Trevor Billington, chair of the High-Rise Association, this week told the Public Accounts Committee that he was also impressed with the work carried out by contractors commissioned by the company.
He was one of the chairs from three different tenants’ groups which spoke during a public hearing about their experiences with Andium Homes since the company took charge of Jersey’s social housing stock eight months ago.
Mr Billington told the panel that although people had ‘little moans’ to their neighbours about things such as workers not wiping their feet, he had not heard about any major problems.
Andium Homes is a States-owned company that acts independently to look after the Island’s housing portfolio.
Previously the Housing Department had responsibility for the administration of Jersey’s social rented accommodation, affordable housing and accommodation for older Islanders, but Andium was given oversight of these area last year.
The company manages more than 4,500 properties and provides accommodation for more than 10,000 Islanders.
They have embarked upon a major drive to bring all States-owned housing up to the nationally recognised ‘decent homes standard’ and are also creating hundreds of new homes at sites across the Island.
He added: ‘I do find that since Andium Homes became a company in their own right that they have improved tremendously with their communications and everything else.
‘I do remember in the old times you would go into Housing and you would get a rebuff from them.’
Mr Billington told the panel that he had been pleased with the standard of service offered by contractors employed by Andium Homes recently.
He said: ‘We had asbestos problems in our high-rise recently. The people who came and did the job were excellent. They were in and out and they told us what they were going to do.’
Lorraine Bizouarn, representing Liberation Court, said that residents on her estate had been told ‘well in advance’ of heating and plumbing replacement works that had been undertaken recently.
She said: ‘I would say in the past some of the contractors got a bit complacent. They knew they had the contract. Now with Andium Homes it should be better.’
She added: ‘Initially there were some problems. The new contractors didn’t know the estates. Some of the estates are very large and it can be quite confusing to find where things are. I think that is settling down now.’
Candia Cooper, from the Tenants’ Forum, said that visits made by an Andium Housing employee to her estate were ‘very useful’.
MORE checks will be carried out on the repairs made by contractors on social-rented houses following the introduction of a £780,000 IT system.
Ian Gallichan, Andium Homes’ chief operating officer, said that the new system would free up staff and that they would spend less time on paperwork and more on visiting estates.
It is envisaged that the system, which will result in the loss of three posts at Andium, will be introduced in the next 18 months.
Mr Gallichan made the statement as he gave evidence to the Public Accounts Committee earlier this month, which is due to report its findings from the hearing to the States later this year.
Last July the States transferred their 4,500 units of social housing to Andium Homes. The company is owned by and accountable to the States but has greater operational and financial freedom than the States’ Housing Department.
Mr Gallichan told the committee that Andium Homes was ‘in the Dark Ages when it comes to IT’ but that the new system would improve efficiency.
Asked whether the system would result in staff having to be retrained in other areas, Mr Gallichan said: ‘Some will be redirected to other things and some will leave and we will not replace them. Andium Homes needs to keep its numbers in check and, where it can, reduce them.’
The company is currently working to bring homes up to the UK government’s ‘decent homes’ standard, which specifies that all social housing should be in a reasonable state of repair, adequately insulated and with modern kitchens, bathrooms and boilers.
Andium Homes spends £2.4 million annually on emergency repairs and £6.3 million a year on planned maintenance.
The panel heard that although Andium inspects the ‘high-value’ repairs, it does not check all the work, relying instead on feedback from the tenants. Mr Hamon said: ‘We don’t inspect enough, to be honest. That’s why we want to change the emphasis so that we are out and about making sure the job is being done and that our clients are happy.’
He added that Andium Homes had dismissed contractors whom it felt were not meeting certain standards, and that it had added ‘an element of competitiveness’ by rewarding contractors who have performed well with extra work.
