Welcome to your autumn 2025 Housing News. Find out about:

• Housing and Consumer Standards Programme update 
• How we're doing as your landlord
• Community walkabouts
• Orchard Court in bloom  
• Tips to maintain your home
• Tackling damp and mould in your home
• Fox Road residents working together

Improving homes and services

We are continuing to work across your neighbourhoods to bring homes in line with national standards. It’s important that your home and community is safe and happy. 

We have made good progress with our repairs programme. In the past six months we have completed more than 4,500 overdue repairs and almost 3,000 electrical inspections. Since April 2025, we’ve reduced the number of outstanding electrical repairs by more than 75%, averaging 605 repairs per month. 

Our recently launched new IT system is helping us to manage our information and make more informed decisions about your homes. By the end of this year, we will have completed all the highest-risk actions that have been highlighted by the Regulator of Social Housing.

How we're doing as your landlord

There are a few different ways that we monitor our performance to see what we’re doing well and where we need to do better. Our Annual Report 2024-2025 looks at all our services over the past year, what we’ve delivered, and your feedback. We’ve also published our tenant satisfaction results which we use to measure satisfaction year on year. Thank you to the 2,462 of you who took part in the survey. All this information helps us make improvements that matter and make a difference to you.

Our commitment to tackle damp and mould

Awaab’s Law was recently introduced in the UK. This means that we now have stricter timescales to respond to health hazards, such as damp and mould, in council homes. Once you have reported an emergency hazard we must check it within 24 hours.

We will inspect to identify the cause within 10 working days and provide a report within three working days.

If you are living with damp and mould in your home, do not suffer in silence. It’s vital that you let us know as soon as possible. You can report damp or mould on our website.

Be aware of scam disrepair claim companies

You may see or hear adverts from disrepair claim management companies or 'no win, no fee' solicitors offering to take legal action against landlords for failing to fix repairs.

While the compensation may sound good and an easy fix, there are often hidden costs. A case can sometimes take years to resolve, causing stress and worry. 

It's vital you talk to us first. We want to help you and get things right.

Tips to maintain your home

When the outside temperature drops, it’s common to dry clothes indoors, take hot showers, cook more hot meals and keep windows shut. With the days getting cooler, there’s things that you can do to help prevent damp and mould, keeping your home in tip top condition while looking after your health and wellbeing. 

Cooking something delicious after a long day?

To help reduce steam and moisture in the kitchen, keep the kitchen door closed, open a window or turn on the extractor fan while cooking. Make sure to leave the window open or the extractor on for 10 minutes afterwards. Putting lids on your saucepans while cooking on the hob can trap heat, which can also help to speed up cooking time and save energy. Enjoy your meal!

Drying clothes?

It’s best to dry your clothes outside on a dry day. When it’s not possible, hang them on an airer in a room with the door shut, the heating on and a window open (or ideally with the extractor fan on to help draw out moisture). 

Taking a bath or shower?

Keep the bathroom door closed, use the extractor fan or open the window (even if it is just a little bit). Make sure the steam has cleared before closing the window or turning off the extractor fan. If you have a bath, running some cold water first, followed by hot water can help to reduce steam building up. 

A note about extractor fans

Extractor fans are energy efficient and cost just a few pounds a year to run. Using one can help prevent mould, which is far more expensive – especially if it damages your home, your clothing or other belongings. If your fan isn’t working, please let us know.

Working together to improve where you live

Between August and October, Housing Officers, alongside colleagues from Bristol Waste, Parks and Green Spaces, Community Development, Councillors and Avon and Somerset Neighbourhood Police, met with residents at community walkabouts to identify areas for improvement.

Together, they came up with action plans to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping or to apply for funding to improve an outdoor communal space. It was great to work together, discuss ideas and talk about what the priorities are to improve where you live.

Thank you to all our residents that got involved and we hope to see more of you next summer. 

Orchard Court in bloom

Over the summer a group of green-fingered residents at Orchard Court in Redfield came together to give the communal gardens a spruce up. Led by John, a passionate gardener and long-time resident, the group planted a mix of flowers and plants to create a colourful and welcoming space for their neighbours (and staff!) to enjoy.

It's a wonderful way to bring people together and enjoy the outdoor space on their doorstep. What a transformation! Thank you to John and his neighbours.

There's no stopping Fox Watch!

Determined to reclaim and improve where they live, Fox Road residents in Easton have formed Fox Watch. The group, made up of 15 caring neighbours, are working together to tackle anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and create more green space.

Housing Officer, Katrina is working with council colleagues and supporting Fox Watch to secure funds to improve street lighting, secure parking, install new play equipment in a nearby park and create a gardening club.

The resident’s group is going from strength to strength – they organise their own residents' meetings, chat with one another in a WhatsApp group and even designed their own logo. Fox Watch is making positive change for the local community.

Keep it up Fox Watch!

New Housing Service Standards

By attending our summer Housing Forum or taking part in our survey you helped to influence the development of new Housing Service Standards.

Your feedback was used to finalise the service standards which were then agreed at the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee meeting on 19 September 2025.

The service standards set out what you can expect from us – across repairs, lettings, complaints, rents and more. They hold us to account on the services we deliver to you and will be used to monitor how we’re doing.

Make a complaint or provide feedback

We aim to deliver a good service to all our tenants and leaseholders, but we know that sometimes things go wrong and that you might not always be satisfied with our services.

We want to get things right and we welcome citizen feedback and complaints. Your complaint will be treated fairly, impartially and in line with our corporate complaints policy and procedures as well as the standards set by the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code.

Handy links

• Report a repair or damp or mould
• Pay your rent
• Contact your Housing Officer
• Get involved and help shape our services

We want to hear from you! 

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