October 2024
Welcome to your latest update on the communal cleaning service!
In June, customers completed a survey and met with us to talk about the next steps for renewing the cleaning contract. As part of this, we followed up with customers to understand what’s important to them as part of the service.
We’d like to thank those who got involved, as by doing this, we can make sure the cleaning service provides a fair deal for customers. In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to share a summary of the findings and next steps with Thrive Customer Voice members.
Until the contract is renewed, there will be no major changes to the service but we’re continuing to work hard to make sure the current service meets our standards
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Making sure the current service meets our standards
Listening to your feedback, it’s clear you want to hear how we’ll make sure our current service meets our standards. To meet this, we’re focussing on quality assurance and spot checks of sites. We’re also recalling contractors when there have been missed of poorly completed visits.
To ensure we meet our standard, we’re continuing to carry out quality assurance checks at least every three months as part of our estate inspections. Where we have identified issues, we will continue to visit more frequently.
Some of the feedback we received from customers during our online workshop was that they don’t know when deep cleans are meant to happen. Moving forward you will have a deep clean of your block twice a year. We’ll let you know what this involves within our standards and make sure you’re aware of when these will take place.
We’re also reviewing how we monitor deep cleans as we know this is important to you based on your feedback. Our team is currently working with Pinnacle on a way to make sure we have better visibility of when these visits happen to keep you better informed.
We’re also continuing to:
- have regular meetings with the contractor so we can tackle any emerging issues and keep you informed early on
- monitor visits, including carrying out spot checks. Listening to your feedback on areas to improve, we’ll pay close attention to checking surfaces such as railings were wiped down and floors are vacuumed and/or mopped.
Your feedback helps us keep things on track. You can see exactly when the cleaners will be visiting and what tasks they'll be completing online at: thrivehomes.org.uk/my-home-info.
We’re currently updating the calendars for this year, and we’ll let you know once they are ready to view.
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Clean and clear bin areas
Bulk rubbish and incorrect bin usage is a problem at some blocks, and we’re working with the cleaners to make sure these are kept clean and clear.
Our team is monitoring sites where there is a specific problem with the bin area and checking on these weekly so we can keep them in a better condition, but we need your help to do this too.
Bin areas can be dark and dingy places, so it’s important to make sure you dispose of your rubbish correctly as a way of making sure the area is accessible for your neighbours to use.
Please help us to do this by:
- letting us know about any overflowing bins or missed collections
- disposing of large and bulky items at your local recycling centre. You can find the closes one to your homes here
- Breaking down cardboard boxes before putting them in the correct bin (or down the chute, if your building has one)
- Never leaving rubbish outside of your property or in communal areas.
What to do if someone is fly tipping:
If you notice someone fly tipping, let us know as soon as possible. It's helpful if you can share any evidence, including photos and if there is a certain day or time you are noticing this happening.
Find out more about how to keep your bin store or bin chute clear and safe.
We're always happy to hear from you, so if you have feedback to share with us or want to let us know what you’d like to hear about in my updates head to: thrivehomes.org.uk/feedback
Adrian Anstee
Senior Estates Officer