HOMELINK
Summer 2026
What’s inside
David’s water tips
How you can help to shape services
Getting to know you
Crawley Homes’ performance
Lofts
Healthy Start
Big Door Knock
Compliance
Keeping cool
Big Door Knock and Event
Explore our web pages
Have you ever visited our pages on the website? crawley.gov.uk/crawleyhomes
They hold an amazing amount of information and it's not just phone numbers, although you can find them on there too.
Find copies of tenancy agreements, how to report a repair, information on permissions for improvements, the resident engagement calendar, the Tenants‘ Handbook, how well we are performing, how to complain, how to find the stopcock in your home, our service standards and even links to a YouTube video on how to use our common heating and hot water programmers.
Dive in and take a look, you might be surprised at what you find.
Have a question about your home or our services? Stop by the website first it might just have the answer.
We know everyone doesn’t have access to the internet so we’re sharing some of that useful information in Homelink. If you have something you think could go into the newsletter, please call Anne Forshaw on 01293 438257
How well are doing?
When we track our performance, it helps us see what’s going well and quickly fix anything that isn’t. We use a RAG (red, amber, green) rating system to clearly show how each measure is performing.
Green Everything is good
Amber Some issues to investigate Red Needs urgent attention
We report on our performance throughout the year on a quarterly basis. This allows us to see trends and performance over time.
Q1 April to June
Q2 July to September
Q3 October to December
Q4 January to March
The figures that follow are just a snapshot of our performance. The full set of measures can be found at crawley.gov.uk/CHperformance or by scanning 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
Keeping homes in good repair
Calls and communication
Seasonal demand and Contact Centre staffing are usually the main drivers of call handling performance.
Percentage of repairs completed on time by priority.
Priority one Within four hours
Priority two Within 24 hours
Priority three Within seven days
Priority four Within 28 days
More information on the priorities can be found at crawley.gov.uk/repairs
2025 to 2026
Performance for priority three repairs is well below target. A report for the Landlord Assurance Board was prepared that indicated large volumes of repairs for plumbing, electrical and damp and mould may be driving this. An action plan is in place with contractors to monitor work and improve performance.
Tenant satisfaction with repairs and maintenance
These figures are taken from the email survey we sent out each month for completed works, repairs, planned and cyclical maintenance. We will be working with the Tenant and Leaseholders Action Panel to set a target for this.
Stock condition surveys (SCS)
Since the end of March, we have now surveyed most of our homes.
2025 to 2026
Rent arrears
The amount of rent owed (arrears) as a proportion of the overall amount of rent we expect to collect (rent roll).
Arrears saw an upward trend across most of 2025/26 until March 26 when a reduction occurred.
Safety of your home – compliance
Gas, fire and water safety checks are fully up to date with 100 per cent compliance.
Electrical safety is very close to full compliance at 99.7 per cent and we are taking steps to complete the outstanding safety checks.
Other data
We also collect data on antisocial behaviour, evictions, and damp and mould.
Update on Action Plan
The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) Provider Improvement Action Plan continues to be regularly reviewed and updated alongside managers, tenants, councillors, and the RSH.
With more than 70 actions included, it is not possible to cover all details here. However, the full plan is available at crawley.gov.uk/chperformance
At the June meeting of the Landlord Assurance Board four red-rated actions were identified, either overdue or posing a significant risk to tenants.
One of these was the number of stock condition surveys completed was off track. This was red due to the
Getting to know you
Thank you to everyone who has given us details about themselves and their households.
potential for health and safety risks in homes without surveys. This is now on track and at the end of June there are only 164 outstanding.
Other red actions included the implementation of new software systems, and the associated risk of inaccurate data that may fail to highlight issues and the impact this may have on the accuracy and reliability of shared performance data.
There have also been several green-rated actions with positive outcomes over the last quarter, including completion of equality and diversity training for staff, increased collection of tenant profile data and the successful recruitment of a Complaints Manager.
We are collecting this information so that we can investigate whether our service meets the needs of all our tenants.
Why?
Using good quality information on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) will:
• show us whether our service works well for all tenants, or just the average person, and who it does not work well for
• help identify gaps, make service improvements, and remove barriers
• allow us to explore how we can create a service that is fair and inclusive
How it can help
We’ve created a couple of scenarios to show what could be possible.
1. Repairs satisfaction is increasing
This sounds like it should be good news, but is it hiding something? Does it differ between different groups?
Breaking down the data by group and looking more deeply at comments and circumstances allows us to see the bigger picture.
Looking deeper, we might find a particular group of tenants are less satisfied and appointment slots may lack flexibility for those in full-time work, with caring responsibilities, or certain religious groups.
Knowing this would give us a great starting point to look at how we could improve the service.
2. Complaints are increasing – people understand how to make a complaint and are using it well.
By analysing complaints data, we may find lower complaint rates from one group, higher escalation rates for younger tenants, lower rates of complaints from older tenants, and repeated complaints from a specific group.
By breaking down complaints by characteristics, this may give a truer picture of who is making complaints and why.
We still need more tenants to give us their details. If we call you or send you a survey, please take a few minutes to help us improve our data and, ultimately, our services.
Do I have to?
No. Giving us this information is purely voluntary. You have the right to opt out.
However, most of the questions have a “prefer not to say ” option. And if you respond to the questions, it shows we have asked you.
The information is used only to help improve services. It will not affect your home, rent, or repairs service.
How secure is this data?
Crawley Borough Council complies with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
We ensure that your personal data is processed fairly, kept safe and secure and retained for no longer than is necessary.
Crawley Homes’ privacy notice details what data we collect and who we may share this with. Normally, only Crawley Homes staff will be able to see and process your personal information.
However, there may be times when we will share relevant information with third parties, such as our contractors so they can consider your needs when doing repairs, we would usually ask for your consent to do this. When sharing personal information, we will comply with all aspects of the Data Protection Act.
Sensitive information about health, sexual life, race, religion and criminal activity for example is subject to particularly stringent security and confidentiality measures.
Our privacy notice can be found on crawley.gov.uk or scan the QR code to read it.
How you can help to shape services
Tenant and Leaseholder Action Panel (TLAP)
We’ll be welcoming new members to the panel in the next few months once they have seen the group in action by observing a meeting.
TLAP
At their meeting in May, members discussed:
• how the panel and its subgroups are set up, members' roles, and recruitment of new members
• how the panel and the Landlord Assurance Board works together
• an update from the Monthly Core Group meeting of repair contractors, council officers and TLAP representative
• attendance of panel members at the Association of Retained Council Housing tenants conference in September
Complaints subgroup
After a short break, the complaints subgroup is back up and running with interest from prospective new members. Complaints reviewed at recent group meetings included missed appointments, contractor code of conduct and handling rent questions. The Senior Management Team discusses the findings of the group and these influence service improvements.
Scrutiny subgroup
This group is continuing to scrutinise the repairs process following on from the work at the tenant conference. More to follow in the future on their findings.
Reviewing performance
Both TLAP and the Landlord Assurance Board (LAB), review our quarterly performance reports, challenge poor performance and raise areas they feel need investigating.
Getting tenant feedback is essential. You experience the service first-hand and provide a valuable customer perspective that helps us improve.
Both groups raised concerns around repair response times at their meetings. We had already investigated the possible causes, and it looks as though it could be due to inconsistencies in the way our contractors report their data. We are working to improve this for future performance reporting.
Does this interest you? Think about joining TLAP or LAB.
Volunteer vacancies for tenants
We are still looking for more interested tenants to join TLAP, or its subgroups. If TLAP sounds like too much of a commitment, why not think about a subgroup?
Policy group members
Tenants wanted Call 01293 438434
Imagine reading one of our policies and thinking, “This doesn’t quite reflect what I’ve experienced.” Now imagine being able to influence what it says.
As part of this tenant group, you’ll review the policies that shape housing services and make sure they work for residents. You’ll be able to share your experiences, highlight what matters most, and suggest improvements that can make a real difference.
Meetings are optional, but there is some reading and we want your feedback reviewing existing and new policies.
Scrutiny group
Actively looking at the way Crawley Homes works, this is meeting based and you are guaranteed to learn something new.
Editorial group
Work from home, come to a meeting, give your comments in a survey, just some of the ways we anticipate this subgroup working. Look at the way Crawley Homes communicates with you and the content of our newsletters and other publications.
Call Anne on 01293 438257 if this could be for you. We won’t expect you to write anything, but we do want to know what is of interest and what’s important to tenants.
TPAS membership
Tenant membership of TPAS is available for all members of TLAP and the subgroups. This organisation promotes, supports and champions tenant involvement and empowerment in social housing across England. It has a wealth of information and training for tenants.
Volunteer vacancy on senior level board
A vacancy has arisen for a tenant member of the Landlord Assurance Board (LAB).
Could this be you?
This is an opportunity to help oversee housing services, highlight risks, raise concerns and help drive improvement. Helping to shape the future of Crawley Homes services.
The board meets four times a year and you can find out more at crawley.gov.uk/jobs or call 01293 438434
Editorial survey
Your views from the editorial survey have helped us shape this newsletter.
The most popular topics were your data, why we are collecting it and how we can use it, what compliance means with an example and fly-tipping.
Items they thought could be interesting were more energy efficiency tips, insulation matters and the use of lofts. We also got some great questions which we hope we have answered for you.
All of the above can be found in the newsletter except for fly-tipping, which will be included in the next issue. We can then share the work the whole council is doing and the key messages it will be promoting around fly-tipping. Antisocial behaviour and how we deal with it was suggested as a future topic for the newsletter as were success stories. Interest was also shown in how many new homes were built and how many empty homes there were. Crawley Homes Annual Report for 2025 to 2026 will include data on this and much more, this should be available in the autumn. If you would like to be involved in putting together the newsletter scan the QR code to email us or call 01293 438257
There are some things outside of Crawley Homes’ remit, such as footpaths maintained by the county council and we wouldn’t usually include these. But we do want suggestions, so please get in touch.
NHS Healthy Start scheme
The NHS Healthy Start scheme helps families on low incomes to buy healthy food and milk.
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or you have children under four and receive certain benefits, you could be eligible for NHS Healthy Start. Once on the scheme you’ll receive a prepaid card which you can use to buy fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk and infant formula. The card will be topped up with payments every four weeks and you can use it in most places that sell healthy food and accept Mastercard® payments.
You can also get free Healthy Start vitamins. Find out if you’re eligible for NHS Healthy Start and apply online now at healthystart.nhs.uk
Engagement calendar
Want to know what’s happening? Take a look at our engagement calendar on crawley.gov.uk
You will find dates and venues of the neighbourhood inspections, dates for building safety meetings for our high-rise blocks and other events we hold, including our tenant conference.
Big Door Knock and Event
the morning and in the afternoon we’ll be at the Scout hut in Friston Walk. Times to be confirmed.
All tenants are welcome to the afternoon event where you can meet staff from Crawley Homes, our Lifeline, Antisocial Behaviours and Wates, our contractor for Ifield, will also be there.
For more information give Cam a call on 01293 438434 or email tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk
Saving water, saving money
Our Energy Efficiency Officer, David, is back with simple tips to help you lower your water bills and get the most from your home.
Increasing bills
For most of you Southern Water supplies and Thames Water takes your water away and their bills have seen some of the largest increases in the country. Although we focus on the main suppliers here, the same tips apply to your provider. Remember, your charges depend on how much you use if you have a meter or on the rateable value of your home.
Check you’re paying the right amount
Know where your water meter is and how to read it. Find out more on Southern Water’s website and check the meter number matches the one on your water bill.
Your meter is usually located in the pavement outside your home, beneath a metal cover. In flats they could be in communal service cupboards.
Check it’s yours and look for leaks
First step – turn off all taps and appliances.
Run a tap and if the meter moves it confirms it’s yours. If it moves when everything is turned off, the meter may not be yours or you may have a leak.
If something doesn’t look right, contact your water provider and if you think you have a leak, call the repairs team as we may want to check it out. A leak means you’ll be paying for water you haven’t used.
Social tariffs and other financial help
All water companies offer a range of help if you are struggling with your water bill so it's worth talking to your provider.
You may be eligible for a reduced water and wastewater tariff if you are vulnerable and on a low income. Check with Southern Water on 0330 303 0277, Thames Water on 0800 980 8800 or contact your provider.
You may be eligible for Southern Water's Hardship Fund if you can show significant financial hardship, either short or long term, or challenging personal circumstances that have had a financial impact. More can be found on their website.
Advice and information
Our Energy Efficiency Officer, David Howell, can give advice and information on meters, tariffs, water leaks and tips on saving water in your home. Email david.howell@crawley.gov.uk
Crawley Citizens Advice may also be able to help on 0808 278 7969 or citizensadvice.org.uk
Save water
Saving water will not only help most of you to save money, it will reduce demand for water in Sussex and help to protect the environment. As water becomes scarcer in the summer it is even more important to protect the supply.
How much do you use?
The Consumer Council for Water (ccw.org.uk) has calculated we each use 139 litres of water a day that’s about 14 buckets of water.
Five top water saving tips
1. take shorter showers, they use more water than you think, especially power showers, but less than a bath
2. get leaks fixed, dripping taps add up quickly
3. don’t leave taps running, when brushing teeth or washing dishes
4. run full loads in washing machines and dishwashers, using eco settings
5. use rainwater or grey water for your plants, collect rainwater, use a watering can instead of a hose and use water from bathing and washing up water
Keeping cool
Hot weather can affect your comfort and your health, so it is important to keep cool and drink plenty of water. Keep your home as cool as possible by closing curtains or blinds during the hottest part of the day and opening windows when it is cooler, such as early morning or evening. Try not to use ovens or other appliances that create extra heat.
Wear loose, light clothes and stay out of direct sun between 11am and 3pm if you can. Rest in the shade, use a fan, or cool your skin with a damp cloth or a cool shower.
Watch for signs of heat exhaustion, such as dizziness, headache, feeling sick, or heavy sweating. If this happens, move to a cool place, drink water, and rest. Older people, children, and people with health conditions may need extra support, so check on them during very hot weather.
Staying safe in hot weather
For more information about staying safe, including recognising heat exhaustion and heatstroke, visit nhs.uk/heatwave
Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather
For guidance from the Centre for Climate and Health Security, search for ‘Beat the heat’ at gov.uk
Lofts
The space underneath the roof and above the rooms in your home is often seen as a great storage space, but it’s not!
Lofts should be left empty for safety, structural, and maintenance reasons.
Repairs and maintenance
Contractors need clear access to the roof, electrical systems, pipework and insulation. Clutter can delay or stop repairs. If a loft is not clear then upgrades to insulation, repairs to a leaking roof, or roof replacement may not be possible. The loft is not suitable for heavy storage, as loft joists are usually designed to support ceilings. Added weight could weaken the structure or cause ceiling damage.
Damp and mould prevention
A clear loft allows air to circulate properly. Blocking airflow can contribute to condensation, which can lead to black mould.
Energy efficiency
Insulation in the loft needs to stay fluffy and undisturbed. Stored items can compress insulation, increasing heat loss and energy bills.
Access to the lofts in our Passivhaus homes is forbidden as it would affect the thermal properties of the home.
At your own risk
If you access your loft, we cannot accept responsibility for any damage to services such as pipes, wiring, insulation, or ceilings, or for any damage or loss to items stored in the loft, or injury to you, your household members, or visitors.
If you live in a flat
Lofts in flats are not for residents’ use; these spaces are for maintenance only. Please do not try to open the hatch or enter the loft.
Your tenancy agreement
Your tenancy agreement includes clauses about gaining access to roofs and loft spaces and storage of items in your loft.
Thirty years of my life
If you have been storing your memories in the loft over the years, you may find that you can no longer physically clear them out, or that your loft is stopping you from moving to a smaller, more manageable home. Now is the time to talk to family and friends about helping you.
If you are interested in moving to a smaller home contact your Housing Officer as we have an incentive scheme to help council tenants who are looking to downsize from their existing home.
Compliance
Compliance means making sure we meet all the legal, safety, and quality standards to keep you and your home safe.
We do this by managing risks to tenants and properties. This includes regular safety checks, inspections, and listening to tenant feedback.
Every year we need to report to the Regulator of Social Housing our performance on checks for fire safety, electrical safety, gas safety, lift safety, asbestos safety and water safety.
You’re likely to be familiar with gas and electrical checks, so here’s a bit more about water safety.
Water safety checks
Our water safety checks, also called Water Hygiene Risk Assessments (WHRA) look at possible risks from legionella and other hazards and what we need to do to reduce or remove those risks.
Not all homes need these checks as we only need to do them for shared water systems where water is stored. We don’t do water safety checks in individual homes unless there are very special circumstances.
In our sheltered housing schemes and hostels checks are done every two years. Staff for these buildings are trained to understand and spot risks.
If the assessment shows risks that need to be addressed a written scheme of control will detail the actions needed to reduce the risk.
In blocks of flats where there is a shared water tank, checks take place every four years or sooner if needed.
You can read our water safety policy on crawley.gov.uk or scan the QR code or call us on 01293 438257 if you would like a printed version or another format.
Why do we need to check?
Legionella bacteria can grow in water systems and when bacteria multiply to unsafe levels it can spread through tiny droplets from taps or showers. Breathing in these droplets can cause a serious illness called Legionnaires’ disease. Bacteria grow best when: water is between 20°C and 45°C, water is stagnant (not moving), there is sludge, rust, or scale for them to feed on. These conditions increase the chance of harmful bacterial growth.
Some simple home safety steps you can do:
• run taps and showers for 10 minutes after a period of non-use e.g. after a holiday. Try to avoid the spray
• keep shower heads and taps clean
• flush toilets with the lid closed after a period of non-use
• empty and store hosepipes out of sunlight, and flush them through before use
Remembering our colleagues
Michael Southwick
It is with great sadness that we share the news that our colleague, Michael Southwick, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in May. Michael worked as a Building Maintenance Surveyor for Crawley Homes for more than eight years and was a well-liked and highly professional colleague who will be greatly missed.
Michael’s caseload is being managed by other members of his team, and we thank you for your understanding. If you were expecting him to get in touch and you haven't heard from us, please get in touch with the repairs team on 438111.
Jean Marc Chevery
It is with deep sadness that we also share the sudden and unexpected loss of our colleague, Jean Marc Chevery, at the end of June.
Jean worked for us for over five years as a valued and well-regarded member of the mobile cleaning service within our Cleaning and Clearance Team. He will be greatly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him.
Our thoughts are with their families and friends at this difficult time.
Useful contact numbers
Crawley Repairs team
01293 438111
housing.repairs@crawley.gov.uk
crawley.gov.uk/repairs
Crawley Homes Housing Officers
01293 438000
crawley.gov.uk/housingofficers
Antisocial Behaviour team
01293 438438
asb@crawley.gov.uk
crawley.gov.uk/asb
Neighbourhood Services
01293 438772
neighbourhood.services@crawley.gov.uk
Contact Centre
01293 438000
comments@crawley.gov.uk
If you or someone you know would like help to understand this newsletter, or need a different format, please call 01293 438257 tenantparticipation@crawley.gov.uk
New phone numbers for sheltered housing schemes
We’ve updated the way our Older Persons Services Officers manage calls. They can still be contacted on their mobile phones.
Furnace Green Feroners Court, Brunswick Court, Furnace Parade
Fairlawn House 01293 438057
Greenfields West Green Carey House, Spurgeon Close, Taylor Walk 01293 438058 Carey House
West Green The Twitten, Ewhurst Road 01293 438059 The Twitten
Northgate Halfacres, The Brook, Hollybush Close 01293 438069 Halfacres
Bewbush
Wycliffe Court, Calvin Walk, Bunyan Close, Booth Road, Wesley Close
Broadfield Attlee House, Cripps House, Maxton Walk, Henderson Road 01293 438083 12 Attlee House
Broadfield Buckingham Court, Balmoral Court 01293 438091 36 Buckingham Court
Gossops Green Hascombe Court, Woldhurstlea Close 01293 438109 30 Booth Road, Bewbush