Non-emergency repairs completed within target timescale:
Performance for non-emergency repairs overall has improved significantly in the last two years as we have continued to work hard to balance value for money with delivering a high-quality repairs service.
By planning repairs more efficiently and making the best use of our resources, the proportion of all non-emergency repairs completed within target timescales increased from 59% in April 2024 to 77% by March 2026.
Today, more than three-quarters of non-emergency repairs are completed within target, with an average completion time of 16 days. We know there is still more to do and are continuing to focus on completing repairs more quickly while keeping costs under control. The increasing number of repairs requested provides us with the biggest challenge, especially as we don't know in advance how many requests we will receive.
We're pleased that customer satisfaction with our repairs service has continued to increase and remains high. We also completed all emergency repairs on time and 85% of urgent repairs within target.
We've seen an increase in complaint volumes and this reflects a wider trend across the housing sector, with the Housing Ombudsman reporting a 30% rise in complaints about social landlords. This demonstrates an increased awareness of how to raise concerns - which is something we've been actively encouraging.
Despite this, our complaints handling was strong overall. Customer satisfaction with how we dealt with complaints increased from 42% to 46% and remains in line with the sector median.
We responded to 100% of Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints within our published timescales, which are in line with the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. This places us among the best-performing housing associations in this area.
Independent surveys are also carried out after we've had a key interaction with customers and you may have taken part in one of these after having a repair done, if you've reported ASB, made a complaint or moved into a new home. View the annual results of these post-transaction surveys, and updates on other customer feedback: cottsway.co.uk/customerfeedback