Navigating Challenges and Building Partnerships in Repairs and Maintenance: A Q&A with Colin Read

We met with Colin Read, Director of Repairs & Maintenance, to look at some of the challenges the sector is facing and how contractor partnerships are critical is delivering value and high-quality service.

Colin, please can you tell us about your role at Fortem?

As Director or Repairs & Maintenance I am responsible for our day to day repairs services, delivery of voids and programme works across the UK.

What do you consider are the biggest challenges facing the sector?

The social housing sector is currently navigating a period of significant change, driven by new tenant regulations, changes to the Procurement Actand a heightened focus on customer service and tenant satisfaction.

Historically, social landlords have always aimed to meet tenant needs, but recent regulatory shifts, including the Tenant Satisfaction Measures, now requires landlords to evidence performance across every aspect of the service and in particular repairs, due to there impact on the customer’s home.

Across many sectors, the importance of the repairs services tends to be overlooked in favour of new developments or other business properties. The challenge with this is that the decline in asset condition tends to be slow initially but then accelerates. This can give clients a false impression that everything is fine for the first couple of year following repairs budget cuts.

Inevitably, you reach a tipping point on the decline leading to increased repairs complexities and the rise of repairs volumes. Recovery from this situation is neither easy or instant, so decline continues even when investment is made.  

The new industry regulations mean some landlords are having to reprioritise their asset management plans, ensuring  the repairs service  receives a higher profile with realistic funding levels to mitigate against challenges. Repair complexity and volumes are driving a high demand for increased staffing levels in a sector that is already constrained by availability of skilled  tradespeople, supervisors and managers alike. It’s a perfect storm.

Social landlords face their own unique challenges and with more regulation and heightened customer focus , a step change is needed. We  are seeing this play out now and it is creating organisational strain for many of our clients - be this people or budget challenges.  

How are the changes to measuring tenant feedback affecting client-contractor relationships?

Customers now have a stronger voice than ever, with complaints and dissatisfaction more visible due to social media and increased public scrutiny. This puts pressure on both housing providers and contractors to deliver tangible results. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), tenant feedback and complaint resolution times are being monitored more closely, often with contractors shouldering much of the responsibility for improvement, as contractors are best placed to provide a quick and effective resolution - but this is a reactive approach.

However, many repair issues, and complaints, stem from the historical weakness in the longer-term asset management plans, which often do not prioritise the repairs service. Asset plans should be approached in a integrated manner, especially now with additional funding sources available.

We are seeing a number of our client talking to us at an ever-increasing strategic level, those that take this approach are more likely to identify long-term underinvestment in housing stock, leading to increasingly complex and costly repairs. For example, ignoring cyclical maintenance—such as replacing roofs—means that emergency repairs increase over time, both in frequency and complexity. Contractors are frequently left to address these problems but can only go so far when the stock itself is in poor condition. This is when asset planning and collaborative partnerships are essential so issues can be resolved quickly rather than escalated, or worse, ignored.

How has Fortem’s managing of complaints evolved in response to the sector changes?

The complaints process has become increasingly complex and rigorous, with a stronger emphasis on transparency, evidence and timely resolution. It’s imperative that we are following the Complaint Handling Code guidelines, to support our clients in their process and to ensure we are offer a high-quality service to the residents. Fortunately, the majority of repair complaints are straightforward and can be resolved quickly.  Where a complaint is more complex, we have a standardised complaint process and dedicated resources to support.

To manage this complexity, we have a platform called REACT, it means we can monitor the status of all complaints and steps that have taken place. Most importantly, this platform allows us to drilldown into a complaint and build lessons learnt that can be shared across all our contracts.  

We have found the greatest improvements happen when we work in partnership with clients to jointly map the Customers journey in respect of a complaints. We continue to find that overtime lots of complexity and interfaces get added to the processes, which inevitably becomes a source of frustration for the customer. We have found that stripping these steps out, making the process “Lean” helps everyone.

Communication with the customer is essential and cannot be replaced by procedures or process. Critically, an accurate reapair diagnosis at the time of reporting givse us the best chance of starting the customer journey from the best place possible. It is also, in many instances, the first opportunity to assess whether the repair is likely to become a complaint. Utilising our technology proactively can help in this regard.

What makes a strong client-contractor relationship?

Strong partnerships between housing associations and contractors are built on collaboration, transparency and shared goals. A good example is the relationship between Fortem and one of its long-term clients, Orbit Housing. Over the years, this partnership has matured into a more collaborative and constructive relationship, focused on improving tenant outcomes.

We recently conducted a joint workshop with Orbit Housing to explore ways to enhance the tenant journey and improve service delivery. This session was hosted by a consultant to bring impartiality and sector knowledge, this was hugely beneficial for both parties and aided the identification of opportunities for improvement. What was really positive about the workshop, and the outcomes of it, were that it didn’t just focus on contractual obligations but on mutual improvement. It was a real example of working together to achieve better outcomes for tenants.

What does the ideal contract look like?

In terms of planning and resources, the ideal contract is one that integrates multiple services, such as responsive repairs, planned maintenance and call centre diagnostics. This integrated approach allows for greater efficiency, as resources can be allocated flexibly across different workstreams. For example, by managing both repairs and planned works, we can identify recurring issues in specific properties and address them proactively, rather than repeatedly carrying out emergency repairs. This insight helps clients take a whole estate or street approach for economies of scale and efficiency.

How can a contractor take a proactive approach to repairs?

It is essential that contractors take a proactive approach to repairs, after all it is contractors that have the day-to-day view of the stock, the interface with the customers in their home and know the relevant actions that need to take place. 

We’ve adopted a proactive approach to many of our contracts by using data to identify properties that require the most attention. For instance, by analysing repair volumes and costs, Fortem can pinpoint “outliers” where properties are generating significantly higher repair costs than average. These properties are then prioritised for targeted interventions, such as energy efficiency upgrades or major refurbishments.

We also work in partnership with our Group Company Willmott Dixon, to look at sector funding opportunities. For example, we  supported Hull City Council to secure ECO funding for properties with low Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings. Using available funding, we were able to improve the stock, reduce long term repairs costs and improve the living conditions for tenants.

This proactive approach highlights the importance of working collaboratively to allocate budgets effectively, harness funding opportunities and maximise the impact of investment.

What is the future of contractor relationships?

The future lies in deeper, more integrated partnerships that go beyond traditional transactional relationships. By taking a holistic view of the customer journey and aligning their goals, housing associations and contractors can create a more seamless and efficient service.

Ultimately, the success of these partnerships will be measured by their ability to improve tenant satisfaction and address the underlying challenges facing the sector. With a shared commitment to collaboration and innovation, there is significant potential to deliver lasting improvements in repairs and maintenance. There needs to be a trust in adopting a more strategic approach, but these are proven methods taken in other sectors and perhaps that is where the future is.