Services for Communities Rents Masterclass

Housing Management Efficiencies Network

23rd November 2010

Today’s Rent First Masterclass presenters

• Kevin Robertson, Business Manager, Senior Management Team, Services for Communities

• Stuart Orr, Revenues and Debt Manager, Service Support Unit, SfC

• Joy Campbell, Senior Officer Rents Policy & Performance, SSU, SfC

• Isla Paterson, Income Maximisation Co-ordinator, SSU, SfC

• Tracey Kelly, Rents Team Leader, South-West Neighbourhood, SfC

Introductions Kevin Robertson 10.30

Our organisation, service and performance

Stuart Orr 10.40

Policy Stuart Orr 11.00

Strategy Joy Campbell/ Stuart Orr

11.05

Procedures and Partnerships Joy Campbell 11.25

Service in Focus – Income Maximisation Isla Paterson 11.40

Service in Focus – Early Intervention Pilot Tracey Kelly 11.50

Quality Assurance Joy Campbell 12.00

Questions, Challenge, Discussion HME Network 12.15

Lunch 12.30

Projects, Staff, Current Performance Stuart, Joy 1.30

Strategy reflections and looking forward Stuart 1.50

The Rents future – roundtable discussion Kevin Robertson 2.00

End 3.00

Rents Masterclass – Programme

Performance

Quality Assurance

Customer

Projects

Staff

Procedures

Policy

Strategy

Rent Collection

Service

Challenge Discussion

Questions

Rent First

Services for Communities The Service Model

Environment Community Safety

Housing & Regeneration

SfC Senior Management

Team

Services for CommunitiesThe Neighbourhood Model

Leith/City Centre

South/West

West North

South

East

Housing Environment Community

Safety

Central Support Services

Housing and Regeneration The Service Model

Edinburgh Building Services

Strategy & Service

Support Unit

AssetManagement

Assessment Homelessness

and Support

Housing & Regeneration

Housing and RegenerationThe Service Model

Rents

Estates

Tenant Participation

Housing Advice

Homeless

Empty Homes

LocalHB

teams

Service Support

Unit

Housing and RegenerationThe Neighbourhood and Housing Stock

Leith City Centre1,800

South West5,700

West1,500

North4,000

South3,500

East3,500

Total Stock20,000

Number of

Council Homes

Rent Collection ServiceNeighbourhood & Support Services

Local N’hoodTeams36 staff

Rent QAG

Income Max

Former TenancyArrears

Policy & Performance

Court

Support Unit

11 staff

Rent Collection

Service

Rent Collection ServiceStaff Configuration, Generic/Specialist

Leith City Centre

2.5 staff

South West

10 staff

West 2.5 staff

North8 staff

South6.5 staff

East6.5 staff

Support Unit

11 staff

Rent Collection

Service

Gross Rent and Arrears

0

20,000,000

40,000,000

60,000,000

80,000,000

2001/2 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10

Year

£

Gross Rent Debit

Current Arrears

13.1% 13.1% 15.8%11.8% 9.3% 7.5% 6.6% 6% 5.4%

Net Debt %

Performance

Tenants in Serious Arrears

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

2001/2 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10

Year

No.

Current Tenancies

Number in Arrears

8.1% 6.5 9.4%7.1% 5.5% 5% 4.7% 4.6% 4.1%

% in Arrears

Performance

Cases Lodged in Court and Number of Evictions

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

2001/2 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10

Year

No.

Cases lodged in court

Evictions carried out

Performance

• Social and Financial Inclusion

• Rent Setting and Charging

• Recovery of Arrears and Eviction

• Tenant consultation and involvement

• Training and learning

• For each policy • Aim• Scope• Statement of principle• Responsibilities• Plan, do, and review

Policy

• 1st Strategy • 2003 -2006• Performance• Performance• Performance• Nod to social

inclusion

• 2nd Strategy• 2008 – 11• Informed by review of

1st and focussed research

• Ambition the mission• Rent First is born

Strategy

• Key Objectives • Prevention and social

inclusion• Maximising rental

income• Improving and

learning• Consistent Outcomes

• Service Standards• Fair and just• Customer focussed• Up to date and

improving• Working together

Strategy 2008 -11

• Other Key Points • Making payments

easier• Help and advice to

put customers in control

• How we know if what we do is right

• Other Key Points • Improving all the time• Spending the rent

money collected• Keeping tenants out

of court• The Rent First

promise

Strategy 2008 -11

• Rent Protocol• Early Advice• New and sustaining

tenancies• Taking court action

• Former tenancy arrears

• Inclusion – Advice & Support

• Revenues & Benefits• SRF/RIEN • Terminations

Procedures and Partnerships

• Income Maximisation Service

• R• R• T• T

• Other Customer Initiatives

• Mystery Shopping • Rent surveys• Rent tenants forum• Benefit Gathering• Campaigns• Tenant Led inspection

Customer - Service in Focus

• South West Early Intervention Pilot

• Engaging Tenants • Joint Working with EHAP• Finding out all the tenants

needs and issues• Affordable/Realistic

Arrangements• Changing Staff

perceptions• All possible action taken

to avoid court

• Outcomes• Closer Monitoring• Supporting tenants• Tenants

engaging/continued contact

• Sustaining Arrangements• Resolving issues

resulting in arrears• 58% less court action• 69% less evictions• Sustaining Tenancies

Service in Focus

Quality Assurance

• Analysing performance

• Quality Audits & Reviews

• Consistency

• Support & Guidance

• Continuous Improvement

• Customers/Stakeholders

• M • I

Lunch

• Major Projects • Rent Charging

System• Plain English• Write policy and

procedures• Lean

Projects

Staff

Systems Training

Housing Officer Focus Group

Rent Arrears

QAG

Rent Collection

Staff

• Money• Targets• Bids • Shared Ownership• Challenge• Diagnostic• Support to achieve

• Inclusion• Targets • Bids• Shared Ownership• Challenge • Diagnostic• Support to achieve

Performance

• Major projects accomplished

• Clear progress on several fronts

• Some red herrings• Working in the SfC

neighbourhood context

• Inclusion is as important as collection

• Early intervention the right approach

• Desire and smart working can get you places

2nd strategy reflections

• HB to become Universal or Pension Credit

• If direct payments link broken – arrears up

• HB penalties for under-occupancy and long term unemployed

• Risks to inclusion

• Service reconfiguration

• Financial assessment and advice as core business

• Partnering with employment initiatives

• More generic working• Lean embedded

What might 2012 – 2015 look like

• Rents and self assessment

• Rents and IT• Rents as Lean leaders• Rents and partnerships• Rents and reformed

welfare• Rents and staff

engagement

• Rents and getting the basics right

• Rents and Value for Money

• Rents and other landlord services

• Rents and performance• Rents and customer

engagement

The rents future – discussion topic guide