Housing Annual Report

Cllr Ashley Monk, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Communities

Welcome to our latest Annual Report. This report shows how our housing services are performing for our tenants.

First, I’d just like to say that I am incredibly honoured and proud to be your newly appointed Portfolio Holder for Housing. Housing is one of the most important issues facing people across our town.

Whether we’re ensuring families have access to safe and affordable homes, tackling homelessness, improving standards, or supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our community, I know how important this role is.

We will work tirelessly on your behalf, listen, and engage with you to make sure your housing needs are taken seriously, and that those facing homelessness or housing difficulties receive the support they deserve. Every resident deserves the security and dignity of having a place to call home. Our focus will always be on what is right for the people of Redditch and what delivers the best outcomes for our communities.

I am pleased to see tenant satisfaction levels rose this year. That is encouraging progress, and it shows that the much-needed recent improvements are starting to have an effect. Of course, more now needs to be done, and I can’t wait to get on with the job and make a difference for you. Finally, as you will see in this report, your feedback drives our improvements. Your views are an important factor in what we prioritise. Please keep on telling us what you think.

John Leach, Chief Executive

Welcome to our Housing Annual Report for 2025–26. This year has been about delivering improvement. We have focused on strengthening key areas of our housing service, including repairs, building safety, tenant engagement and how we use information.

We have put in place a clear Housing Improvement Plan, supported by stronger governance, performance monitoring and oversight. Progress on that is reviewed regularly by councillors, senior officers, and the Regulator for Social Housing, and we are beginning to see the impact of that work.

This report sets out that progress. It shows where services are improving, where tenant satisfaction is increasing, and where we need to go further, particularly in areas such as complaints handling, which remains a priority. Look out for news on that in this report.

We are committed to continuing this work to deliver safe, well-maintained homes, improve services, and to ensure that tenants’ voices are central to how we operate. 

I do hope this annual report is useful to you and further helps express our sincere commitment to driving up standards in council housing in Redditch.

The Consumer Standards

There are standards for all social housing in England, set by the Regulator for Social Housing. These standards are called the Consumer Standards. We always aim to make sure our housing services meet the Consumer Standards.

In this report, we will show Consumer Standards like this:

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must meet the regulator’s requirements in relation to the tenant satisfaction measures set by the regulator.

How well we meet these standards is measured. We don’t choose what to measure or how to measure it: the measures are set by the Regulator. They include the results of the big annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey that we ask you to complete.

We use these measures to improve our services for you.

We will show our official measures throughout this report like this:

Satisfaction has improved across all areas.

Average satisfaction scores have increased by 16.7 percentage points (pp) in three years.

More tenants are taking part too.

• Nearly 900 tenants responded to our survey this year.
• A 35% increase on last year.

Thank you if you took part in this year’s survey.        

This matters because it means:       

• Results better reflect real experiences.
• More tenants are having their say.
• We have stronger evidence to improve services.

This shows that the changes we are making are working. Together we are achieving some of our biggest priorities. Satisfaction is rising, services are improving, and more tenants are shaping what we do.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers, working with tenants, must regularly consider ways to improve and tailor their approach to delivering landlord services including tenant engagement. They must implement changes as appropriate to ensure services deliver the intended aims.

Safe, well-maintained homes are our top priority. This section outlines our performance against key safety and quality standards, including checks, repairs, and capital investment.

We invested over £13 million this year in improving the safety, condition, and energy efficiency of our housing stock.

Building Safety Compliance

* We employ contractors to carry out these assessments against a programme. We have experienced some issues which have resulted in falling outside of the annual measurement periods. We are on track for 100%.

Plus:

• Valid Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs): 97% (100% in communal areas).
• Carbon monoxide detector coverage: 99%.
• Smoke alarm coverage: 99%.

We continue to promote our LET US IN campaign so we can do all this important work, especially in homes where we have found it historically difficult to enter. We can only do this work if we can gain access, so thank you for continuing to work with us.

• Gas safety checks.
• Carbon monoxide checks.
• Smoke alarm installations.
• Full electrical safety checks.

Fire Safety Programme

We have an ongoing programme of fire door replacements to bring all fire doors up to modern standards for 2026/27. Additional funding has been approved to accelerate the programme of improvements.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Safety & Quality. Registered providers must ensure that all required actions arising from legally required health and safety assessments are carried out within appropriate timescales.

Repairs and Maintenance

We prioritise repair requests based on how much impact the problem is having and how urgent it is. This means we can get your higher-priority jobs done sooner, while lower priority jobs may have to wait longer.

• You reported 22,395 repairs to us in 2025-26.
• We completed 94.3% of them (20,754).

• Abandoned calls: 7%, down from 35% in 2023.
• Average call waiting times: 2 MINS, down from 45 mins in 2023.

Introducing: New Repairs Priority Codes

This year we introduced updated repairs and maintenance priority codes as part of our new Repairs and Maintenance Policy, helping us provide a clearer, more consistent service.

We now have four categories: emergency, urgent, non-urgent, and a new planned maintenance category. That’s for larger or more complex works that we deliver through programs of investment.

This reflects feedback from tenants and ensures we prioritise safety and respond appropriately, while also planning bigger improvements more effectively.

In last year’s Annual Report, we highlighted this as an opportunity for tenants to help shape how the service works. Thank you to everyone who shared feedback and helped inform these changes.

You can see more about priority codes and read our full policy on our website at www.redditchbc.gov.uk/RepairsPolicy

Find out more about the ways you can have your say in the Transparency, Influence & Accountability section below.

CASE STUDY: Improving How We Tackle Damp and Mould

We introduced a dedicated Damp and Mould Team this year, to improve how we respond to issues in tenants’ homes.

Our specialist in-house team of skilled trades, supervision, and support staff means we can now investigate and fix damp and mould problems more quickly and effectively than before – meeting recent legal requirements to assess and act on damp and mould within strict timescales.

Awaab’s Law timescales:

• Significant damp and mould issues must be investigated within 10 working days.
• Any required safety work must be completed within 5 working days of the inspection.
• Emergency hazards must be investigated and made safe within 24 hours.

We continue to monitor our performance closely to ensure tenants live in safe, healthy homes.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Safety & Quality.  Registered providers must set timescales for the completion of repairs, maintenance and planned improvements, clearly communicate them to tenants and take appropriate steps to deliver to them.

CASE STUDY: Capital Investments

We invest significant amounts to improve the quality and safety of our homes. Last year, that included:

These investments are part of our long-term commitment to ensuring your home is warm and safe. Thank you for continuing to make prompt rent payments. That is where we get the money to pay for this work.

We are working on implementing new systems:

• Repairs management software, so we can:
  • Ensure we understand your repair better.
  • Get you the right person for the job.
• A tenant portal, so you can:
  • Access your rent account.
  • Change your tenancy.
  • Log repairs
  • Receive appointment updates.

Renovating High Trees Close

Where: High Trees Close, Oakenshaw.

Homes improved: 78 properties.

A major project to improve homes in High Trees Close was completed this year.

78 council-owned flats and the surrounding area, built in the 1970s, were upgraded in a four-year project. The work focused on making homes safer, warmer, drier, and more comfortable to live in.

That meant completely refurbishing the distinctive stepped roof balconies. Heavy old concrete planters and unsuitable, poorly insulated, concrete paving slabs were replaced with insulated decking, cladding, and safety rails with frosted glass for more privacy. The amount of insulation was doubled, and wall insulation was also heavily improved.

To improve the look and feel of the whole area for residents, old, untidy bin stores were also transformed, new street lighting installed, and footpaths, kerbs, and steps renewed.

“It’s made a real difference. It feels warmer and much better looked after, and the balconies feel bigger now that more of the space is useable. I like that they feel more private as well. It was a lot of work to have done, but it was good to be kept informed while the work was going on.” – High Trees Close resident.

Engaging with the tenants and leaseholders in High Trees Close was an important part of the project. Find out more in the Transparency, Influence & Accountability section below.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Safety & Quality. Registered providers must use data from across their records on stock condition to inform their provision of good quality, well maintained and safe homes for tenants.

Stock Condition Surveys: Always Ongoing

Stock condition surveys mean we can plan to do the work that your home will need.

For example, if our survey shows that your home will need a new kitchen in about five years, then we will plan to do that.

The surveys are done for us by a specialist company called Ridge. Ridge are one of our official contractors. If you get a letter from us about a visit to your home from Ridge, please read it carefully.

Our Housing Stock

Fixing Our Decent Homes Data

This year we found a problem with how one of our computer systems was tracking whether or not our homes met the Decent Homes Standard. We worked with the system provider to fix that problem, and as a result, the number of homes recorded as decent fell.

Last year, 96% of our homes were recorded as having met the Decent Homes Standard. However, because of the system error, that number was too high. At the end of March 2026, it was 89%. This is the accurate number.

The Decent Homes Standard requires key parts of a property, like the roof, to be in good condition. Damage or the need for replacements or major repairs may cause the home to fail the standard.

To make sure, we are reviewing everything and carrying out extra checks, especially to roofs, kitchens, bathrooms, and heating systems, so we can be confident we are indeed on the right track, and make sure our homes are receiving the intended planned and targeted maintenance programmes at the right times.

We plan for this, for what needs doing, where, and by when, based on our stock condition surveys (see above). These surveys are how we know what we need to do for your home over time.

We want to every tenant to be able to feel proud of where they live, and we believe that working with residents can lead to lasting improvements and more connected neighbourhoods.

Investing in Neighbourhoods

We’ve continued to invest in and promote our local environments, to make our estates safer and more attractive.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Neighbourhood and community. Registered providers must cooperate with relevant partners to promote social, environmental and economic wellbeing in the areas where they provide social housing.

CASE STUDY: Retreat Street Community Garden

Where: Retreat Street, Astwood Bank.

Improved: Shared garden.

Residents in Retreat Street worked together to transform their shared garden into a space everyone can enjoy.

With support from their Neighbourhood and Tenancy Officer, the residents planned and delivered improvements themselves, including planting, layout changes, and general upgrades. Funding from the Worcestershire County Community Fund helped cover plants and materials.

The project has brought people together and created a space the community is proud of.

CASE STUDY: Winyates Centre

Where: 53 flats & maisonettes at Winyates Centre    .

Improved: Communal areas.

We improved the three shared stairways that had become tired and needed repair, with roof repairs, new ceilings and windows, and full redecoration.

To reduce disruption, only one stairway was closed at a time so residents could still access their homes safely.

The work has improved the condition of the buildings and made communal areas safer and more pleasant to use.

CASE STUDY: Caretaker Improvements

Where: All 276 council-managed blocks of flats.

Improved: Communal areas.

This year we introduced a new Caretaker service covering all our blocks for the first time.

Previously, many blocks did not have regular caretaking, and satisfaction with communal areas was low. We introduced the service after listening to and engaging with residents, including through Tenant Roadshows.

Caretakers now visit regularly to clean shared areas, check safety equipment, keep fire exits clear, maintain signage, and spot and report repairs.

• Quicker identification of issues.
• A visible council presence.
• A cleaner, safer, more welcoming environment.
• A more consistent service across all blocks.

Residents have already told us they feel the blocks look and feel better. We’re pleased to be able to maintain our buildings to a higher standard than before, so we can all take pride in where we live.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Safety & Quality. Registered providers must ensure that the delivery of repairs, maintenance and planned improvements to homes and communal areas is informed by the needs of tenants and provides value for money.

Working Together to Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour

We know anti-social behaviour (ASB) can seriously affect wellbeing. That’s why we’ve strengthened our work with the police and local agencies to respond faster and more effectively.

Working closely with our partners, including West Mercia Police, we use a range of legal powers to deal with serious and ongoing cases. While we support wherever possible, we enforce where needed. This includes through Closure Orders, injunctions, and, where necessary, ending a tenancy. 

CONSUMER STANDARD: Neighbourhood and community.   Registered providers must enable ASB and hate incidents to be reported easily and keep tenants informed about the progress of their case.

CASE STUDY: Acting on ASB

Where: Across Redditch (precise details have been omitted to respect residents’ privacy.

Improved: Quality of life.

In one property, persistent anti-social behaviour had a major impact on neighbours. We secured a Partial Closure Order from the court, restricting access to the property. This gave immediate relief to other residents while we put longer-term solutions in place.

In another, we took out an Injunction in court to put clear boundaries in place to try to manage a tenant’s persistent anti-social behaviour. They improved their behaviour, and as a result they were able to keep their tenancy.

In a third example, a tenant repeatedly caused serious disruption and damage. Despite support being offered, the behaviour didn’t improve, and so we ended the tenancy to protect the wider community.

The number of ASB cases we see is comparable to similar social landlords, and cases of hate-crime related ASB are within the lower range reported across the sector. We treat every such case as a priority and work closely with partners to support affected residents.

We’ve made it easier than ever to report ASB, and we are committed to further improving satisfaction with this through better communication, faster response times, and clearer processes.

How to Report ASB

If you’re experiencing or witnessing anti-social behaviour in your neighbourhood, you can report it online, on the phone, or by talking to any member of staff for advice: www.redditchbc.gov.uk/asb or call 01527 587000.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Neighbourhood and community.  Registered providers must provide prompt and appropriate action in response to ASB and hate incidents, having regard to the full range of tools and legal powers available to them.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Neighbourhood and community.  Registered providers must work in partnership with appropriate local authority departments, the police and other relevant organisations to deter and tackle ASB and hate incidents in the neighbourhoods where they provide social housing.

Join Us on an Estate Walkabout

We make regular visits to your neighbourhood. Called Estate Walkabouts, they’re a chance for you to

• Point out issues like fly tipping, broken lighting, or overgrown areas.
• Raise concerns about safety, repairs, or communal spaces.
• Talk directly to us.
• Help shape how your area is maintained and improved.

They’re part of our commitment to keeping estates clean, safe, and well looked after, with your input. Ask your Neighbourhood & Tenancy Officer when your next one is planned or keep an eye out for adverts in your area.

If you can’t attend, you can still share your concerns, just get in touch.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Neighbourhood and community. Registered providers must work co-operatively with tenants, other landlords and relevant organisations to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of shared spaces.

We believe that transparency builds trust, and that tenants should have a meaningful voice in shaping the services they receive.

Improving how we handle complaints is a key priority.

Engaging With Our Tenants and Leaseholders

Join Our Tenant Scrutiny Panel

If you want to help shape the services and decisions that affect your home and neighbourhood, join our Tenant Scrutiny Panel. The panel is a group of residents who review and give feedback on how things are run. It’s part of making sure your voice is heard.

• Influence improvements to housing services.
• Share your ideas and experiences.
• Work with a small, friendly group of fellow tenants.
• Make a real difference in our community.
• No experience needed.
• Expert support and guidance.

Register your interest now!

To find out more about ALL our opportunities for engagement, go to www.redditchbc.gov.uk/tenant-engagement or call Neighbourhood & Tenancy on 01527 587000 (option 2).

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must give tenants a wide range of meaningful opportunities to influence and scrutinise their landlord’s strategies, policies and services. This includes in relation to the neighbourhood where applicable.

Tenancy Experience Manager Takes the Reins

We are pleased to announce our new Tenancy Experience Manager is now in place, to strengthen how we listen to tenants and improve our services.

Their job is now to bring together feedback, tenant engagement, complaints, and more, helping us turn what tenants tell us into real improvements.

“Tenants’ experiences are one of the most important things we have – ultimately, that’s why we’re here. My job now is to make sure we put those experiences at the heart of our thinking, in a joined-up way across our many services, so we can understand how to get better.”- Emma Alldrick, Tenancy Experience Manager

We are currently preparing more formal & informal ways of engagement. This will mean:

• Better handling and learning from complaints.
• More opportunities for tenants to influence services and decisions.
• Stronger links between tenant feedback and real service improvements

We will need your support this year and beyond, to shape this work and get it right.

Learning Through Listening: Complaints and Feedback

We are committed to learning from complaints and using them to drive service improvements. In 2025/26, we received:

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must ensure their approach to handling complaints is simple, accessible and publicised.

We also received 12 cases investigated by the Housing Ombudsman. The Ombudsman determined that two of these were maladministration.

In these cases, we did not meet our own service standards. Repairs took too long, and we did not put things right quickly enough. We apologised and paid compensation to recognise the impact on those affected.

Most importantly, we have learned from these cases. We have strengthened how we handle damp and mould (see the Safety and Quality section above), improved our processes, and made changes to how we manage complaints, so this does not happen again.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must communicate in a timely manner with the regulator on all material issues that relate to non-compliance or potential non-compliance with the consumer standards.

If something goes wrong, we want to hear from you. You can make a complaint at any time so we can put things right and improve our services.

Satisfaction with complaints improved this year, but it remains our lowest score. Unfortunately, it took us longer than expected to recruit the staff we needed for our new dedicated complaints team as planned. We have now done that. This remains a key priority for us. Please expect significant improvements soon.

Turning Complaints into Improvements

We use what you tell us to improve how we work. Last year, 50 learning outcomes were recorded from upheld complaints. These led to:

• Clearer expectations for contractors, with action taken where standards aren't met.
• Stronger oversight, with issues reviewed regularly and actions tracked to completion.
• Better communication, including clearer updates, callbacks and explanations for delays.
• More training for staff, particularly on customer care, vulnerability and giving the right advice.
• Improvements to systems, including alerts for vulnerable households and clearer job information.
• Changes to processes, ensuring follow-on jobs are booked properly and mistakes are not repeated.
• Stronger record keeping, with better notes and checks where work was missed.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must provide accessible information to tenants about the type of complaints received and how they have learnt from complaints to continuously improve services.

CASE STUDY: Complaint Leads to Improvements

In one case, a tenant told us about delays and poor communication during a programme of planned works at their home. They told us that this had caused disruption over a long time.

We investigated and:

• Accepted where our service fell below our standards.
• Carried out a full review and paid compensation in line with our policy.
• Learned from this and improved how we communicate timescales, strengthened how we manage contractors, and made it clearer who tenants can contact during major works.

These changes are now built into our processes to reduce repeat complaints and improve tenant experience.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must provide accessible information to tenants about the type of complaints received and how they have learnt from complaints to continuously improve services.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must provide accessible information to tenants about how tenants can make a complaint.

Want More About Complaints?

We work to an official complaints standard. If you want to see that standard, make a complaint, or see our annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Reports, we publish all that information.

Find it all at www.redditchbc.gov.uk/housing-complaints or just speak to any member of staff.

ENGAGEMENT CASE STUDY: High Trees Close

Where: High Trees Close, Oakenshaw

Homes improved: 78 properties

Key to the major works to improve homes at High Trees Close (see the Safety and Quality section above) was engaging our tenants and leaseholders. In line with our commitment to the Consumer Standards, we focused on transparency, meaningful consultation and fair treatment throughout.

Residents, who were able to remain in their homes while the work was carried out, were kept informed as the project progressed. Meetings held at the nearby Oakenshaw Community Centre gave residents opportunities to be involved in decisions, including voting on the new colour schemes for each block.

Leaseholders were also engaged throughout the process. Clear information was shared well in advance of works starting, consultation took place through meetings and ongoing contact, and named council officers were available to respond to questions and concerns.

“I attended two meetings and they were packed. It was good because we knew who to speak to at the council about any problems or questions we had, so we could contact them and they would sort it out.” -  High Trees Close resident  

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must provide accessible support that meets the diverse needs of tenants so they can engage.

Governance and Accountability

We have clear oversight structures in place for our Housing Improvement Plan.

Senior councillors and officers including the Chief Executive provide strategic and delivery leadership, and challenge, through dedicated boards. These groups oversee our work, monitor progress, and manage risks.

Day-to-day delivery is led by officers and operational teams, with issues escalated where needed. Progress is reported to councillors every three months, with key performance indicators set by the Regulator helping us to track how we are improving and compare Neighbourhood and ourselves with other landlords.

We also work closely with the Regulator and use tenant feedback to check that our improvements are having the right impact.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Safety & Quality, Neighbourhood and community. Board / governing body understands their responsibilities.

Supporting tenants to sustain their tenancies is a core part of our housing service. This year, we’ve focused on making sure tenancies are running smoothly.

More Support to Sustain Tenancies

We have expanded and refocused our Tenancy Sustainment Team to better support tenants.

Our new dedicated team of eight people, including a Team Leader, means we can:

• Support more tenants who need help.
• Intervene earlier to prevent problems.
• Respond better to growing demand.
• Provide consistent, high-quality advice.

This investment helps more tenants keep stable, secure homes and reduces the risk of tenancy breakdown.

Joint Working Across Agencies

Working with partner agencies helps us provide the right support at the right time.

Our Neighbourhood & Tenancy team work closely with West Mercia Police, Mental Health Teams, Public Health and others to share information and coordinate support.

This isn’t just about managing ASB (see below). We continue to improve homes and communal areas, and where tenants struggle, we provide early, targeted support to help prevent issues escalating.

In a small number of cases, properties become unsafe or cause serious problems for neighbours. In these situations, eviction may be necessary. This is always a last resort, used only when all other support has been exhausted and to protect the wider community.

Tenancy Audits

We want to get to know our tenants better.

That’s why we want to do a quick check on you and your home, every two years, to make sure all is well, and give you time to talk to us.

It helps us to get accurate information on who’s living with you and some information about you as our tenant(s), to make sure we are providing the services you need, and that they are tailored to any specific needs you and your family may have.

Remember, these are routine checks and do not mean that there is a problem.

When it’s your turn, we’ll contact you to make an appointment for a short home visit. During that visit, we’ll do an ID check, ask a few questions, and take a quick look at the property. Most visits are quick and simple.

Please use your visit to raise any concerns you may have.

Look out for your appointment letter or speak to your Neighbourhood & Tenancy Officer if you want to meet with us sooner.

Help us to help you: please tell us if you need to rearrange your appointment. Missed appointments cause wasted journeys and delays for other tenants, so please contact us if you need a different time or date for your Tenancy Audit.

Need To Update Your Details?

To make sure we can contact you quickly and provide services that meet your needs, please let us know if any of your contact details have changed, including your telephone numbers (landline and mobile) and email address.

We also encourage you to update us with any information about your protected characteristics. This information helps us better understand our tenants, ensure our services are fair and accessible, and tailor support and communications to meet your individual needs. All information will be handled confidentially and in accordance with data protection legislation.

Just speak to your Neighbourhood & Tenancy Officer for more information.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must use relevant information and data to understand the diverse needs of tenants, including those arising from protected characteristics, language barriers, and additional support needs.

Rent Arrears and Income Collection

We continue to watch this closely and intervene early to prevent escalation. Rent payments are what pays for our housing services to you, so they’re vital. Without rent payments, we would not be able to pay for maintenance, improvements, or any of our other landlord services.

For the period April 2025 - March 2026:

• Total rent charged: £27.96m.
• Of which was collected: £27.75m (96.2%).
• £0.995m for current tenants.
• £1.203m for former tenants.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Transparency, influence & accountability. Registered providers must collect and provide information to support effective scrutiny by tenants of their landlord’s performance in delivering landlord services.

No Longer Collected in Arrears

Instead of collecting rent one month in arrears as standard, we now aim to support tenants to keep their rent balance at zero as standard, wherever possible.

This change is about helping people keep their homes. If money becomes a problem, then starting from a zero balance, rather than already owing a month’s rent, reduces the risk of that debt building up quickly and becoming hard to manage.

It also helps us to spot problems with rent arrears sooner and offer support earlier, so issues can be addressed before they put a tenancy at risk. We hope this will help us catch any problems even earlier and better support our tenants.

Supporting Tenants in Financial Difficulty

• 126 people helped through complex sustainment issues this year with finances and other tenancy issues.
• 94 cases currently live.

We understand that many tenants are facing financial pressures. We expanded our Housing Income Team last year to provide a supportive, understanding approach to rent arrears and income management. The team also offers free advice to help tenants:

• Maximise income.
• Access benefits and council hardship funds where appropriate.
• Create sustainable budgets.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Tenancy. Registered providers must provide services that support tenants to maintain their tenancy and prevent unnecessary evictions.

What If You Never Had to Lift Another Finger to Pay Your Rent?

Ask us about a Rent Direct Debit today. Just one call to our dedicated team, and you could take the pain out of payments. Simple, guaranteed, protected payments. Subject to status.

www.redditchbc.gov.uk/rent

Allocations And Lettings

We manage the Redditch Homes system, including our housing register. Redditch Homes is how social housing is advertised and allocated across the borough. This includes homes owned by the council and local housing associations.

There are six priority bands. Band 1 is the highest and is for those who need to move urgently. Band 1 applicants are directly matched to the next suitable property.

Applicants in other bands can bid on available homes.

The Housing Register and Lettings Policy: Applicants for social housing in Redditch are assessed based on need, following the council’s Allocations Policy and the Housing Act 1996.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Tenancy. Registered providers must allocate and let their homes in a fair and transparent way that takes the needs of tenants and prospective tenants into account.

This year:

• Biggest demand: family sized
• Most properties were re-let in
• 195 were direct matches to people in Band 1.
• 308 council homes were re-let.
• 53 registered housing provider homes became available.
• 127 mutual exchange* applications were received.
• 72 households completed a mutual exchange* to move to the right-sized property.
• 54 households got keys to brand new homes through registered housing provider partnerships.
• 38 adapted homes were re-let to people with specific needs, helping them live more independently and safely.
• The average time to receive, repair and re-let a council home with routine works was 19 days.
• 415 households were rehoused.

*Mutual exchange: A mutual exchange is when tenants swap homes to get to the right sized property and in preferred locations. It’s often the fastest way to be rehoused. For full details, go to www.redditchbc.gov.uk/mx or call us on 01527 587000.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Tenancy. Registered providers must co-operate with local authorities’ strategic housing functions and assist local authorities to fulfil their duties to meet identified local housing need. This includes assistance with local authorities’ homelessness duties, and through meeting obligations in nominations agreements.

Housing Growth Programme

We are committed to increasing the supply of affordable homes in Redditch.

Our current Housing Growth Programme aims to deliver 230 additional council homes by 2030. So far, we have delivered 142 of those homes, with a further 70 currently in progress, and plans are being developed to secure the remaining 18. We are using a mix of approaches to this.

To support this, we have allocated £15 million from the Housing Revenue Account capital budget. Our new built homes will be built to high energy efficiency standards (at least EPC A), helping tenants reduce fuel costs and supporting our climate goals.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Tenancy. Registered providers must develop and deliver services that seek to address under-occupation and overcrowding in their homes. These services should be focused on the needs of tenants.

CASE STUDY: How Adding More Homes Helps

What: More homes were made available to people on the housing register.

Homes added: 63 - many more than in recent years.

New council homes do more than help one single family: they make the system fairer, reduce pressure on homelessness services, and help public money go further for local people.  This year we added 63 more, by securing council nomination rights to new homes and buying back former council homes using Right to Buy money.

Nomination rights: When a council can allocate that home to someone on the housing register. Developers may have to agree to this to get planning permission, through Section 106 planning agreements.

This helped many people. In a normal year, about 850 households apply for housing, but only about 350 homes become available.

With so many more applicants than homes, most homes must go to people in the highest priority group (Band 1), who are homeless or living in temporary housing. That’s fair, and required by law, but it means other people with high needs can wait a long time.

Gaining more new homes meant more families in urgent need could move into suitable homes. The homes they left then became available for other families too.

A single development this year provided nomination rights to twice as many new homes than all of last year combined: 54 new one- and two- bedroom flats at Flora Mews, built by Redditch Co-Op Homes (GreenSquareAccord). The total from all sources in 2024-25 was 19.

As a result, we were able to help people not just in Band 1, but in Band 2 and even Band 3, which is rare. This included families living in overcrowded homes, and one family who had waited three years for a home that met a child’s disability needs.

This also meant fewer people needed to stay in expensive temporary housing. For the first time in years, our local temporary housing was not completely full up with people waiting, bucking the trend across Worcestershire.

• More people get homes. Adding more homes helps more people move into a home that is right for them.
• Homes that meet people’s needs. Some people need special homes, such as with wheelchair access. More homes makes us more able to help more families who may otherwise have to wait a long time.
• Helping one family helps others. When one family moves to a suitable new home, another family in need can move into their previous home: there is a ‘domino effect’.
• A fairer system. People with the greatest need are helped first, but more homes mean more help for other people who also have high needs.
• Fewer people in temporary housing. People without a home may need to stay in temporary housing (places like b&bs). With more permanent homes, fewer people need this, so they can avoid the instability this can cause on family health and wellbeing.
• Better use of money. Temporary housing is also expensive. Using less of it saves money. That leaves more money to spend on long term homes for local people, and to relieve people going through a crisis.

Extra Care Housing

St David’s House & Queens Cottages extra care housing scheme provides people with their own front door together with access to an onsite 24-hour care team, so help is available when needed. If you’re aged 60 and over and interested in finding out more about the scheme, give the team a call on 01527 584769.

• 10 of these homes were re-let this year.

CONSUMER STANDARD: Tenancy. Registered providers must seek to allocate homes that are designated, designed, or adapted to meet specific needs in a way that is compatible with the purpose of the housing.

Your Right to Buy

We are required to provide our secure tenants with information about the Right to Buy the property. There have been significant changes to the discounts available under the Right to Buy. The maximum discount is limited to £26,000.

For full info, see www.redditchbc.gov.uk/rtb or talk to a Right to Buy Agent on 0300 123 0913.

Tackling Tenancy Fraud

We remain vigilant in identifying and addressing tenancy fraud, to help protect our housing services. This includes:

• False applications.
• Not using it as the main home.
• Abandoning it.

Last year the team investigated 56 cases of suspected abandonment and tenancy fraud.

We work closely with our internal audit and legal teams to investigate and act where necessary.

Know Of an Empty Home?

Report a suspected empty home at www.redditchbc.gov.uk/EmptyHome

CONSUMER STANDARD: Tenancy. Registered providers must take action to prevent and tackle tenancy fraud.

In July 2025, the Regulator checked our housing services. We received a C3 rating. This meant some parts of our service were not good enough and needed to improve.

As we set out in our Annual Report last year, the Regulator highlighted issues with:

• Repairs and maintenance.
• Involving tenants.
• Building safety.
• How we use and track information.

What We Are Doing

We had already started fixing these issues at the time of the judgement.

Then we created a Housing Improvement Plan. That sets out improvement actions, like these examples:

What Happens Next

We will continue improving our services. Many of the improvements have been set out in this report.

We have now launched our next improvement plan. We used feedback from tenants and survey results to shape that new plan.

Our aim is simple: safer homes, better services, and listening to tenants more.