This year’s annual conference focuses on the growing role and importance of estates teams:

• How they are taking on increased responsibilities, from building sound relationships with tenants to spotting and managing risk
• What this means for your team and your organisation.

“Eight of the best-performing landlords for satisfaction with estates and neighbourhoods are among those with the top marks for overall satisfaction.”

– TSM results analysis 2023/24

The Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) have made clear what many customer-facing staff in the housing sector already know – that the way we look after our neighbourhoods and communal areas matters more to tenants than almost every other issue.

Dig behind the numbers and the wider role of estates teams in a range of TSM results also becomes clear:

• With continued scrutiny on safety, fire regulation and overall risk management, estates teams are key to identifying and addressing potential risks in their neighbourhoods
• Whether it’s issues around antisocial behaviour, how safe people feel in their homes or concerns about anything from service charges to outstanding repairs, estates teams are often the most visible staff – out on estates, ready to talk and listen to tenants.

Neighbourhoods are more than just places to live. They’re communities where tenants should feel safe, supported and listened to, as well as somewhere they should feel proud to live.

Estate teams play a vital role. They need the tools and capacity to do their jobs together with support from the rest of the organisation.

What will be covered:

• Culture change and how to empower staff to listen and act
• The role of estates teams – best practice in managing risks across estates and spotting and dealing with issues
• The importance of collaborative working between teams
• Getting communication with tenants’ right
• Using technology to streamline communications and reporting.

Why attend?

• Hear from experts in the sector on how to improve tenant satisfaction
• Practical best practice examples from practitioners around health and safety and risk assessments
• Find out how to improve collaborative working between teams
• Deliver benefits for residents.

Essential for:

• Estate services teams
• Health and safety officers
• Housing managers
• Risk assessment specialists
• Staff responsible for communal space management
• Block management.

Bobbie Hough, Associate, HQN

Bobbie is the lead HQN associate for the Estates Services Hub and the Housing Management Network as well as an expert in strategic planning and crisis communications.  Bobbie is also Managing Director of Hough Bellis Communications where he has worked with some of the UK’s most recognised brands overseeing successful mergers, high profile media campaigns and managing crisis scenarios. He works with companies to help align communications and business strategies.

Jo Griffin, Head of Place, Yorkshire Housing

Jo is a senior housing professional with over 20 years’ experience of working in the social housing sector. She is experienced in customer services, including service centre, neighbourhood management, allocations and supported housing.

As Head of Place at Yorkshire Housing, Jo looks after tenancy management, tenancy enforcement, caretaking, grounds maintenance and facilities management.

Baljit Basra, Partner, Devonshires Solicitors

Baljit has extensive experience acting for Registered Providers and Local Authorities, having done so for over 20 years. Her work includes dealing with and managing large volume housing litigation claims which include possession, disrepair, statutory nuisance, ad hoc advice, policy and procedure work, and delivering training to clients on a wide range of housing management topics.

Steven Higginbottom, SeniorConsultant, Morada Works

Senior Consultant at Morada Works and formerly MD and founder of Greenfingers Landscape Ltd, one of the UK’s largest grounds maintenance contractors. Steven now advises on operational strategy, procurement, and service transformation. With over 30 years’ experience in grounds maintenance and estate services, he supports housing providers through the “DLO Doctor” mentoring scheme, helping improve DLO performance, customer engagement, and service efficiency. Steven also shares regular sector insights and commentary on LinkedIn.

Nigel Deacon, Business Development Director, metroSTOR

Following 25 years’ experience in landscape and civils, Nigel has been developing external storage solutions for the social housing sector for the last decade, enabling landlords to maintain safe, clean and sustainable neighbourhoods by providing the infrastructure that residents need to for personal transport and disposal of waste. He has long been an advocate of a robust risk-reduction approach to the fire risk posed by e-mobility devices and will share some innovative approaches that landlords can use to achieve this. Most landlords will be aware that all residential buildings must have recycling and food scraps collection by April 2026, and Nigel will share some insights on how they can manage these changes more effectively using established behaviour change principles.

Emily Robinson, Chief Executive, London Sport

Emily became the CEO of London Sport in February 2022, bringing with her deep leadership experience in the charity and public health sectors. Prior to this, she held leadership positions at UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and Alcohol Concern, where she founded the Dry January campaign that encourages millions of people to abstain from alcohol for a month each year. Since 2021, Emily has also been a member of WWF’s Impact Goals Committee and is a Leaders Plus Mentor.

She is passionate about using sports and physical activity to improve both physical and mental wellbeing, and is focused on promoting inclusivity and reducing inequalities through London Sport’s initiatives.

Kim Hopcroft, Neighbourhood Operations Manager, Central Bedfordshire Council

Siobhan McCoy, Director of Property Services, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing

Siobhan McCoy is Director of Property Services at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), bringing over 25 years of experience in the housing sector. Her career spans a range of leadership roles across local authorities and housing associations, where she has consistently championed high-quality, customer-focused services. At RBH, Siobhan leads the strategic delivery of repairs, maintenance, and investment in our homes, with a strong emphasis on building safety, sustainability, and customer care.

She has played a pivotal role in RBH’s recovery journey and their response to key sector challenges, including damp and mould, energy efficiency, and regulatory compliance. Siobhan is passionate about creating safe, comfortable homes and empowering communities through collaborative, accountable service delivery.

10:30am Opening remarks and welcome from the Chair 

• Bobbie Hough, Associate, HQN

10:40am Keynote speaker on the importance of organisational culture to ensure best services delivered to tenants

• Siobhan McCoy, Director of Property Services, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing

11:10am Reducing fire risks on estates through innovation and investment – case study

• Nigel Deacon, Business Development Director, metroSTOR

11:40am Improving the perception of estates services via customer engagement

• Steven Higginbottom, Senior Consultant, Morada Works

12:10pm Lunch

12:40pm Using technology to improve customer services on estates

• Kim Hopcroft, Neighbourhood Operations Manager, Central Bedfordshire Council

1:10pm Engaging tenants through London Sport’s ‘More Ball Games’ campaign 

• Emily Robinson, Chief Executive, London Sport

1:40pm Break

2:00pm Transforming grounds maintenance to support thriving communities

• Jo Griffin, Head of Place, Yorkshire Housing

2:30pm Addressing evolving regulations and responsibilities for frontline staff

• Baljit Basra, Partner, Devonshires Solicitors

3:00pm Closing remarks from the Chair

• Bobbie Hough, Associate, HQN

3:15pm Close

If you are unable to attend an event or public training course, please let us know in writing (email is fine) at least 48 hours before. Please email [email protected]

Otherwise, a cancellation fee of £60 plus VAT will be chargeable.

If you are using a package place to attend and do not inform us within the agreed time frame, then a place will be taken to cover your non-attendance.

Cancellations must be made in writing and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited.

Cancellations must be made in writing and will be acknowledged by HQN Limited. Delegates may be substituted at any time.