Tenancy Sustainment Policy
1. Introduction
Calico is committed to creating and maintaining sustainable tenancies and neighbourhoods.
There are three key areas to providing Tenancy Sustainment Support:
- Prevention – Pre-tenancy checks are completed for every new tenancy, to ensure that we have supported affordable tenancies, maximised income, we have identified potential fraud and that support is provided at the earliest opportunity.
- Tenancy Sustainment – We will aid our customers throughout their tenancies, with a ride range of support related issues.
- Partnership Working – We will make appropriate referrals on the customers behalf to partner agencies and build strong working relationships with these organisations to promote successful customer outcomes.
2. Context
2.1 This policy has been developed to ensure that Calico Homes is fully compliant with all relevant legislation and regulations relating to sustainable tenancies and welfare reform.
3. Policy aims and objectives
3.1 The aim of the policy is to provide a personalised approach to supporting our customers, based on individual needs and requirements. This includes but is not limited to –
- Reducing Food & Fuel poverty
- Supporting with the provision of household items and furniture
- Income maximization and support with benefit applications
- Budgeting advice
- Hoarding support, Mental Health and substance misuse, complex cases and multi-agency working
3.2 To prevent homelessness, signpost customers and ensure that the correct support agencies are in place.
3.3 To reduce rent arrears, void repair cost and rental loss to the business.
The Calico Homes Vision
“Going one step further with customers and local communities to provide affordable, safe and quality homes and personalised services; supporting customers to live their best lives in challenging times.”
The Calico Homes objectives:
- To provide safe and well-maintained homes through investment in existing and new properties.
- To support customers to sustain tenancies.
- To provide good quality and personalised repairs, customer and neighbourhood services.
- To develop trusting relationships and to empower customers and communities to take the lead on the things that matter most.
- To strengthen the business so it is strong, well-governed, environmentally friendly and provides value for money customers.
- To create a place where people want to work now and in the future.
4. Customer scrutiny, oversight and monitoring
4.1 Calico Homes values transparency and accountability in our tenancy sustainment offer and case management processes.
4.2 We commit to publishing information about our performance on evictions and tenancies sustaining within 12 months so that customers can see how the service is performing.
4.3 We encourage customers to provide feedback on their experience being supported by our service. Whether positive or negative, customer input helps us continuously improve our services.
4.4 The personalisation fund was introduced in 2022/23 to support vulnerable customers, following customer consultation for the January 2022 rent review.
5. Tenancy sustainment policy statement
5.1 As a landlord we take responsibility for creating and maintaining sustainable neighbourhoods and reducing tenancy turnover.
5.2 Any new or existing customers who are moving into a Calico property will be subject to a pre-tenancy assessment to ensure the customer is able to afford the property, has appropriate support in place to manage a tenancy and to prevent tenancy fraud. More details can be found in the Tenancy Policy and the Tenancy Fraud Policy.
5.3 Where an applicant or customer has been identified as vulnerable, we will ensure they have access to additional support to help understand their tenancy and the review process. This support may be provided by part of the Calico Group or external services. Customers or applicants can be supported by a representative or advocate in interactions about tenancy related matters.
5.4 Calico are committed to making the best use of our homes and ensuring our homes are occupied by the tenants they were lawfully let to. We treat tenancy fraud very seriously. More details can be found in the Tenancy Fraud Policy.
6. Tenancy sustainment priorities and definitions
6.1 Support is provided and shaped on an individual need basis. A person-centred approach will be taken with each case.
6.2 Urgent referrals will be contacted by the Tenancy Sustainment Officer within one working day. Urgent referrals include people without food, gas and electricity.
7. Reasonable adjustments
7.1 It is our policy to ensure that discretion is used in cases of identified vulnerabilities such as disability, frailty, domestic abuse, concern for welfare or any other identified need. Calico will use information provided by customers and held in our systems to assist in identifying responsibilities. We will also ask customers and applicants if there are any issues that need to be considered to help us make appropriate decisions when offering a tenancy.
7.2 In cases where abuse is identified or suspected a safeguarding referral will be made. More details can be found in the Safeguarding Policy.
8. Monitoring
8.1 Monitoring of the delivery of this policy will include the production of monthly reports to enable operational managers to effectively monitor the performance and progress of the service.
8.2 Board members are responsible for overseeing delivery of this policy. To do this they will receive regular updates about performance of the service and delivery of the policy on a quarterly basis with extra reporting by exception if required.
8.3 We will monitor customer satisfaction levels and seek feedback. Where dissatisfaction is indicated, we will attempt to contact the customer to understand what has gone wrong and look to make things right.
8.4 Customer feedback received via transactional surveys and the wellbeing survey will be used to actively improve the service being offered.
8.5 Customer feedback received via transactional surveys and the Tenant Satisfaction Measures will be used to actively improve the service being offered.
9. Regulatory and legal compliance
- Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
- Housing Act 2004
- Equality Act 2010
- Welfare Reform Act 2012
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- Care Act 2014
- General Data Protection Regulation