Poplar HARCA manages over 10,000 tenanted properties in East London. Having run a successful six-month home health pilot project with HealthyHomes from April to September 2023, they decided to expand the scope of the partnership, widening the programme to ensure that hundreds more homes continue to receive a full mechanical, structural and energy assessment.
Professional ‘clean and shield’ teams are deployed to remove mould from walls and surfaces, and apply a patented non-toxic shield to prevent the mould from returning, which buys time for any repairs to be completed.
We spoke with Barry Waller, Poplar HARCA’s Head of Repairs, who shared his experience working with HealthyHomes so far.
Tackling big challenges in tenanted homes
One of the biggest challenges we wanted to address was the absence of good data about our properties. This is so we could better understand the scale and extent of home health problems and get as full a picture as possible of each. We wanted granular data and bigger picture information to be better equipped to resolve damp and mould issues and prevent further problems before they took hold.
“We needed a solution that we would be able to implement straight away.”
The next biggest priority was resolving delays and the previous lack of clarity on the mould cleaning and protection work status in our properties. We were looking for a rapid response, highly efficient service with clear ways of reporting and tracking all our properties in one place. Alongside this, we needed to be able to score them so we could prioritise which properties were most in need of our attention. And just as important, we needed a solution that we would be able to implement straight away.
A stand-out service
Since ZapCarbon has been working with housing providers for many years, we knew they would have a good understanding of the challenges and needs of stakeholders, including the residents, so that was very reassuring. But the main standout for us was their HealthyHomes Performance Certificate (HHPC).
“Improving home health becomes a shared objective that we’re working towards in partnership with the resident.”
The HHPC is more than just a report on the state of the property. It builds in the resident experience as well, and gives us a vast amount of information about our homes and the people within them. We get a clear and in-depth report of what’s currently happening, and where improvements can be made throughout the property. And from a secondary perspective, it also provides us with some tangible ways to protect ourselves in terms of disrepair and complaints.
And because the HealthyHomes programme includes a structured resident education module, improving home health becomes a shared objective that we’re working towards in partnership with the resident. It’s empowering for them, and builds trust, which feeds into our ‘people-first’ ethos.
HealthyHomes have taken the time to build a proper understanding of our systems and culture, and have become almost like a part of our own team. Everyone has been super helpful and open, from the senior staff and office teams to the operatives going into our homes.
What has been the most effective part of the service so far?
Definitely the data! We’re now getting high quality data about every aspect of our homes, so we know much more and can take appropriate action. The HealthyHomes data portal gives us an immediate up to date picture of each property, which is extremely helpful. We’ve also been impressed with the level and clarity of the communication with the HealthyHomes team and operatives.
“HealthyHomes is constantly evolving its service and practices to meet new needs as they arise.”
The resident experience is another thing that sets HealthyHomes apart in our opinion. Our residents have given very positive feedback on the team members who carry out the clean and shield treatments in their homes. They are friendly and helpful, and take time to listen and provide tailored guidance. If a problem is flagged by an assessor, someone usually comes out the same day to do the treatment, rather than having to book another appointment on a different date, so that saves time all round.
Flexibility and adaptability is also important, and we’ve seen how HealthyHomes is constantly evolving its service and practices to meet new needs as they arise. For example, we recently asked for an addition to the Assessment so that it also includes kitchen and bathroom condition ratings, and that was implemented very quickly as there was recognition that other customers would also find this useful. We were impressed by their openness to making changes based on customer feedback, and how quickly they can move to make these things happen.
Anything you’d like to see added in future?
We know that an API is already in the works that will enable our systems to interact with the HealthyHomes data portal. This will be really valuable, as it will enable us to enhance our reporting, and move towards being more proactive in how we address home health issues in our properties.
