By Damian Roche, Director, HQN

“Why are you banging on about average re-let times, Damian? I can’t see the issue featured in the consumer standards. Does it even come up at inspection?”

So asked a senior housing figure of me a while ago. In my usual diplomatic style, I pointed out to said housing figure that not only were they p***ing money down the drain, but aren’t you meant to be helping your local authority meet housing need?

Do the maths – the difference in rent loss of a medium-sized provider letting properties within four weeks instead of 12 weeks would buy my footy team a striker who could score more than half a dozen goals a season in the Premier League! Better still, plenty of kitchens and bathrooms (not for the footballers of course). And, hey, let’s not worry about the 169,000 children living in temporary accommodation. Give me strength! (I just about made it to the car park in one piece).

There are some notable exceptions, but I am finding it quite a common occurrence that there is little or no focus on vacant property management. The differentials are stark. One provider I have worked with recently has an average re-let time of 13 days. Yes, that’s correct, 13 days.

Exceptional performance and such as I have not seen in several years since my former housing manager, Lucky, was consistently delivering that sort of performance. Meanwhile, another provider of my acquaintance has an average re-let time of 148 days. Yes, you read that right too! To be fair to them, they have reduced that from 182 days…and that’s not the worst performance I have come across.

A third provider I’ve worked with recently advised me they had reduced their average re-let time from around 80 days to 45 and are now (according to a well-known benchmarking organisation) ‘top quartile’. “That’s impressive”, I said, “but it’s not best in class.” When I told them about my 13-day organisation, their response? A very positive “Can we speak to them please?” Too right you can! So, I’ve done a bit of matchmaking.

So, all ranting aside, why do some organisations (okay, maybe one) turnaround their properties in under two weeks and others in six months? A laser focus on the end-to-end journey from (way before) keys in to keys out, of course.

To find out more on how to achieve excellent performance, I would urge you to attend our upcoming event.

In the meantime, allow me to rant a little further about the things certain people tell me:

• “Sorry, Damian, what do you mean ‘inspect the property in the notice period’? We can’t do that – we haven’t got the keys back yet!” I’m not making this up, I promise. Back to Lucky – if her housing officers didn’t do a pre-termination visit in the FIRST week of the notice period, they were summoned to explain themselves! She would occasionally forgive the housing officers if the property had been abandoned…and then add four weeks’ notice on!
• “We are still recovering from the pandemic, Damian.” Good grief, I would at least give some credit for using the Vietnam war as an excuse – if you are going to give me an excuse that doesn’t stand up to a second’s scrutiny, at least be original in your whopper! But maybe that’s my religious upbringing coming out…
• “No, Damian, we do not write to outgoing tenants to tell them where to hand the keys in, what they need to do to avoid recharges, and the need to clear the property.” One provider told me that even if a tenant moved from one property to the next door property, they would not be recharged for leaving the former full of unwanted possessions and junk. And the second highest element of their vacant property costs? Yes, you guessed it, clearances.
• And don’t get me started on the number of property relet standards I see that still state that “all carpets and floor coverings will be removed”. Richard Blakeway will be ordering you to write out his Spotlight report on noise one hundred times! One provider admitted to me that they ripped out all flooring from their temporary accommodation even if the household moving out had only been there a week. As Johnny McEnroe would say “You cannot be serious”. “But we are worried the carpets may be bug infested”. Fine, what would you do in your own home? That’s what Susan (housing officer, who worked for the aforementioned Lucky) asked herself. So, she went to Wickes (other DIY stores are available), bought a couple of flea bombs, went to the property the day before an arranged viewing and bombed the place (if you get my drift).

Hopefully, I’ll see less and less of such heinous crimes against good practice now the regulator has got its beady eye on the topic. Sorry, what, pardon?!

As if by magic, the government then goes and makes the following statement: “In addition, we intend to review how effectively social housing providers use their properties and explore ways to reduce the time homes are left empty.” Hurrah! They have a lot of work ahead of them!