive repairs contract.” Through this partnership, Bushbury Hill EMB is now able to operate a dedicated call centre, two-hour appointment slots and post-job satisfaction surveys. We’ve also received support to launch an apprenticeship scheme and we’ve recruited 24 year old Daniel Flavell who lives on the estate.

Ralph Middlemore, director of property services at Property Care adds: “Working with Bushbury Hill Estate Management Board, a company that shares our vision and values, has most certainly helped us to achieve these fantastic results. The tenant scrutiny Bushbury provides enables us to develop its service to be truly customer focused, not only benefiting Bushbury but also the other housing associations we work with. ”

Property Care, part of the Housing Plus Group, completes more than 20,000 jobs per year, and, in addition to its work for Bushbury Hill Estate Management Board it also provides an integrated caretaking, maintenance, planned works, adaptations and responsive repairs service for South Staffordshire Housing Association.