Please take a few minutes to take a look inside, where you will find consultations to comment on, ways to get involved, saving energy (and money), what happened at our tenants conference and much more. If you have any comments about the newsletter please email us at tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk or call 01293 438257
Crawley Homes’ customer service standards
We have included a copy of our new customer service standards with this newsletter, please take a few minutes to have a look at them. They are important because they help you know exactly what you should expect from us as your landlord.
They explain the level of service you should receive whenever you contact us. Our customer service standards set out how quickly we should respond, how we communicate with you, and how we treat you.
No matter who you contact, you should receive the same level of courtesy, respect, and support. Standards help make sure everyone is treated consistently.
By measuring how well we meet our service standards, we can spot what’s working well and where we need to make changes. This helps us provide a better
Our clear, written standards show you we are committed to providing the best service we can.
What’s inside
A new pets policy
Our performance
One small step to getting involved
Introducing the Landlord Assurance Board
Tenants Conference
Saving energy (and money) in your home
Your right to buy
Moving home by mutual exchange
How to make a complaint
Our performance
How well are we doing?
When we track our performance, it’s easier to see what’s going well and we can quickly deal with anything that isn’t quite right.
Every year we have to report to the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) a number of performance measures from our management information. We track how well we are doing in these key areas throughout the year on a quarterly basis. (Q1 covers April to June, Q2 July to September, Q3 October to December).
Keeping homes in good repair
Percentage of properties that have had a stock condition survey within the past three years
We’re making good progress with the surveys, which help us spot issues early. We’re on track to survey every home by March 2026 and we’ve already completed 65 per cent.
time to answer repairs calls (minutes)
Waiting times for repair calls rose over the winter because of high demand and limited call centre staff. We’re improving this by planning better for busy periods and reallocating resources when demand is high.
Percentage of repairs completed on time by priority.
More information on the priorities can be found at crawley.gov.uk/repairs
Safety of your home
The decline in performance across our repairs priorities is partly due to a rise in repair requests driven by winter weather and increased issues found during stock condition surveys.
Safety remains one of our strongest areas of performance. Gas and fire safety checks are fully up to date and electrical safety is very close to full compliance
Complaints
Complaints handling is an area needing improvement. Stage one complaint volumes remain steady. More tenants are escalating complaints to stage two, and our response times at stage two remain well below target. We are strengthening oversight and improving how we track complaint actions and recruiting a dedicated Complaints Manager to help drive improvement.
Other data
We also collect data on many other areas including anti-social behaviour, rent arrears, evictions, and damp and mould. The full set of our measures can be found here crawley.gov.uk/CHperformance or scan the QR code.
If you cannot access the website and would like to see the Performance report, please email tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk or call 01293 438257,
One small step to getting involved
Would you like to have a say, but don’t have much time or worried you won’t know what is being talked about?
The tenants on the Tenant and Leaseholder Action Panel (TLAP) have recently changed the way the group works, and we are going to have more casual ways where you can have your say, without sitting on the formal panel.
The new subgroups have these broad headings:
• Scrutiny
Looking at our processes by reviewing real examples, like complaint handling and how well we’re doing against our targets.
• Policy
Influencing and reviewing our new policies and any updates to existing policies.
• Community Supporting our engagement activities in the community – chatting with other tenants as an “expert-byexperience”.
• Communications
Giving your views on and influencing the information we send to tenants including newsletters, leaflets and the annual report.
We are looking for residents to take part in these new ways. By taking one small step you can find out more.
Call Cam Smith our Resident Engagement Officer on 01293 438434 or email tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk
Residents wanted for the communication group
If you would like to join a group of tenants to discuss each newsletter before it is written, get in touch with Anne Forshaw our Housing Service Promotions Officer.
As well as having your say and making sure that tenants will know what we are talking about, you’ll find out the background to articles and be some of the first to know about any changes. It will be an informal group and you can attend only those meetings your able to.
Want to volunteer or find out more?
Email tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk or call Anne on 01293 438257.
Introducing the Landlord Assurance Board (LAB)
Our new Landlord Assurance Board strengthens the way we oversee our housing services. It provides a clear route to raise key issues with senior council leaders and ensures strong scrutiny of our performance. The board includes Crawley Homes’ Senior Management Team, the Deputy Chief Executive, Councillor Irvine, Councillor Ramsey and four tenants. Two of these tenants also serve on TLAP and two joined independently through recruitment.
Tenants on the board play a key role. They review our performance against the consumer standards, our Provider Improvement Action Plan and our performance data. They challenge us when something is unclear, needs improvement, or just doesn’t feel right, ensuring we act on anything that requires attention. We look forward to working together to improve our services and make a difference to tenants.
Provider Improvement Strategy and Action Plan
Following consultation, this strategy was passed by Cabinet in March and can be found on our performance web page.
The action plan uses RAG (red, amber, green) ratings to track progress. This is reviewed by LAB and monthly by senior managers. Recent highlights include completing equalities training and launching the service standards. LAB discussion on the progress of stock condition surveys drew attention to poor follow up communication with tenants and reassuring tenants that they won’t get in trouble regarding the condition of their property as the aim is to survey the property rather than them or their tenancy.
Crawley Homes’ Tenants Conference – January 2026
Welcome
Gathered in the main room, we welcomed delegates to the event and it was great to see so many who wanted to find out more.
We kicked off with an overview of the last year for Crawley Homes, particularly our Regulator of Social Housing Inspection, what happened, what it means for us now and looking to the future. We got a C2 rating and want to improve that to a C1 so more work is in store for everyone.
The launch of our customer service standards followed and these were warmly received.
Give your views
After refreshments delegates had their chance to find out more and give their views in three specific workshops.
Your neighbourhood and community
The workshop about your local area. We found that tenants understood what neighbourhood management was, and it was something the council does and not just Crawley Homes.
Good neighbours, clean and tidy green spaces, no litter, respect for each other and the environment and free from crime were considered to be the ingredients of a great neighbourhood.
How to create a great neighbourhood involved residents looking out for their neighbours, reporting communal repairs and the council taking a can-do approach, giving support to groups and tenants as needed.
We are TLAP and we do scrutiny
The Tenant and Leaseholders Action Panel (TLAP) led an interactive repairs reality check – from call to completion. They also gave an overview of what they do and how as tenants who use our services, they can make a difference.
Their results
Take a look at the picture to see just some of the results. Green pens for what works well and red for things that go wrong or cause stress. Spotting the pressure points used coloured dots. Red for the single worst issue, green for good and yellow for the three things felt most strongly about.
When something breaks, it’s reassuring to know out-of-hours support is available. People appreciate having different ways to report repairs, though reports don’t always go through correctly. Appointment booking was felt to be generally positive with good choice, flexibility, and helpful text reminders, but missed time slots can be stressful. Repair visits are usually a good experience thanks to friendly, professional staff who often arrive with the right parts, though issues arise when parts are missing. Follow on works can take time and communication varies in quality. After repairs, customers are keen to share both positive and negative feedback.
TLAP said it was a great session with a few laughs along the way. It gives us real insight into tenants’ experiences and we’ve shared this with the Repairs team.
Making homes fit for the future
Our asset management strategy is about our plans for maintaining your homes (our assets) in the future and making them safer. Our decarbonisation strategy has plans to make them warmer and greener, reducing our carbon emissions to meet the council's net zero target.
We started with a bit of history, with an explanation of decent homes, a minimum standard for homes that we need to meet, along with health and safety legislation.
Scan the QR code to see the slides on our decarbonisation strategy.
The importance of the stock condition surveys we do of your homes was emphasised as the information collected from them helps us to plan the future.
We have received grant funding for much of our recent insulation works and will continue to apply.
Many questions were received and dealt with on the day or taken away for follow up calls. Appointments were made for stock condition surveys, and tenants also booked energy efficiency visits.
Discussion tables
The chance to sit round a table with other tenants and members of staff to talk about different topics, including, your community and neighbourhood, tenancy rights and responsibilities, right home, right size, safe and healthy homes, communication and customer care, tenant influence (TLAP), energy efficiency, equalities – everybody equal?
Some lively discussions took place in these smaller groups. We learnt a lot from this section of the conference with lots of ideas on how to improve if we do it again.
Questions and answers (Q&A)
After lunch it was time for Q&A. During the day, delegates had written their questions for the panel on postcards, and we’d lined up several officers to respond to the room.
Questions asked included:
• timescales for feedback and work after stock condition surveys. We will be sharing timescales with you, but not everyone will have work booked in right away as we will prioritise and programme the work based on the findings
• contacting housing officers. Their contact details can be found at crawley.gov.uk/housingofficers and if they are away there should be a voicemail with alternative contact details
• turning up unannounced, surveyors should make appointments for a time that works for tenants and explain why they are coming. Contractors may just turn up if it is a health and safety issue, but please let us know if subcontracors turn up without an appointment
Additional questions were asked about trees, grass cutting and the right to buy. We’ve passed these to the teams who can deal with them.
We encouraged everyone to complete action cards for personal issues and items we couldn’t answer on the day and we took away many action points to follow up.
Our new Landlord Assurance Board was introduced, and we recruited a tenant from those who expressed an interest on the day.
We are still looking for tenants who would be interested in joining TLAP or any of its subgroups.
What went well and what didn’t
Signage wasn't clear, no printed outline of the day was given out and confusion around how the discussion tables worked, were all comments we agreed with and will use for future events. However, there was lots of chat and discussion, delegates actively took part in sessions, lunch was good and being able to meet senior officers were all positives. We learnt a great deal to share with our teams and look forward to seeing you at future events.
Comments from some delegates
“The TLAP group were absolutely lovely and approachable”
“It was good to speak with the people involved in decision making. I'm not totally sure I still understand your processes to make decisions”
“I have found the conference incredibly useful. I've made several appointments already and I'm looking forward to engaging with many people on council policy and improvement”
Congratulations Jamel from Gossops Green who won the restaurant voucher draw at the conference.
Saving energy (and money) in your home
David is our Energy Efficiency Officer and is here to help you get the best out of your home for as little as possible.
You can cut your fuel bills and make your home feel warmer by taking a few simple steps.
David’s top tip today: get to know your meters
Make friends with your energy and water meters. Find them
Check under the stairs, outside cupboards/boxes, or communal cupboards. Water meters may be outside.
Check your bill
Make sure the meter number and readings on your bill matches your actual meter, mix ups do happen.
For help understanding bills, scan the QR code or visit energysavingtrust.org.uk
Get a smart meter
Smart meters give accurate readings, avoid estimated bills, and show real time energy use if you have an in home display to help you understand where you can save energy and money. To get one, just contact your supplier.
Control your heating
Get to know your heating controls and how to use them – programmers, thermostats, and radiator thermostats when used properly will make sure you’re not wasting energy but your home is warm enough. Scan the QR code or visit energysavingtrust.org.uk
Want advice or help?
West Sussex Affordable Energy is a good place to start westsussexenergy.co.uk
Citizens Advice can give you energy and utility bill advice visit advicewestsussex.org.uk/get-advice/energy-and-utility or call their energy team on 01273 944433 and leave a voicemail.
David can also give our tenants free advice, including home visits. In the first instance email him david.howell@crawley.gov.uk
Warmer and greener
We are committed to making your homes fit for the future by making them warmer and greener and reducing our carbon emissions.
Insulating homes is a key part of this work as it improves their thermal efficiency, helping your home stay warmer for longer and saving you money on heating. Our successful bids for funding have so far helped us to deliver insulation work to approximately 2,000 homes across the town.
This programme continues and money from the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Wave 3 will help us to complete work on another 600 homes. The funding isn’t free money; we have to match the funding with our own money and ensure we meet the conditions set by government. We are surveying the areas we are considering for the next wave to assess the energy efficiency of the homes, and we’ve written to the relevant tenants with more details.
Lofts and decks
When completing insulation work, we will need clear access to your loft, and we will need to put up scaffolding. We won't be able to clear out your loft for you and if you
have put up a lean-to or other external work without getting our permission, this may affect our ability to complete the work.
The future
We are developing our Decarbonisation and Asset Management strategies, which will map out our plans for maintaining your homes (our assets) in the future.
Extractor fans
There are times when keeping the air moving round your homes needs a bit of help, particularly if there is damp and mould.
To increase ventilation in these instances we are fitting extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms and servicing those that are fitted. These will help to keep your home healthy and warm as you won’t have to have a window open, so long as you use the fan.
Your right to buy your home
As a council tenant, you may be able to buy your home at a discount through the government's Right to Buy scheme.
Do you have the right to buy?
You may be eligible if:
• you’ve been a social housing tenant for a minimum of three years
• you hold a secure tenancy
• the property you are applying to buy is your only or principal home.
There are also reasons you can’t buy, these include:
• if your home is in sheltered housing
• you have problem debt
The rules for the scheme can be complicated. Visit gov.uk/rtb for detailed information
Can I afford it, now and in the future?
The maximum discount you could get in Crawley is £38,000 and you will need to arrange finance for your purchase.
You need to look at all the costs involved, not just mortgage payments, think about legal costs and future maintenance and repairs as we will no longer do these. If you buy a leasehold flat there will be ongoing service charges to meet.
Applying for Right to Buy
Visit gov.uk/right-to-buy-buying-your-council-home/applying and complete a RTB1 form.
Once you apply, your home will be removed from planned improvement programmes (such as new kitchens or bathrooms). We'll only carry out repairs needed for health and safety or to keep your home wind and watertight.
Where can I get advice?
You do not need to pay someone to help you apply for the Right to Buy. As well as the information on gov.uk, you can find money advice on maps.org.uk and lease-advice.org has information on buying a leasehold flat.
Find out more on crawley.gov.uk/righttobuy and if you need any assistance or advice call us on 01293 438286 or email right.to.buy@crawley.gov.uk
Moving home by mutual exchange
Mutual exchange is a process that allows social housing tenants to swap homes with another tenant. This is sometimes called home swapping.
Instead of waiting on a housing list, you and another social housing tenant agree to exchange properties, with approval from your landlords. Some exchanges involve two households, while others may include three or more people in a chain swap.
Mutual exchange and home swapping are particularly helpful if:
• your home is now too big or too small
• your health, mobility or care needs have changed
• you want to move closer to family, work or support networks
• you need a different type of home or location
Importantly, a mutual home exchange allows you to remain in social housing, keeping your rent affordable and your tenancy secure.
Finding
someone to swap with
To help our tenants find someone to swap with. We've partnered with homeswapper.co.uk so you can look for other tenants who want to move.
You must be a secure tenant with Crawley Homes (not an introductory tenant), however, the person you swap with can be another secure council tenant or a housing association tenant.
What next?
Once you have found someone to swap with, you will need to complete our mutual exchange forms available on crawley.gov.uk or at the Town Hall.
There are certain conditions that have to be met before a mutual exchange can be agreed, including a clear rent account. For more information on how to apply and exchange your property with another tenant contact your Housing Officer. See page eight for their contact details.
A new pets policy
We know pets are important to many tenants and support their wellbeing. To ensure everyone enjoys their home, pets must be well cared for and not cause nuisance. Our new policy promotes responsible pet ownership while balancing the needs of all residents.
We now want your views, especially as the policy may affect you. The policy explains who needs permission to keep a pet, how we assess requests, and the conditions tenants must follow. It also sets out how we protect staff and the wider community from pet-related nuisance.
Crawley Homes' Housing Officers
Every Crawley Homes tenant has a specific housing officer who deals with tenancy related queries.
These include:
• rent enquiries including difficulties paying your rent
• mutual exchange applications
• tenancy changes
You can find their contact details on the top of your rent statement (that came with this newsletter), by visiting crawley.gov.uk/housingofficers or scanning the QR code opposite.
Can't access the web site? You can always call the council's Contact Centre on 01293 438000 who can put you through to them. They don't deal with repairs or antisocial behaviour issues and those contact details are below.
Antisocial Behaviour team 01293 438438 asb@crawley.gov.uk crawley.gov.uk/asb
The draft policy takes about five to ten minutes to read, and the survey around five minutes to complete. The consultation has been extended and now closes on 1 May. Scan the QR code below or visit crawley.gov.uk/consultation to take part.
To email your comments, contact tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk
If you do not have internet access but want to read and comment on the policy, call 01293 438257.
Why stock condition surveys are important
To help keep your home safe, comfortable, and up to national housing standards, we need to carry out a Stock Condition Survey (SCS). This is a routine check that helps us understand what repairs or improvements your home might need now or in the future.
If we can’t get access to complete a survey, it can slow things down, increase costs, and may lead to further action, something we want to avoid.
These surveys help us plan investment, prioritise homes that most need work, and make sure our records are up to date so we can provide a better service. We really appreciate your support in arranging access so we can complete this important check on your home.
Contact Centre 01293 438000 comments@crawley.gov.uk
If you or someone you know would like help to understand this newsletter or in a different format, please email tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk or call 01293 438257.
