Struggling with tight budgets and limited resources? Under pressure to raise the standards of your empty properties and increase tenant satisfaction?

Letting an empty property is a complex process involving lots of different people and departments. We know how tough that can be. HQN’s top experts on lettings and voids will take delegates through the whole process and provide you with the latest tips and advice.

We’ve put together a full day workshop taking a practical look at the voids (empty homes) process from start to finish:

• Voids management – the process and the technology
• The customer experience – getting it right for residents
• How to implement changes and achieve long lasting results.

We’ll cover:

• The essential links with stock condition, decent homes and building safety
• Data – knowing your homes, households, stock turnover and how you compare with others
• An overview of the end-to-end journey
• Practical tips to reduce re-let times while delivering a quality product and a good customer experience
• The importance of IT systems and new technologies
• Tenant engagement making a difference
• How to draw up a SMART improvement plan
• Getting buy-in from the whole organisation
• Making strategic decisions – considering your options of investment, divestment and disposal.

You’ll hear from experts, specialists and practitioners. You’ll also get the chance to share best practice and discuss and debate solutions.

Essential for:

• Voids and lettings managers/heads of service/specialists
• Directors of finance
• Finance teams
• Directors of housing and housing management teams
• Directors of assets
• Heads of repairs and teams
• Governance teams
• Data and insight teams
• Compliance teams
• Performance improvement officers
• Customer experience and engagement teams
• Policy/strategy officers.

Kevin Bentley, Associate, HQN

Kevin has worked in social housing in both the local government and housing association sectors for over 25 years, specialising in housing maintenance and stock investment issues.

Kevin has been a HQN Associate for over 14 years, providing advice and support to many housing organisations.

He has in-depth knowledge of all aspects of operational delivery and strategic asset management in the sector. He regularly carries out reviews of gas servicing and maintenance for organisations. He has in-depth knowledge of service delivery and best practice in the sector delivered by in-house/DLO contractors and out-sourced arrangements

Kevin is also one of HQN’s key accreditation assessors specialising in HQN: DLO and HQN: gas repairs and asset management accreditations. He is also one of HQN’s trainers responsible for contract management and procurement.

Kevin has carried out upwards of 120 service reviews and similar in-depth assessments of repairs and maintenance services for HQN clients, including a large number of gas servicing and maintenance reviews for organisations with both in-house contractors or outsourced and hybrid arrangements.

Patrick Collins, Director of Communities, Incommunities

Patrick is currently Director of Communities for Incommunities and has worked in the housing sector for over thirty years. Previously Patrick has been a Board Director for Care Housing Association and a Board Director and Vice Chair of Calico Housing Association. He believes housing management is very straight forward – get the basics right and improvements will follow.

Daniel Leadbetter, Operations Manager (Maintenance and Building Adaptations), Wythenshawe Community Housing Group

Dan Leadbetter is an Operations Manager at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group in Manchester. He brings extensive experience in operational management in social housing repairs and maintenance teams. He oversees Empty homes, subcontractors, Aids & Adaptations, and Legal disrepair across the groups properties. Dan’s leadership ensures WCHG delivers a high-performing, customer-focused service, where homes are safe, accessible, and ready for people to thrive. He is passionate about maintaining standards, driving continuous improvement, and protecting the organisation through strong operational practice.

Helen Core, Assistant Director of Housing, West Lancashire Borough Council

Helen is an experienced housing professional, who has worked for both local authorities and registered providers for over 25 years. She has worked operationally and strategically across all areas of housing, including homelessness, neighbourhood management, assets, repairs, compliance, regulation, independent living, care-call and of course tenant engagement.

Helen has lead various reviews around voids processes and performance, in addition to developing tenant engagement strategies and tenant scrutiny models.

Gareth Jones, Maintenance Contract and Delivery Manager, West Lancashire Borough Council

Gareth Jones is an experienced maintenance professional and MCIOB-accredited manager, leading the delivery of contract maintenance at West Lancashire Borough Council. With over 17 years of public sector experience, Gareth oversees contract performance, ensures compliance with health and safety standards, and works closely with contractors and colleagues to maintain high-quality council homes.

10:30am Welcome and introductions

• Kevin Bentley, Associate, HQN

10:40am Understanding the voids lifecycle

• Kevin Bentley, Associate, HQN

11:25am Setting tenants up to succeed

• Patrick Collins, Director of Communities, Incommunities

Patrick Collins, Director of Communities at Incommunities will talk about the transformation they have made to allocations and voids.  He will share the radical changes made and the results including their ‘five principles of a transfer’ and their new lettings standard.

12:10pm Break

12:25pm Workshop activity: improvement planning

1:00pm Lunch

2:00pm Feedback to the whole group

• Kevin Bentley, Associate, HQN

2:15pm Understanding your performance and driving improvements

• Daniel Leadbetter, Operations Manager (Maintenance and Building Adaptations), Wythenshawe Community Housing Group

3:00pm Tenant engagement and the customer’s perspective

• Helen Core, Assistant Director of Housing, West Lancashire Borough Council

• Gareth Jones, Maintenance Contract and Delivery Manager, West Lancashire Borough Council

• Philip Griffin, member of tenant scrutiny panel, West Lancashire Borough Council

Helen Core, Gareth Jones and Philip Griffin will talk about their tenant scrutiny work on voids.  You will get the housing management, repairs and tenant perspective from the line up from West Lancashire Brough Council.  They will provide the low down on training for tenant inspectors so they can carry out void inspections and the work they have done to improve the process from start to finish.

3:45pm Break

4:00pm Policy, compliance and risk

• Kevin Bentley, Associate, HQN

4:30pm 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.