Lettings
We moved 1,012 tenants into homes in an average of 107.7 days. This is a similar number of homes to pre-pandemic levels (1,130 in 2019/20) and a significant increase on the 638 homes let in 2020/21.
The timescales have increased from the average of 75.7 days for 2021/22 and this is higher than the local authority average of 66.9 days.
The number of void properties increased significantly during the years of COVID-19 when work in homes was restricted and the lettings process was impacted heavily due to Scottish Government public health guidelines. These enforced changes increased the re-letting timescales significantly and the backlog they created was still being worked through in 2022/23.
How we are improving
The work involved in returning void properties to a lettable standard is increasing in a number of areas such as
- number of repairs required
- cost
- problems with utility suppliers
- workload management.
A plan is in place to address these challenges which includes a new working group of senior officers meeting weekly to oversee the action plan aiming at greatly reducing the number of voids over the next 12 months; extra project resources; additional capacity for carrying out repairs; and a data system to help identify the status of each void and what action is required to move it forwards.
This work aims to build on some of the positive opportunities identified during lockdown, such as the use of key safes to provide easier access for officers to the empty home to complete repairs and the re-let process as well as a review of the tenancy sign-up appointment and the information provided to new tenants.
A range of improvements are also being taken forward to help tenants plan for and to settle into their tenancy, and to make the whole process more efficient from beginning to end.