Annual Report - 2024-25

This past year, we've focused on working together to create positive change. 

We've been busy with lots of different projects, from conducting a scrutiny review of fly-tipping services that laid the foundation for a new fly-tipping pilot project, to testing the new Repairs Chatbot and digging into the complaints process. 

We also looked at important policies such as domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour, and we joined Estuary at the Customer Voice Roadshows to hear what's on your mind. 

Our main job is to speak up for you and make sure Estuary is listening. To do that, we’ve been building our skills with training on communication and recruitment, so we can challenge and contribute more effectively.

Your voice is at the heart of everything we do. We truly believe that when we work together, we can make our communities better for everyone. We can't wait for you to read this report and see all the great things we've accomplished together this past year. 

Lynda Buckley
RVIP Chair

This report contains our Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) which 
are a required part of the Consumer Standards set by the Regulator 
of Social Housing. 

We are pleased to share this information with you because it provides a transparent look at our performance as a landlord, how we are listening to you, and what we are doing to improve. We have worked to make this report easy to read and understand, and we’ve also included highlights of the key activities and events we’ve been involved in throughout the year.

Our principles are the foundation of our work, focusing on what matters most to you. We're committed to getting the basics right first time, and if we don't, we’ll put things right without fuss or delay. Our goal is to provide safe and energy-efficient homes and inclusive services that truly meet your needs. We also believe in the power of partnerships to sustain and improve our communities, and we ensure that our social purpose guides every penny we spend.

We see ourselves as more than just a housing association. 

For over 40 years, we’ve been a team of dedicated individuals with one clear social purpose: to provide housing our customers are proud to call home. As a not-for-profit organisation, every pound we spend goes directly back into achieving this purpose.

We own and manage over 4,700 properties across Essex, East London, and Suffolk, including homes for rent, shared ownership, and supported living. We’re proud that our head office is located right in the heart of one of our largest communities in Southend-on-Sea, allowing us to be closer to you.

We’re always striving to be better, and a big part of that is learning from your feedback, whether it’s through our surveys, your formal complaints, or your compliments and suggestions.

The Regulator of Social Housing asks us to report on specific Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs). We worked with an independent research agency to survey tenants and get a clear picture of your experience with us.

Here are the results related to our customer service and engagement. You will find the results for other TSMs, such as satisfaction with repairs and safety, in their relevant sections throughout this report.

• Respectful and helpful engagement: 80% of customers agree that Estuary treats them fairly and with respect.
• Effective handling of complaints: 
  We know we have more work to do here. 35% of those who made a complaint in the last year were satisfied with how we handled it.
• Overall satisfaction: 68% of customers are satisfied with the overall service provided by Estuary.

Your formal complaints are one of the most important ways we learn and improve. Following the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code becoming statutory on 1st April 2024, we completed an Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for 2024/25.

During the year, we received 708 Stage 1 complaints (156.8 per 1,000 homes) and 193 Stage 2 complaints (43.1 per 1,000 homes). We responded to 95.5% of Stage 1 complaints and 98.1% of Stage 2 complaints within the required timescales. The top reasons for complaints were related to the time taken to carry out repairs, multiple failures, and appointment issues.

Here are a few examples of lessons we’ve learned and the changes we’ve made as a direct result:

Repairs and appointments: We heard your feedback on our repairs service, specifically around communication and missed appointments. In response, we’ve introduced a repairs chatbot on our online customer portal so you can book and manage appointments yourself. We’ve also reviewed our booking process and are working with our repairs contractor, Axis, on a repairs recovery plan.

Handling complaints: Your feedback showed dissatisfaction with how we handle complaints. We have since reviewed and simplified our complaints policy and introduced a dedicated complaints team at Axis.

You can find more detail on all the ways we're learning from your feedback on our Learning Points page. We also completed the Housing Ombudsman self-assessment against the code.

In addition to our formal complaints process, we’ve also made several other changes based on feedback from our surveys, roadshows, and other channels.

Health and Safety

Following feedback on missed appointments for electrical testing, we’ve updated our asset management software to better track when these are due. We’ve also made changes to how we handle damp and mould, including proactive home visits and investing in new ventilation systems. 

Communication and Customer Service

We’ve introduced a call-back service for our contact centre and Axis to reduce long waiting times, and we’ve created dedicated web pages to provide clear information on missed appointments and other key topics.

Communal Areas

We raised concerns about communal cleaning and gardening. To improve this, all cleaning operatives have been reminded to sign in when arriving on-site, and we have updated our website with new Estate Services Standards that outline exactly what services will be provided and when. Take a look at more examples on our You Said, We Did page. 

We work closely with our Resident Voice and Influence Panel (RVIP). The RVIP is an independent, resident-led group that holds us accountable by monitoring our performance, scrutinising our services, and challenging us to improve. Their work makes sure that your voice directly influences the decisions we make.

The role and impact of RVIP

RVIP plays a critical role in how we operate and improve our services. Panel members are empowered to:

• Monitor performance: They regularly review our performance data to ensure we are meeting our service standards.
• Conduct scrutiny reviews: The panel undertakes in-depth projects to examine specific services, such as their recent review of fly-tipping.
• Challenge and influence: Our RVIP members work with us to develop and influence strategy and policy. They attend our Customer Experience Committee, making sure their voices directly influence our decisions and future direction.   
• Gather feedback: They engage with other residents to capture concerns and bring them to our attention.

In March 2025, the RVIP attended a Complaints Bootcamp to review and evaluate the effectiveness and handling of our complaints process. Key findings included; 

• A need to further analyse complaints data and cross reference this with Customer Profiling information.
• A need to share learning with customers more effectively.
• The annual report should include more trend analysis with previous years. 

Ongoing work includes the Complaints Scrutiny Subgroup continuing to review a sample of Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaint responses. Feedback from these sessions is being shared within the business to promote improvement in our complaint handling and to continue to strengthen our customer service offer in this area.

In addition to the fly-tipping review, the Resident Voice and Influence Panel has been actively holding us and our repairs contractor, Axis, accountable on several other critical issues. They have rigorously examined Axis’s performance on repairs, complaints, and getting repairs right first time.

The RVIP completed a detailed review of fly-tipping, resulting in a set of recommendations that have become the foundation for a new pilot program. This pilot, co-designed with the panel, focuses on education, improved signage, and enforcement.

Customer Voice Roadshows

In August 2024, our team, along with RVIP and our repairs contractor Axis, hit the road again for our annual Customer Voice Roadshows. We travelled across Southend, Basildon, Burnham on Crouch, and Clacton to connect directly with our customers. The goal of these roadshows was to gather valuable insights that would inform our Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Standard, Repairs Service Standard, and shape our new Corporate Strategy.

If you would like to get involved in future events, please visit our Get Involved page, email us at involvement@estuary.co.uk, or call us on 0300 304 5000 to find out more.

The Customer Experience Committee (CEC) has had a busy year, serving as a vital link between our customers and the main Group Board. This Committee, which includes both Board members and customer representatives, has a simple but important goal: to make sure your voice is heard, to check that we follow all rules for consumer and care services, and to make sure we stick to our promises about service and performance. A major focus this year has been on improving how we handle your complaints. The Chair of the Committee has taken on the key role of checking, challenging, and supporting improvements in our complaints process to make it fair and effective. 

The Committee also spent time making sure we’re ready for the new Consumer Standards (rules that focus on better customer service) and have been overseeing the safety and updates for customers at Kings House regarding the gas supply works.

The Committee’s commitment to putting you first covers many areas. They regularly check on how well we’re delivering our plans for customer service and engagement. They also make sure our Supported Living service meets all necessary quality and safety standards. 

Critically, they directly approve or recommend policies that affect your daily life, making sure they work for you.

This year, they reviewed and approved important policies on Repairs, Lettings, Tenancy, and Aids and Adaptations. Finally, they strongly support our Resident Voice and Influence Panel, actively encouraging the customer perspective to be heard and acted upon at the highest levels of the organisation.