How we’ve achieved the highest tenant satisfaction in the capital
Poplar HARCA
Housing, regeneration and community association. Creating opportunity in East London.
Our tenant satisfaction measure scores are the result of a hyper-local understanding of the community we work for, and a commitment to listen, learn and act, writes?Steve Stride, chief executive of Poplar HARCA
In a sector where overall tenant satisfaction measure (TSM)?scores in London have been underwhelming, Poplar HARCA has managed to stand out. Our year-one TSMs score of 86% of tenants telling us?they’re?satisfied overall?makes us the?highest-ranked London landlord.
It’s?a result?we’re?incredibly proud of, but I?don’t?think it happened by chance. Our approach has been driven by a deep-rooted understanding of community – a principle that has guided us since our?inception?27 years ago.?
It’s?easy to talk about being ‘community-driven’, but what does it mean in practice? For Poplar HARCA?it’s?a commitment to listen, learn and act based on the lived experience of the people who call Poplar and Bow home. This understanding is not abstract.?It’s?a daily, on-the-ground connection, made possible by three core elements.
Proximity matters.?Almost all?our 10,000 homes, buildings and community spaces are?located?within a single square mile in east London. This geography means our team is physically and visibly present in tenants’ lives.??Caretakers, community teams and housing officers chat face-to-face with residents every day. Small encounters build trust and humanise relationships.
These in-person touchpoints make a significant difference in how tenants know us and experience our services. They appreciate personal connections and being able to address issues in real time. Our team’s community presence is not incidental –?it’s?a strategic choice that shapes decisions about how we should grow.?
“Almost all?our 10,000 homes, buildings and community spaces are?located?within a single square mile in east London. This geography means our team is physically and visibly present in tenants’ lives”
Nearly one-third of our 400-plus team members, including me,?live in?Tower Hamlets,?the?same?London borough?as our residents.?Many of us grew up here and our board has always included local people who?represent?the diversity in our?community.
This shared lived experience is a unique lens.?Our community’s challenges and aspirations are our challenges and aspirations.?Solutions are co-produced because who better to design policies, strategies and targets than those who understand the reality of Tower Hamlets?
Our connection informs how we shape services and allows us to respond quickly to issues.?Our engagement with tenants is day-in, day-out, ongoing, and meaningful.
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But?it’s?not only formal mechanisms that provide insight. Local roots mean feedback from informal sources, too. Friends and family?don’t?hold back on how they feel about a parking policy, a new block going up, or street art?we’ve?commissioned.?This raw feedback is invaluable – and uniquely east London in its directness.?It’s?essential for our success.?
No provider would claim that every tenant is satisfied 100% of the time.?We’re?no exception. Complaints have increased across the housing sector, and?we’ve?seen a similar trend.
Our residents gave us?the?highest?TSM?score?nationally?for?complaint-handling.?I believe this?is because our approach is simple: listen, understand, and put right what we did wrong.
Our complaints?aren’t?just logged and closed –?they’re?a trigger for change.?We’ve?overhauled policies and altered plans, and we say?sorry when?we get it?wrong.?
“Our residents gave us?the?highest?TSM?score?nationally?for?complaint-handling.?I believe this?is because our approach is simple: listen, understand, and put right what we did wrong”
In response to recurring complaints about damp and mould, for example, we’ve brought in a new, more proactive, zero-tolerance approach to tackle issues early on.?We’re working in partnership with specialists ZapCarbon to remove mould and identify and fix associated repairs. We’re using early detection in the form of smart home devices, and through seasonal information campaigns we encourage tenants to report damp and mould to us and share prevention tips with them.?
It’s tempting to rest on laurels, but our tenants wouldn’t stand for that. If anything, we’ve raised expectations and our tenants rightly expect more and for us to do better.
My board is clear that our priority is residents and improving core service provision.?It is as clear about our strategic direction: staying local, staying connected and staying accountable.
We’ll?continue to invest in our workforce,?making sure?they reflect and therefore better understand our community.
And as?uncomfortable as they are, complaints will continue to be a litmus test of our commitment to improve.??We’ll?carry on?prioritising?relationships, building trust and?truly enjoying?being part of a such a vibrant and dynamic community.
Steve Stride, chief executive, Poplar HARCA
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Senior Compliance Officer - EMEA Head of Credit, Mortgages and Structured Finance Compliance at Goldman Sachs
1 个月I have been a leaseholder with Poplar Harca for the last 7 years. Their level of service has deteriorated significantly year on year. They do not care about their tenants and seemingly are only concerned on the bottom line….our service charges inexplicably increase and when unsubstantiated charges are identified Poplar Harca’s response is take us to tribunal (as also outlined in one of the below posts). If you want actual tenant satisfaction Poplar Harca…try treating your tenants with a modicum of respect
SVP Balance Sheet & Capital Management- Services at Citi
1 个月Is this the best of the worst type of posts? I'm also a leaseholder and the service from Harca appalling. Why do you keep ignoring leaseholders? We had a meeting with you at the beginning of November and you have failed to respond to us despite numerous chasers. When trying to resolve issues the only response we got was "if you dont like what we do then take us to Tribunal" doesn't exemplify understanding residents and working with us. Complaints go unanswered and unexplained and unnecessary charges keep being applied to our service charge accounts. If there is a response to a complaint it is copy and paste without actually answering the question.
Project Engineer at RailX UK Ltd
1 个月Don’t be fooled by this post. I have been a leaseholder for 7 years and Poplar HARCA provide a shocking service. A simple google review search will paint a much clearer picture.
Various NED roles with some amazing organisations
1 个月A testament to being and more especially thinking local. I honestly believe that this not a question of size but it is a question of how to deploy resources and how we listen to communities. Even in one square mile there will be different communities and different needs. How we respond to these, regardless of how big or small we are is key.