CIH to develop repairs culture toolkit as part of project to boost resident scrutiny

The Chartered Institute of Housing has announced a new project intended to maximise resident engagement in the way repairs and maintenance services are delivered in the sector and to support landlords and contractors build a “culture of accountability.”

The project, called Repairs Culture, Accountability and Participation (RECAP) will run throughout the summer and is being delivered in collaboration with representative body National Housing Maintenance Forum.

The project aims to develop a free resident scrutiny toolkit co-designed with residents and a culture and accountability framework for landlords and contractors. It will also produce briefing materials for board members and a sector learning report.

An advisory panel chaired by Eve Blezard, policy lead at CIH, and Mike Turner, executive director at contractor Cardo Group and board member of NHMF, will gather expertise from across the sector to inform the project. It will include representatives of Tpas and other sector bodies.

Blezard said: “Repairs and maintenance is one of the most visible and important services a landlord provides - and when it goes wrong, residents feel it most.

“RECAP starts from the premise that residents are not just the recipients of a repair service, they are the people best placed to scrutinise it. Our job is to make sure they have the tools, confidence and frameworks to do that effectively - and that landlords and contractors genuinely want them to.”

The project builds on a previous initiative called RERAM, run by CIH and the National Housing Federation which outlined 12 guiding principles for providers. These were categorised into three themes: resident influence & engagement, operative engagement and data-driven accountability. RERAM was set up to help deliver the Better Social Housing Review’s (BSHR) recommendation that “housing associations should partner with residents, contractors and frontline staff to develop and apply new standards defining what an excellent maintenance and repairs process looks like.”