Putting People first

Launched in April 2006 following a resident-led stock options appraisal and positive vote for an ALMO, Homes for Haringey in North London manages 21,131 properties on behalf of Haringey Council, of which 4,455 are leasehold.

A stock condition survey in 2003 concluded that 43 per cent of Haringey Council's stock would need some work done to bring it up to the Government's Decent Homes Standard. After achieving the necessary two-star accreditation in August 2007, Homes for Haringey was allocated £200m over five years - the biggest investment in Haringey's history. Homes all across the borough would benefit from improvements ranging from new front doors and windows to modern kitchen and bathroom units wherever needed.{mosimage}

Homes for Haringey decided to use contractors to carry out the work rather than its direct labour organisation, which is more geared towards responsive repairs than to capital works of this nature. The four contractors selected through tendering were Lovell Partnership, Apollo London, Mulalley & Co, and Wates Living Space.

Haringey's Decent Homes Programme started in April 2008. The first year's target is to improve 1,800 homes at a cost of almost £34 million. Up to 3,000 homes, from lowrise blocks to semi-detached houses, will be refurbished every year until 2013.

One of the biggest projects was the refurbishment of The Weymarks estate in Wood Green. On each block the existing flat roof was replaced with a new lightweight metal structure pitch roof in a terracotta shade, resembling a tiled roof. And, to take advantage of the scaffolding that had to be put up, cavity walls were insulated and a digital communal TV system installed. Most of the 112 properties in this scheme also benefited from new front doors, kitchen units and bathroom fittings.

Claudette Humphreys has lived at The Weymarks for 22 years. She says: "It took the contractors just two weeks to upgrade my property and I'm very pleased. I have a new bathroom and kitchen - and I chose the finished style. The contractors came on time, left the place spotless and reconnected my cooking facilities every evening. All that remains is a new front door to be fitted around the same time as everyone else's."

Savings are not confined to decent homes work. While scaffolding is erected Homes for Haringey can also schedule other necessary work that does not come under Decent Homes funding, such as brickwork, concrete repairs and external decoration. This can enable a project to cover every aspect to improve homes even further and has the double benefit of reducing costs and causing less inconvenience to residents.

Residents have been involved in the Decent Homes Programme from the outset. Working alongside professionals, a group of residents played an integral part in appointing the contractors for each of four areas in the borough. They reviewed written tender applications, visited the contractors' existing sites to ask residents living there about their experience, and participated in the final interview. Their opinions were taken into account when the decision was
made.

They also worked with Homes for Haringey and the contractors to make sure that residents whose homes will be improved would be consulted about the works before they started and kept informed of progress throughout.

Homes for Haringey and the contractors are also keen to see the decent homes programmes bring extra benefits to residents. For example, the community centre on the Campsbourne estate in Hornsey was unused because it was in need of extensive repair work. It has now been totally refurbished and Wates is using one part of the building as its local office while the other part is reserved for community use. In four years, when the decent homes work is completed, the whole building will be handed back to the community.

Now approaching the end of its first year, Haringey's Decent Homes Programme is running to budget and on schedule. Key milestones have been marked throughout. In January, the tenants of the 1,000th home to be completed were presented, in conjunction with Lovells, with a fridge freezer as well as other goodies.

Cabinet member for housing services, Cllr John Bevan, commented: "It's heart-warming to know that by improving homes we're also improving residents' quality of life. Our decent homes investment is a long-term commitment. This, along with other positive council initiatives, can only lead to a much improved environment and strengthen the community spirit in our borough."