Tenants voice concerns about housing conditions and service. Council reviews Stockport Homes amid rising complaints.
David Robinson has problems with his home. Mould covered a wall in his house. He says he battled it for years. He removed the mould himself. David’s house is on Gipsy Lane. Stockport Homes manages it.
David lives there with his wife and her mom. They moved in four years ago. They claim many problems exist within the company. He told Stockport Homes about ripped wallpaper. A plasterer was supposed to come, but they never came.
Two years ago, they went to Blackpool. They stayed in a caravan while the bathroom got fixed. The family states there are still issues there. Stockport Homes apologized to the family. They rescheduled the plasterer for February 10th. They said the plasterer could not come until June.
Workers plastered the property on February 10th. They returned the next day to finish the job. Plumbers completed bathroom repairs on January 27th. Stockport Homes believes the bathroom issues are now resolved. They also worked on damp and mould last year. The company understands the family’s frustration. They are sorry for any inconvenience they’ve experienced.
David’s story is one of many. More people report problems with Stockport Homes. The company manages over 12,000 properties. The council owns it, but it operates independently.
It was founded in 2005 to improve housing. Now, it’s Stockport’s biggest landlord. Some councillors get flooded with tenant complaints. Main issues are repairs and finding homes. Christine Smith lives in Hollywood Towers. She had gate security problems last year.
A year later, a fix still was not done. Stockport Homes fixed it and is testing access. These issues raise a core question for the council. Can this model provide good service to tenants? James Frizzell is a Stockport Green Party councillor. He’s in the Reddish South ward.
The Lancashire Hill estate is in his ward. Stockport Homes manages it. People live in blocks built in the late 60s. There are many repairs needed and antisocial actions. The Manchester Evening News saw fly-tipping there. They reported it in October 2023.
Basic repairs were needed, but were absent. Tenants reported things to Stockport Homes. They felt ignored and asked for privacy. Frizzell said the estate requires urgent action. He wants to improve resident conditions. Creating a plan for the site’s future is a need. Councillor James Frizzell stated Stockport faces a housing crisis.
He said the plan to fix up Lancashire Hill got held up. It was for 2028 but they still don’t know what the plan is. He needs some real acts now. The quality of residents’ lives isn’t good. There are issues with the infrastructure there.
The lifts are unreliable, and the heating has issues. The heating broke during the coldest days last year. People suffer due to infrastructure investment issues. He hopes the report brings needed change fast. Gary Lawson said they’re maybe looking at rebuilding the estate soon.
Complaints to councillors pushed for a review of the company. The review looked at the ALMO model. Deloitte’s report was published in January. It gave insight into the company’s work. The review found Stockport Homes is doing a pretty good job. Stockport Homes gives good value. Deloitte said the ALMO model should continue. Taking services back could hurt good work.
The review found a disconnect. It saw differences in data and councillor feedback. A need exists to improve the way the firm functions. Stockport Homes workers survey tenants in person. The review suggests online surveys could drop satisfaction.
“Paper feedback is great,” said Lawson. “It doesn’t match what people say.” Tenants report issues on the Lancashire Hill estate. David Meller questioned Stockport Homes’ tenant surveys. There are concerns about capturing tenant experiences.
The review saw “defensiveness” at Stockport Homes. It also reported a “lack of accountability.” This affected dealing with concerns raised by councillors. There was a lack of timely contact for fixes and issues. This made tenants feel worried and uncertain. Trust got hurt.
The report had tips for improvements. Fixes included regular reviews and better contact. More accountability was requested. Matt Wynne reported concerns to Stockport Homes. He’s about the York Street Estate and Hollywood Towers Management.
Wynne said concerns exist about tenant contentment. He spoke of accuracy issues in the performance data. Since ordering the review, there’s been no improvement. This is what his group and the tenants report. Little accountability is a present issue.
The company does not work like a public landlord. Tenants do not feel like they’re getting the best deal. Trust is low from tenants and council members. The government wants more homes built in Stockport.
Stockport has to build 2,000 homes a year. This is double the earlier target. The council thinks this could hurt the green belt. It also takes power away from local people. Around 8,000 families are on the social housing list. The wait is about twelve years and is rising.
So homelessness is also rising. Labour called for a review of the ALMO model. Stockport Homes faces criticism for tenant feedback.
It was added to the budget plans and backed by all. After the review, Meller urged “urgent action.” He will call for action if tenants see no changes. His team wants a new group to look at housing. It would focus on progress on social housing fixes. Meller wants a focus on resident needs. He wants crucial gaps fixed.
Matt Wynne said good estate work is crucial. This includes fair service charges and dealing with bad tenants. Better contact and safe housing for all are key. This is a starter. Public rental management is too important to leave at arms length.
“Give this another shot” is the general agreement. He thinks fresh eyes at the top are needed for fixing things. Mark Robins said underfunding causes issues. He said funds for maintenance are restricted. There are not enough funds for social housing. Government actions and funding must solve this.
Stockport Homes “should and can deliver better service.” Actions in the new report will help. “We are at the start of a journey of improvement.” He added that improvements take time. Members must work together to improve the borough. Stockport Homes must fix repairs and issues now. They need to restore lost faith from members. “Increase accountability” is a thing they want to explore.
Stockport Homes said the review recognizes them. SHG is happy the review recognizes their strengths. Like any review, it said how to improve. The firm wants to ensure tenant voices get heard. They will work with the council to address these points. The focus remains on helping their customers. They ensure they provide the best housing.