Transfer of Engagements consultation feedback
On 24 May 2024 we wrote to our customers about the proposed Transfer of Engagements between Silva Homes and Abri.
The Transfer of Engagements process will result in Abri formally becoming the landlord of Silva Homes properties and owner of other associated assets. We’re pleased to announce that on 31 July 2024 this process was approved by the Silva Homes Board and will take place in the Autumn of this year.
We’re grateful for all of the feedback we received
We were delighted to hear from 75 of you in response to this letter. We value all feedback and always want to make decisions based on customers’ views. The feedback was reviewed by the Silva Board as a part of the Transfer of Engagements approval process and has been passed onto senior management for action where appropriate .
It’s great to hear that customers are seeing improvements that have been made since Silva joined the Abri group. We’ve seen a 69% reduction in average call wait times and made changes to our damp and mould process so that we can tackle the issue faster whilst also investigating long term improvements. You can read more about some of the other improvements that have been made through recent investment here.
Next steps
We’d like to take this opportunity to remind customers that the Transfer of Engagements won’t change any existing tenancy agreement (including Right to Buy) and if any specific changes were to be made these would be done with full consultation of our customers.
Please remember that there are lots of ways to get involved and have your voice heard on topics that impact our customers through focus groups and our customer panel. If you’d like to hear more or register your interest to be involved in future, then you can contact us by emailing resident.involvement@abri.co.uk or by any of the other usual ways.
FAQs
What will happen with rent increases?
Rent increases happen across the social housing sector and are governed by the Regulator of Social Housing. Abri, like Silva, is a not-for-profit organisation, therefore we don’t make profits, and any surplus is reinvested in our homes and services. Rising costs also impact on housing associations and we need to be able to make sure our homes are safe, carry out repairs, provide key landlord services and invest in our properties by carrying out planned works.
We understand that the cost of living is very high at the moment, and this can be extremely difficult. We offer lots of support to our customers to help where we can, and we encourage customers to get in touch if support is required. If you would like to speak to someone, please give us a call or drop us an email. Silva customers can access to Abri’s employment services team who are very successful at supporting customers in finding new employment. If you want to find out more about these services, please click here.
Are you working on reducing the number of homes which are currently empty in Bracknell?
One of our recent priorities has been to reduce the number of empty properties that are waiting for works before they can be re-let. We’ve reduced the number of homes waiting for works by 74% through bringing in additional resource. This has been funded through the customer dividend and as part of the Abri group.
Are you building more affordable homes?
Abri’s goal is to build at least 10,000 new homes by 2030 and there are several developments underway and planned in Bracknell and the surrounding areas. One of the key benefits of joining the Abri group, was Abri’s work with Homes England and other organisations, and the extra funding that could be secured to increase the pipeline of development for homes that are desperately needed in Bracknell and surrounding areas.
What is being done about anti-social behaviour?
We are always working on reducing anti-social behaviour in the community. One of the actions we have taken recently is to reduce the patch sizes to give our tenancy team more time in the community and with customers.
We have recently been working closely with Thames Valley Police and their Community Safety team at Bracknell Forest Council in Owlsmoor where they recently had to put increased stop and search powers in place due to ongoing ASB. By working together with a targeted approach, the ASB in the area has been significantly reduced.
Anti-social behaviour cases are often complex and can take a long time to resolve but thanks to the hard work of our tenancy team we’ve also recently had some very good outcomes when seeking to obtain closure orders or suspended possession orders for properties where anti-social behaviour has become a significant issue.