Fixing the repairs process

Leanne Creed has been an involved tenant since 2022. After experiencing her own repairs issues, Leanne decided she wanted to turn her experience into a learning opportunity and to influence much needed improvements to the repairs process at Trivallis.

Two years on and Leanne and the repairs working group have overhauled the system to put tenants needs and expectations at the heart of the repairs process.

“I have always struggled with repairs at my property and by being involved it gives me an inside perspective of the processes that are followed. I’m also able to share a tenant’s point of view to better the communication and services Trivallis offer.

“How we get involved in shaping process is entirely up to us as a group. We decide what the priorities are based on our shared experiences and then work with staff to find the right evidence and data that helps us understand what the causes of any issues are.

“We then discuss possible solutions and help shape how they are delivered with both tenant and staff in mind.”

Has this resulted in any real changes?

“As a group we reviewed data on missed appointments. We could see how much money this was costing the business and how much time was being wasted turning up to appointments where the team couldn’t get into the property – this is time that could’ve been spent doing another repair.

“As a collective we suggested trialling calling tenants 24-48 hours before their appointment giving them the opportunity to reschedule if necessary. The trial went well, lowering the number of missed appointments. Trivallis then invested in two part time staff to carry on this work and make further improvements to the service.

“We continue to review this data and look at other areas where we could make a difference. It’s nice to know that you are being taken seriously and that tenants are listened to. As a result, tenants and staff are benefitting from better communication and more repairs are getting done.”

Repairs working group successes

• New repairs priorities
• Influencing the damp and mould campaign
• Call ahead initiative
• 2 x new administrators