Proactivity in Social Housing

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it isn’t always the best advice. Yearly NHS health checks and car MOTs are just a couple things that oppose the popular adage. Social housing, too, should lean toward more proactive methodologies. 

It’s a gas 

The annual boiler service is a stride in the right direction. It has been law for nearly three decades. The more recent Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), which requires an electrics safety check every five years, suggests that proactivity may soon become the industry norm.

Proactively protecting your residents’ health and safety 

Like so many HAs and LAs, Sureserve believe that every home should be as warm, safe and energy efficient as it can be. That’s a big reason why we came up with our Healthy Homes Checks — a proactive service to help housing associations and local authorities maintain their high standards of resident safety and wellbeing. 

What is a Healthy Homes Check? 

A Sureserve Healthy Homes Check is a thorough visual assessment of a social home’s appliances, fixtures, structural components and other elements as well as environmental conditions within the home. Anything that stands out to our experts as an immediate danger to a resident’s health or safety, such as sparking electrical wires, damp, mould, strong gas smells and ceilings on the brink of collapse will be cited in a comprehensive report given to landlords after the inspection. 

Our Healthy Homes Check will also point out noticeable faults and conditions that, if left unattended, could develop into significant hazards. 

Getting in the door via compliance access 

Arranging times and dates with residents to carry out their home repairs and services can be challenging. To ease these scheduling hassles, Sureserve recommend aligning a Healthy Homes Check with the annual boiler service. We can carry out both at the same time, as each of our Gas Safe engineers has also been trained to assess a home’s significant and immediate hazards as well as other potential dangers.   

Healthy Homes Checks aren’t just about fixing problems. Similar to an annual gas appliance service, a Healthy Homes Check is about preventing trouble before it strikes. Early detection means: 

• Lower repair costs
• Fewer emergency callouts
• Addressing Awaab’s Law hazards before they occur 

Peace of mind for you and your residents 

For residents, knowing their home is safe and hazard-free not only brings calm, it asserts that… 

• They live in a warm, safe and healthy home
• Their landlord cares for their wellbeing
• They are valued as human beings 

For housing associations and local authorities, it means fewer complaints, better resident satisfaction and stronger compliance with safety regulations. 

Why Sureserve? 

With decades of experience in social housing property services, Sureserve are trusted by hundreds of HAs and LAs across the UK and we visit over a million homes every year.  

Add our Healthy Homes Check to your annual boiler checks 

Whether you manage 500 social properties or 50,000, Sureserve are ready to help. Our Healthy Homes Checks are tailored to the needs of your stock and Sureserve engineers offer flexible scheduling, realistic guidance and transparent, easy-to-read reporting. 

To become part of the proactive change you wish to see in our industry, fill out this form and let’s start working together to create healthier, safer homes for your residents.