Housing Leeds annual report

Some highlights of the work we carried out.

• Spend on repairs and maintenance: £37.5m
• Re-roofing and insulation: 327
• New kitchens: 634
• Number of repairs carried out: 181,084
• New gas boilers installed: 1,767
• New bathrooms: 284

Adapting homes

We completed 966 major adaptations in council homes and 840 in the private sector. The service spent just over £17million on adaptations and the promotion of independent living for people across the city.

New Council homes

In 2024/25 we purchased 12 newly-built homes from private developers in Seacroft, Yeadon, and Whinmoor and these were let as general needs housing.

We also acquired a further 92 properties, a mixture of 1-4 beds across 21 wards, some of which have been allocated to support homelessness programmes.

Construction has started on 88 new council homes, 55 in Gipton and 33 in Seacroft. These developments include a mix of 1-4 bedroom properties.

Fire safety

To keep you safe we:

• Carried out over 600 ‘Safe & Well’ visits In conjunction with West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue
• Carried out almost 400 Person Centred Fire Risk Assessments for residents who may require assistance to self-evacuate from their homes
• Fitted sprinklers to a further 2 high rise blocks. We’ve now fitted sprinklers to 72 High Rise blocks, with 2 in progress
• Completed over 10,000 flat entrance and communal door inspections, in-line with the new Building Safety Act
• Completed all fire risk assessments on 1,216 blocks of flats that have shared communal areas in line with the fire safety programme and legislative requirements

Tackling damp and mould

We’ve been working hard to improve how we deal with damp and mould in council homes, and we’re getting ready for the new Awaab’s Law coming in autumn 2025. Over the past year, we’ve:

• Launched new online training for all staff and contractors to help them spot and deal with damp and mould more effectively
• Re-trained our technical teams so they know how to find and fix hazards inside homes
• Created special support pathways for children with asthma, working with health professionals and Breathe Easy Homes, so we can act faster in homes where children are most at risk
• Secured £13.8 million in government funding through the Warm Homes This will help us carry out over £26 million worth of work in the next three years to insulate homes, improve energy efficiency, and upgrade heating systems
• Acted on feedback from our Tenant Scrutiny Board by giving out 1,000 moisture traps and 2,000 mould removal sprays for free, helping tenants manage moisture and mould before it

Tenant portal

During the year we improved our tenant portal to make it better for you. By signing up to the Tenant Portal you can:

• book a non-emergency repair
• view the details of any recent repairs
• view your up-to-date rent account
• download a rent statement
• view information about your tenancy
• request permissions

Visit www.leeds.gov.uk/ssp to sign up or log in.

• Get ready for the launch of Awaab’s Law, making sure we communicate clearly and respond quickly to meet the new rules
• Keep doing well with our building safety checks and compliance work
• Deliver our £90 million home improvement plan
• Keep improving how satisfied tenants are with the day to day repairs service and home improvement work
• Speed up our inspections to check the condition of all our homes
• Make it easier for people to access our services and programmes

Rent collected

95.45% (2023/24) 96.15% (2024/25)

Collected from former tenants

£985k (2023/24) £1.1M (2024/25)

Households supported to claim additional income/benefits

5,143 (2023/24) 5,728 (2024/25)

Home visits

Some of you get in touch with us regularly and others less so. We aim to carry out periodic home visits to our tenants. This gives you an opportunity to meet your local Housing Officer, or Retirement Life Support Officer and talk about any issues you may have. We also check that your home is in a good condition and there are no concerns.

• 23,235 home visits completed
• 454 hoarding cases identified
• 237 safeguarding cases identified and responded to

Rent and support

We support you to pay your rent, reduce any arrears, apply for eligible benefits, and manage your overall living costs. Rent collected is used to keep homes in good repair and to provide services to you. If a tenant leaves their tenancy with arrears, we will seek to collect the money owed.

Rent enforcement

We always try to work with tenants who are having difficulties paying their rent. We will only take eviction action as a last resort, if other attempts to recover arrears are unsuccessful.

Evictions during the year: 54

Tenancy fraud

Last year we recovered 22 properties where we identified housing fraud. Tackling housing fraud enables us to let homes to those who need them most. Of the fraud cases we investigated:

• 51% for subletting fraud
• 22% for right to buy fraud
• 14% for non-occupation fraud
• 8% succession/assignment fraud
• 8% application fraud
• 5% other fraud

We carry out benefit checks to make sure that tenants are receiving the maximum amount of benefit that they’re entitled to. We also help tenants to complete appeals when benefit applications have been refused. Last year we worked with over 5,000 households helping them secure £5,178,840 in additional income, an average of £904 per household. Of the households supported, a third of these had children. Our officers also work with partner agencies to provide advice around debt and budgeting, and last year we helped award over £432,670 of British Gas vouchers to households most in need.

Our service supports over 4,500 residents to live independently in their homes in our 125 Retirement LIFE schemes across the city. During the year we:

• provided regular well-being checks, offering choice and flexibility to suit changing needs
• helped customers to access food banks and fuel vouchers to support them financially, in addition to health and well-being initiatives
• provided advice and support to customers around damp, mould and condensation, also provided over 300 leaflets about window safety, referring over 100 customers for extra guidance
• held workshops with our colleagues in Adults & Health to build stronger working relationships to support our customers
• invested in our schemes at Halliday Court, Ramsgate, and Farrar Lane providing new furniture, carpets and decoration

Gascoigne House, a new Extra Care housing scheme, officially opened in August 2024. All 60 apartments there were already assigned to residents by April 2024. Nearby, 12 specially designed bungalows for adults with physical or sensory disabilities were also fully allocated by June 2024.

In partnership with the council:

• Home Group took over 62 homes at another Extra Care scheme in Woodlesford, with people starting to move in from September 2024.
• Pinnacle Housing/Preferred Homes took over a 65-home scheme in Hunslet, with residents moving in from December 2024.

Planning permission has also been granted for a new council-led scheme in Armley, which will include 65 homes. Construction began there in March 2025.

This year we will:

• continue to improve communal areas
• continue to develop our Service Offer with a focus on an ageing population
• develop our partnership with Adults & Health to support older people to live independently
• explore digital opportunities to improve our service
• offer diverse and inclusive engagement activities for residents
• aim to open our Extra Care Scheme in Armley in February 2027

To find out more about the service we offer, contact the Older People’s team on 0113 378 3696 or email housing.leeds.olderpeople@leeds.gov.uk.

• a new Housing Leeds Feedback website was launched, where 12 consultations were held and nearly 3,000 comments and survey responses were received
• the Tenant Voice Panel grew from 240 to 345 members, and two new members joined the Leeds Housing Board
• hundreds of tenants helped shape everyday services by taking part in surveys, focus groups, and workshops
• ongoing support was provided to 60 local tenants, residents, and community groups

The Tenant Voice Panel (TVP) are a group of tenants and residents who help us improve and design services to meet the needs of customers. To join the panel visit www.leeds.gov.uk/tenantinvolvement.

The Tenant Scrutiny Board is made up of tenants who volunteer their time to look at how we’re doing and suggest ways we can improve. When they do a review, they might talk to other tenants, staff, or our partners and contractors. They also look at performance data and examples of good practice from other places to help spot areas where we can do better.

They released their report about how we handle complaints. They’ve made some helpful suggestions to make sure we respond to complaints on time and learn more from them. As a result of this, we’ve created a new “Learning from complaints” web page and are working on putting the rest of their ideas into action. We’re looking forward to working with them on their next project, reviewing how we carry out Full Home Surveys.

Using your feedback we have:

• introduced a new Contractor Code of Conduct to set higher standards for how contractors and sub-contractors treat our residents
• created a new Individual Needs Policy to help us better understand and support residents with specific needs
• developed a new Communication and Engagement Policy that explains what residents can expect from us and how they can share their feedback
• launched a new Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Policy with clearer service standards, making it easier to report issues and ensuring we give better updates
• made it simpler to request home alterations, considering long-term impacts and helping reduce delays with mutual exchanges

Launched in October 2024, our Housing Leeds Feedback website has been regularly hosting consultations.

The site includes special areas for the Tenant Voice Panel and our Tenant Scrutiny Board. You can read a little more about the Tenant Voice Panel and ask to join if you wish. You can also see what the board are up to and read their latest reports.

Up until the end of March the site was visited 13,500 times, with 1,850 residents making 2,750 contributions by leaving comments or completing surveys.

Over 700 residents also signed up for ‘news alerts’, so we can let them know when new consultations go live and the outcomes from closed consultations.

The Beckhill’s ‘virtual walkabout’

Virtual walkabouts allow residents to contribute at any time, to highlight areas that might need attention.

44 residents took part in the Beckhill’s virtual walkabout and made 65 contributions. Using this approach, we included and involved many more residents than an in-person walkabout alone.

• challenge ourselves to be more inclusive so we hear the views of a wide range of tenants
• involve tenants in the self-assessment of the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code
• publish more examples of learning from feedback, especially complaints
• improve engagement with tenants at a local level in response to local issues
• offer training and support to tenants on the Tenant Scrutiny Board and Leeds Housing Board

All social landlords must meet the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. Our annual assessment against the code is available online.

We welcome your feedback as it helps us improve the services we give. If our service fails you, you can complain to us so we can put things right. If you remain unhappy with our response, you can approach either the Housing Ombudsman or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman depending on what your complaint is about.

Three out of four complaints were resolved at stage one and 95% were resolved without involving either Ombudsman. We work closely with both Ombudsman services to make sure that residents are given advice and information on how to access their services if they wish to.

What your complaints were about

Service area:

• day to day repairs - 59%
• tenancy management - 22%
• other - 16%
• planned repairs - 3%

Complaint issue:

• expectations not met - 38%
• job not started or not completed - 28%
• request for service - 15%
• staff conduct - 7%
• other - 12%

This year we will:

• continue to support staff and contractors to listen to you and put things right
• carry out any recommendations made by the Housing Ombudsman
• share learning from complaints on our feedback site
• complete our annual complaints self-assessment with tenant input
• train and develop staff to provide better quality complaint responses

During the year we supported the government’s ‘Make Things Right’ campaign. The campaign aims to make sure that tenants living in social housing who have issues with their home:

• know their rights
• know how to complain, and
• feel empowered in the knowledge that their voice will be heard

We’ve shared posts on social media and reminders in the monthly tenant email. We also share the information with our partner services to make sure we’re reaching everyone. One of our officers has helped update the campaign information by providing feedback on what works well and what more is needed.

What customers have told us about using the complaints process

We value your complaints to help us identify and fix issues, improve services, and learn for the future. Whilst we don’t always get things right, we’re pleased to hear positive feedback about how the complaints process has worked.

“I wanted to express my appreciation for the outstanding customer service provided by the officer during my case. Her way of handling the situation with empathy and professionalism made a significant difference to the customer experience”

“I would like you to know how much it means to have someone deal with your complaint in a polite friendly efficient manner”

“Thank you for speaking to me about my concerns in such an open, honest and professional manner, it really does make such a positive difference”

“Thank you for the caring and considerate way you handled my complaint”

Policy review and improvements

We updated our Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Policy and procedures after listening to customer feedback. These changes mean we can offer better support to people dealing with ASB. We’ve also introduced a new Good Neighbour Guide to encourage respectful and positive behaviour in our communities.

Team Leodis

Team Leodis is made up of police officers who are partly funded by the housing service. We decide where they work based on where housing tenants are experiencing problems. Over the past year, they’ve been active in Burmantofts, Little London, and the Dewsbury Road area.
They’re skilled at using legal tools to stop ASB. In the last year, they’ve: got court orders to partially close blocks of flats where criminal activity was happening. Worked with other police teams to get search warrants for homes linked to ASB and drug dealing.

Cuckooing awareness

There’s been a rise in “cuckooing” in Leeds, as their has been everywhere in the country-this is when criminals take over the homes of vulnerable people to carry out illegal activities. Housing Leeds is working with the police and the Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team (LASBT) to help those affected. If you’re worried about this happening near you, please report it to the police or Crimestoppers.

Addressing ASB from unknown people

Sometimes ASB, like nuisance motorbikes, is caused by people we can’t identify. Even if we can’t take direct action, we can still share information with the police. We’re also putting in physical barriers like boulders and railings to stop bikes and prevent damage to green spaces and illegal dumping. If you notice a problem, let us know, and let the Police know. In 2024/25, we completed several local projects to reduce ASB and make neighbourhoods better places to live.

• We completed 520 walkabouts throughout the year. These happen at least twice a year in the Spring and Autumn months. Contact your local Housing team to get involved
• We work closely with the Cleaner Neighbourhoods Team and other partners to take a proactive approach to managing the environment
• Thank you to West Yorkshire Probation Service who have completed 102 jobs, helping keep estates tidier, cleaner, and greener
• Continued to respond to local issues, working with residents to achieve positive outcomes, such as holding estate action and clean up days

• Continue to promote how residents can report ASB and raise awareness of how we can help
• Analyse and respond to customer satisfaction data to improve services
• Publish our service standards in an accessible format for residents
• Continue to train and support staff to help them deal with your reports of ASB
• Continue to work with residents and our partners to improve local areas

Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation (BITMO) manages 1,800 council homes in Belle Isle on behalf of Leeds City Council. It is run by tenants of Belle Isle and is the largest estate based TMO in the country.

This year, BITMO secured a new five-year mandate from our Belle Isle residents. We listen to what our tenants want and organise our services based on their feedback, and I’m pleased to share a short summary of the work we have carried on in 2024/25.

If you would like to find out more about BITMO or get involved in our volunteering programme, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you - www.belleisletmo.co.uk.

Deborah Kelly (BITMO Chief Executive)

How we performed

• 97.83% of rent collected
• number of complaints – 45
• consistently achieved over 71% customer satisfaction
• invested 1.8 million in your homes
• complaints responded to in timescale 98%
• exceeded our 88% target on satisfaction with repairs throughout the year

Throughout the year we have:

• carried out 735 tenancy support visits
• helped generate £450,833 to aid 167 households in financial hardship
• purchased 129 essential household items for those most in need
• recovered 5 properties where we identified tenancy fraud
• completed 5,232 repairs
• working with Belle Isle community kitchen we provided free meals at BITMO’s GATE three times a week
• set up a garden tool library where tenants can borrow tools free of charge
• planted 52 trees