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You Said, We Did

We value your feedback as it helps us to make improvements to our services!

Together with Tenants charter
Tenant Inspector feedback
Service improvements
Learning together

We are always trying to improve our services and achieve the highest standards possible for residents. We take your feedback and suggestions for improvement very seriously and always work to resolve issues and concerns as quickly as we can. In our efforts to be transparent and honest, we like to share what we’ve done to improve.

Here are a few of the ways you have helped recently:

Complaints and the Ombudsman – Scrutiny and Challenge Training for Involved Customers

In November 2023, involved customers and members of the Complaints and Scrutiny Panels, joined the Landlord Operations Committee (LOC) participated in a joint training session with Torus Board Members, Directors, and Senior Officers. They heard how Torus are ensuring we meet our commitments on complaints and Ombudsman cases.

The Panels and Committee members were able to question those present to gain confidence that our customers’ concerns are responded to and resolved in a timely way. They also heard how we will be learning from these, and how tenants, leaseholders and shared owners can get involved to improve our approach.

PRESENTATION: Role of Housing Ombudsman, Complaints Team and Tenants in addressing dissatisfaction and learning from experience (pdf)

Contact us at TenantVoice@torus.co.uk for more information on how to get involved so you don’t miss the next opportunity to have your say.

Following the principles of the ‘Together with Tenants’ Charter

Between July and December 2021, Torus carried out three consultation sessions with involved tenants from across all three heartlands regarding the Torus adoption of the Charter commitments. Click here to find out more about the Charter and what they felt worked well, what could be improved and what we are doing based on the feedback.

Tenant Inspectors feedback reports – they said, we did

Our Tenant Inspectors inspect and mystery shop our services and report on how we’re doing and then feedback on what they find, to identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. Click here to view their reports and what has changed or being reviewed based on their feedback.

Consultations

UPDATED: September 2023

Here are some highlights from 2022/23:

Activity	Number of customers participating	Aims & Objectives	Outcomes
Complaints Panel	9	To improve complaints handling To ensure tenants are part of the co-regulatory service delivery model To drive change and raise standards for tenants	All tenants are now given a reference number when a call is logged. This makes sure enquiries can be directed to the right person To make it easier for tenants to find information on complaints we have: Included a direct link to complaints information on our website homepage Included Housing Ombudsman information on all Torus documents Included a QR code on documents so tenants can scan this and go directly to complaints information
Damp and mould review	12	Full scrutiny review of the customer journey when reporting damp and mould Challenging the process to ensure it is fit for purpose and meets tenants’ needs Benchmarking services against 38 similar housing associations	Our Damp & Mould Policy was amended following tenant feedback Information on damp and mould was revised to let tenants know how to report a case of disrepair, what we will do to sort the problem A newsletter was sent to all tenants in summer 2023 with information on damp and mould reporting Surveyors from different areas of the business have been brought in to cover damp and mould surveys, to makes sure these happen within 10 days of the first report Post inspections will take place on all completed damp and mould repairs A new approach has been adopted based on “See it, Report it, Resolve it”, educating staff to support customers and be proactive and helpful at all times Following the review, the Scrutiny Panel members agreed: The Information they received during the review was clear and precise They had received enough information to decide regarding the review The Damp and Mould Action Plan is robust enough and fit for purpose to combat issues and complaints of damp and mould That customers were communicated with.
Involved customers satisfaction feedback survey	60	5 surveys: CIF panel Torus Talk Scrutiny Panel Tenant Inspectors Involved customers Involved customers received 32 responses: 81% were satisfied with opportunities available to them 84% felt their involvement can make a difference 3.91 (out of 5) satisfaction that the Tenant Voice team communicates effectively with them	IT equipment was provided to involved tenants to allow greater participation in online meetings/groups and to research best practice. Training was provided to allow better understanding of Torus services. Feedback was considered as part of the Tenant Voice Strategy review 2023-26. Anonymous survey responses: “It gives me as a tenant my chance to say what is working and what is not so improvements can be made.” “Our views and recommendations are listened to. I believe our input is vital.”
Torus new website design development, design, content & approval	163	To give customers the opportunity to influence design, workability, accessibility, and content of the new Torus website via comments and feedback	Language is free of jargon and has been customer approved. Clear signposts point customers directly to support available. An interactive virtual assistant provides visitors with an experience that is tailored to them. Contact information is clear and easier to find. The website works for all different types of devices. There are multiple ways to find information, including a menu, large navigation buttons and an intelligent search function. Information on ‘Council issues’ is easier to find, with sections re. pests, bins, fly-tipping etc. ReachDeck, a digital inclusion toolbar, makes content more accessible for people with dyslexia, literacy challenges, English as a second language, and mild visual impairments. Colour combinations were chosen to be suitable for people with eye issues.
Customer Annual Report 2021/22	9	Involved tenants completed a survey to get feedback on the content, relevance, and style of the annual report	Some sections were reduced in size or removed. Jargon and unfamiliar terms were removed or explained Information was put into smaller sections.
Electrical Safety Policy	12	Survey was made available to all customers, along with a meeting of involved tenants	More explanation for some technical areas.

You said, we did archive

Consultation & Engagement Event	Number of tenants participating	Aims & Objectives	Outcomes
Diversity And Inclusion Group	9	Tenant led meeting to discuss framework, terms of conditions, roles, timeframes for Diversity and Network group	Tenants set the priorities and agreed the terms of reference for the new Tenant Diversity & Inclusion group.
Community Investment Fund meetings x 3	23	Evaluation of the grants process via feedback from tenants	Tenants provided feedback on current Community Investment Fund which has been used to design a new process to keep what is working well and identify areas for improvement
Repair & Maintenance panel	5	Repairs service update, performance and tenant satisfaction information	Tenants scrutinised repairs performance, challenges staff on tenant satisfaction and received information on the actions in place to improve performance.
Torus new website design development, design, content & approval	146	Tenants consulted and provided comment and feedback on the proposed new single Torus website.	Tenant feedback used to inform the development of the new website. You can read the full ‘you said, we said’ feedback report here.
Housing White Paper tenant satisfaction measures and consumer standards	10	Gather tenant feedback on the current tenant satisfaction measures and consumer standards to report to the regulator	Torus tenants contributed to the Regular of Social Housings consultation on the proposed Tenant Satisfaction Measures raising concerns about gaps in the proposed measures which the regulator is currently considering.
Customer Access consultation	24	Tenant feedback on the draft Customer Access strategy	Tenants provided feedback on the Customer Access Strategy to ensure it is accessible, clear and informative. Tenant feedback was used to review the strategy before it was published.
TPAS training	7	Equality & Diversity training for tenants	Tenants attended training with TPAS to increase their knowledge, awareness and ability to hold Torus to account.
Mystery Shopping	17	To establish the customer experience of reporting a repair with Torus and make recommendations to improve service	Tenants provided feedback on the customer journey to support a review of processes to assess what worked well and what needed to improve.
Electrical Safety Policy review	6	Tenant review of draft policy	Tenants were consulted on the draft policy and provided feedback and suggestions to include in the final version for approval by LOC.
Damp & Mould policy review	6	Tenant review of draft policy	Tenants were consulted on the draft policy and provided feedback and suggestions to include in the final version for approval by LOC.
Torus Customer Service Standards	5	Tenant consultation to develop up to date service standards for each service area	Tenants were consulted on the draft policy and provided feedback and suggestions to include in the final version for approval by LOC
Tenant Training	20	Bespoke training for tenants to support their skills for further involvement	Tenants attended training with TPAS to increase their knowledge, awareness and ability to hold Torus to account
Social Housing Quality Resident Panel	7	Expressions of interest from residents to join Government national housing panel	Tenants invited to apply to join the Social Housing Quality Residents Panel
Safeguarding	8	Tenants’ discussion and case study	Tenants provided feedback and agreed good practice principals which will be shared with staff and used in communications to wider tenants
Scrutiny	10	Reviewing past 12 months achievements and developing forward plan for 2022/23	Tenants received feedback on how their scrutiny review had changes services Customer Service standards developed Increased resources in central Complaints Team New process in place in improve Learning form Complaints Introduction of a Tenant Complaints Panel
Community Investment Fund Policy and Budget Review	6	Review regarding changes to CIF budget, policy and process	Tenant approved amendments to the CIF criteria and process.
Tenant Inspectors	6	Tenant led inspection of lettable void properties in relation to the Torus Empty Homes Standard	Assets Team have reviewed the feedback and are developing an action plan to drive service improvements
Tenant Voice Satisfaction survey - Involved tenants	32	Feedback from involved tenants on their experience of the Tenant Voice opportunities	The feedback will be used to inform the revised Tenant Voice Strategy.
Tenant Voice Satisfaction survey – Torus Talk	6	Feedback from Torus Talk members on their experience of the Tenant Voice opportunities	The feedback will be used to improve Torus Talk and improve opportunities for engagement.