Hello and welcome to Thrive’s latest updates   

I'm pleased to introduce this newsletter with good news. This year we have upgraded over 1,200 homes (100 more than planned) with things like new kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems and windows and secured additional funding to make even more homes warmer and energy efficient. 

Over 70% of our tenants have now received a Home Plan visit too, which is helping us to proactively maintain our homes and provide better support to those who need it. This is an important part of helping us make careful decisions about how we spend our money.  

Having a say 

As you may have read, 50% of households are now part of Thrive Customer Voice and 698 members took part in activities that achieved the following outcomes: 

• identified topics to be included in our annual report for customers 
• improved access to information in different languages 
• the use of more animation and video content to promote building safety messaging 
• the introduction of evening and weekend appointments for gas servicing 
• colleague refresher training on appointment arrangements and follow-up works. 

We have a range of upcoming workshops, surveys and other activities you can choose to take part in as a member. Find out more at thrivehomes.org.uk/getinvolved 

Looking forward 

In the coming year, we'll continue improving home efficiency and will be paying special attention to areas where you've suggested we can do better. We’ll be doing this with value for money in mind as we continue to navigate the difficult economic climate and rising cost of building materials.  

Last year we wasted thousands of pounds attending appointments when customers were not at home, so we recently asked customers if there’s anything we can do to improve this.  

Their feedback told us we can improve by: 

• keeping you better informed about repair appointments 
• sharing any next steps following a repair visit  
• providing clear and accessible information about the repairs service.  

If you’d like the full details, you can read about it here.  

Service charges 

The new service charge period has started and our Estates and Facilities team is already working hard to make sure our contractors provide you with the service you pay for.  

Although you voted to keep the same cleaning service for now, we’re pleased to see an improvement since we made changes such as hiring new cleaners. However, we’re aware there are still sometimes issues where visits are missed. 

We’re now checking the cost of last year’s services against how much you paid and we’ll write to you in September to advise if you have overpaid or underpaid. 

Getting it right is important, and we can achieve this together. Please keep giving feedback on services throughout the year so we can make sure things stay on track and you get what you pay for. 

You can read about the latest status of our service at thrivehomes.org.uk/service-updates and in June you’ll be able to find out when any cleaning or grounds maintenance visits are due. 

In addition to this, we will be continuing to monitor communal gas and electricity pricing closely to ensure that we get you the best deal.  

Improving your customer experience 

You may have heard about the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures. This is a set of questions our regulator requires us to ask you about our services and your experience of being a customer.  

For example, you may be asked how you feel about our process for handling anti-social behaviour, our complaints process, or how we’re listening to your views.  

It’s important we hear about your experience so we can make sure you’re getting a fair deal. So, if you receive a call from IFF (our research partner) please know it's not a scam – it’s your opportunity to have a say! 

We’ll publish the results on our website regularly and let you know when they are available. 

 I hope you found this update useful. If you have suggestions for our next newsletter, I'd love to hear from you – just click here to leave your feedback. 
 
Enjoy the rest of the spring weather and watch out for your postal newsletter in July. 

Best regards, 

Jo Barrett 
Executive Director Operations