Publsihed 19 March 2025
What would you like to read in TLC?
This magazine is all about tenants, leaseholders and the housing services you’re at the heart of.
If you have an idea for a story or want to let us know your views on the magazine, we’d love to hear from you!
Send your comments to communications@ norwich.gov.uk
Introduction from Cllr Beth Jones
Cabinet member for housing and community safety
Welcome to the Spring issue of TLC magazine
Over the past year, we’ve made great progress in housing. Repairs performance has improved, and we’ve reduced the number of empty homes we manage, helping more people find a place to call home sooner. Tenant satisfaction has risen from 64% last year to 71% this year, thanks to better service and complaint handling. Our homelessness support achieved an 81% success rate, exceeding our target, and we’ve taken vital steps towards domestic abuse accreditation.
On pages four and five, you’ll find a snapshot of our annual report for last year and you’ll be able to see how many of these measures have improved this year by visiting our website.
We’re also embracing new technology to prioritise residents’ needs and address concerns more effectively. The next TLC will be available in paper and digital formats. Please take the time to tell us if you want to change to a digital copy.
Thank you for your continued support – I look forward to an even better year ahead.
Annual report 2023-24
Every year we produce a report which provides an overview of what we’ve been doing to make sure our housing service delivers good quality, affordable homes that support people to live independently.
Value for money - affordable homes
| Size of property | Norwich City Council home: average weekly rent (based on 52 week rent year) | Norwich private sector home: average weekly rent (based on 52 week rent year)* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bed | £81.60 | £164 |
| 2 bed | £87.53 | £206 |
| 3 bed | £96.62 | £242 |
| 4 bed | £104.43 | £342 |
* Source: ONS as at end November 2024
Expenditure
Income for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is generated from rental from houses and garages, service charges and rechargeable repairs.
The Housing Revenue Account records expenditure and income on running the council’s housing stock and closely related services or facilities, which are provided for the benefit of council tenants.
- Housing management £14.9m
- Repairs and maintenance £14.3m
- Planned upgrades and improvements £14.2m
- Estate management £3.5m
- Empty property works £3.4m
- Sheltered housing £1m
- Amount spent on caretaker services £0.6m
Performance - How did we do in 2023-24?
64.2% are satisfied with the overall service (TP)
Keeping properties in good repair
- 66.4% are satisfied with the overall repairs service.
- 58.6% are satisfied with the time taken to complete the most recent repair.
- 0.3% of homes that do not meet the Decent Homes Standard.
- 96.7% of emergency repairs completed withing the target time.
- 64.1% are satisfied we provide a home that is well maintained.
- 87.1% of non-emergency repairs completed within the target timescales.
Maintaining building safety
- 75.7% are satisfied we provide a home that is safe.
- 100% of gas safety, water and lift checks and fire risk assessments have been carried out.
- 99.2% of asbestos safety checks have been carried out.
Respectful and helpful engagement
- 53.9% are satisfied we listen to your views and act upon them.
- 67.5% are satisfied we keep you informed about things that matter to you.
- 76.6% agree that tenants are treated fairly and with respect.
Effective handling of complaints
- 21% are satisfied with our approach to complaints handling.
- 83.8 stage 1 complaints per 1,000 properties.
- 64.9% of stage 2 complaints responded to in target.
- 44.8% of stage 1 comlaints responded to in target.
- 13.5 stage 2 complaints per 1,000 properties.
Responsible neighbourhood management
- 47.4% are satisfied we keep communal areas clean and well maintained.
- 56% are satisfied we make a positive contribution to your neighbourhood.
- 55.9% are satisfied with our approach to handling anti-social behaviour.
- 80.5 of anti-social behaviour cases (including hate) opened per 1,000 properties.
- 0.6 of anti-social behaviour cases (hate only) opended per 1,000 properties.
To see how we’re doing against these measures in 2025 please visit www.norwich.gov.uk/TSM24-25
Lithium battery safety
Fires caused by lithium batteries, such as those in e-bikes and e-scooters, are becoming more common and can be devastating. Damaged or faulty batteries, especially when charging, can ignite fires quickly. This is a particular concern in communal areas, where fire can block escape routes.
To reduce risks, always use the correct charger, avoid multi-plug chargers, and buy replacements from reputable sellers.
Be aware of warning signs like excessive heat, bulging, unusual smells, or poor performance. If you notice any of these, stop using the device immediately.
If you notice any fire safety concerns please complete the webform on our website www.norwich.gov.uk/ ContactUsForm
Damp and mould
From October 2025, a new law called Awaab’s Law will require social landlords to act quickly when dealing with damp and mould to protect tenants’ health.
The law is named after Awaab Ishak, a young child who tragically died due to mould exposure. It aims to improve housing conditions and hold landlords accountable. In the future, it may also cover other housing hazards to make homes safer for residents.
If you think you have a problem in your home, please let us know as soon as possible.
How to report damp and mould
You can report any issues by:
- visiting our website and search for ‘damp and mould’
- calling us on 0344 980 3333: press option three, then option two
Our business support team will ask you some questions about the issue, including where it is and how big the affected area is. If you have concerns, don’t wait – get in touch today.
Using drones to help us keep properties well-maintained
The assistance of drones offers a modern, efficient, and cost-effective way to conduct roof surveys as part of our surveying programme. By improving safety, accuracy, and speed, while enabling proactive maintenance, drones are helping to transform our understanding of the condition of roofs on our flats.
Our stock condition survey checks the main parts of your home, like windows, doors, kitchen and bathroom.
These surveys help us keep your property safe and free from hazards like damp and mould.
Thanks to past surveys, we can plan upgrades to kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, roofs, boilers, and electrics, making sure homes meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.
We’ll start a new round of surveys in the next few months and when it’s time, we’ll contact you to arrange an appointment. The survey takes about 30-40 minutes and will need to look inside and outside your property. We may take some photos or video footage.
Home upgrades: your feedback matter
We recently asked tenants who chose not to proceed with kitchen and bathroom upgrades to share their reasons through a survey. Our goal was to better understand the factors influencing these decisions and find ways to improve the process in the future.
We received responses from 93 tenants, and we’d like to thank everyone who took part. Your feedback has given us valuable insights, helping us identify how we can make upgrades more convenient and better tailored to tenants’ needs.
As a result, we will work on improving communication, streamlining the process, and ensuring that tenants’ concerns are addressed. We’ll also refine how we track and act on this feedback in future projects.
As a thank you, we awarded three participants shopping vouchers worth £100, £50, and £25. Congratulations to the winners!
Thank you again for helping us improve our services.
Investing in a sustainable future
We aim to reach net zero by 2045, making all our council homes fossil fuel free and reducing carbon emissions. To achieve this, we’re installing solar panels to generate electricity and air source heat pumps for heating and hot water.
We’re already decarbonising empty properties by replacing gas boilers with these technologies. Going forward, when boilers need replacing, we’ll assess suitability for solar panels and heat pumps.
If you’re interested in decarbonising your home, please contact us via PropertyGeneralEnquiries@norwich.gov.uk
Disrepair awareness
You may have received calls about repairs, damp, or mould in your home. These calls can sometimes lead to legal action against the city council, often with no win, no fee solicitors.
Please be aware that some callers may not be who they claim to be and could be selling your details to legal firms for profit.
Although compensation is possible, tenants typically receive only a small portion of what legal firms claim. The real benefit goes to the solicitors.
We prefer to invest in improving your home’s standards, benefitting you directly.
If you notice any issues, please contact us directly – we’re here to help with repairs and can explore compensation without legal processes.
To report a repair, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/reportarepair
Support to quit smoking
We have been working with our public health colleagues to help raise awareness about some health risk factors associated with smoking. This is part of a wider initiative called ‘Smokefree Norfolk’.
If you’re a smoker and would like to get some advice and top tips on how to quit, it’s never too late!
Data shows that people are three times more likely to succeed with specialist support.
However long you have smoked for, and whatever your circumstances, Smokefree Norfolk can provide support to help you attempt to quit smoking.
For support, contact SmokeFreeNorfolk.co.uk
Tenant satisfaction measures
We have continued to commission our trusted partner “Viewpoint” to help us gain valuable insight into our tenants’ satisfaction.
As part of this programme, you may be randomly selected from a database and contacted by phone call, email or letter. Questions are geared towards checking your satisfaction with our services and results are then posted on our website. Each year-end the results are also sent to the regulator of social housing for them to monitor how well we are delivering services.
Viewpoint have been surveying 250 tenants each quarter and we really appreciate the time that tenants have taken to answer the questions. So, a big thank you to those who have participated.
To view the tenant satisfaction measures visit www.norwich.gov.uk/tsm
We’re listening
Our tenants are at the heart of what we do. We invest time and resources in monitoring our performance, from complaints to voids. But true improvement comes from analysing feedback and finding solutions to prevent repeat issues.
Here are some changes we’ve made based on tenant feedback:
You said:
People are constantly smoking in non-designated areas.
We did:
We reminded all residents of our smoking policy and increased visits to the area. We’re also supporting smokers to give up, see the article on page eight.
You said:
A complaint was raised about a dog in a tower block.
We did:
We reminded tower block residents of pet rules and assured them that incidents would be handled confidentially.
You said:
The wording of our text messages and letters about outstanding rent causes unnecessary distress.
We did:
We changed the wording of our letters and ensured that automated text messages are not sent to tenants with known vulnerabilities.
We’d like the opportunity to put things right, so if something isn’t right please let us know by visiting www.norwich.gov.uk/complaints.
If you’re unhappy with our complaint response, you can escalate it to the Housing Ombudsman.
ARCH annual conference
On 3 October 2024, the Association of Retained Council Housing (ARCH) held their annual conference in Rotherham, hosting over 90 delegates, including representatives from our Tenant Involvement Panel (TIP). This event provided a valuable opportunity for tenant representatives nationwide to network, receive key updates, and share ideas.
Our panel members found the speakers insightful and appreciated learning from the experiences of tenants from other cities. They were particularly impressed by Rotherham Council’s effective communication during a major flood and their involvement of tenants in home refurbishments. Inspired by this, we are now reviewing our own emergency response planning.
Marion, a TIP member, said “It gave me hope that there was a better way to deal with tenant issues generally and that this should be the plan going forward.”
Your voice matters: tackling key tenant issues together You’ve told us that anti-social behaviour (ASB), building safety, and repairs are your top concerns. We’re listening and taking action! We’re launching new tenant engagement activities focused on these critical areas, and we want to hear from you.
Interested in making a difference?
Sign up today to get involved, and we’ll reach out to see how you’d like to participate. Visit www.norwich.gov.uk/TenantForm.
Security door rollout
We’re continuing to upgrade security in communal housing with our Door Entry Access Control (DEAC) programme. In the first year, we installed new secure entry systems in 31 blocks, improving safety for 222 homes. This year, we’re adding another 155 properties to the programme and to help shape future work, we’ll be asking residents for their views, with a focus on tackling anti-social behaviour.
We’re also looking at repairing or replacing older security doors as part of our wider housing investment plans.
We’ll keep you updated as the programme moves forward.
Leaseholder repairs – we’re here to help
As a leaseholder, you’re responsible for maintaining the inside of your home, including any service pipes or cables that serve only your property. The council looks after the external structure of the building and shared spaces, such as roofs, drains, windows, external doors, communal lighting, and pathways.
If you notice something that needs attention, we’re here to help. For non-emergency repairs, the quickest way to reach us is by completing our online form.
For emergency repairs, please call us as soon as possible on 0344 980 333 (Monday to Friday, 9am–4pm). Outside these hours, dial the same number and select option two for out-of-hours support.
Need to report something else, like fly-tipping, window cleaning, or grounds maintenance? Using our ‘Contact us’ page ensures your enquiry goes straight to the right team, saving you time.
We’re committed to keeping your building and shared spaces safe and well-maintained. Let’s work together to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Loss of gas or electricity?
If you have lost your gas or electricity supply you should contact your energy supplier directly in the first instance.
Ever thought of renting a garage or space for your car?
Norwich City Council offers a range of garages and lockable parking posts for rent across the city at competitive prices. These spaces are available to both residents and non-residents.
For more information, visit www.norwich.gov.uk/garages.
