Housing service standards

The Housing and Repairs service standards cover the way we work across all housing and repairs services. In addition to these are 6 sets of standards that cover services for tenants. These are:

finding a place to call home
safer and connected neighbourhoods
getting involved
resolving repairs
paying your rent
when things go wrong

The Housing and Repairs standards explain what residents can expect from our services and what we need from residents to be able to deliver these services well.

Monitoring our service standards

We will monitor our performance in several ways to ensure that we are meeting our standards. These include:

satisfaction surveys, including our annual tenant satisfaction survey
use of our performance monitoring systems across services
publication of our service performance and regular review of this by residents
monitoring and reviewing our complaints, and the lessons learnt
inspections of homes and estates
conversations with residents

We are always working to meet our standards, but there may be circumstances when this is not possible.

At Camden, we always encourage residents to get in touch when something goes wrong so we can put it right and learn from our mistakes. If you feel that the service you have received has not met our service standards, you should get in touch with the relevant service.

The way we work in housing and repairs

Proactive

We take action to address problems and support people as early as possible.
We will try to get things right, but if we don’t, we will let you know as soon as possible and keep you updated
We will always aim to get back to you within 10 working days
We will give clear information about what we can do or help with and what is your responsibility as a resident
We will try new ways of doing things, always learning and improving

Accessible

We work to make our services approachable, transparent and easy - going the extra mile to meet the diverse needs of residents.
We will keep communication clear and simple
We will keep you up to date in a range of ways - including in-person, via the website, telephone, email, newsletters, letter, text, and noticeboards
We will be visible and approachable in our estates and neighbourhoods
We will provide options where possible, especially to meet any access or support needs

Caring

We listen, understand, and act with kindness
We treat you with respect, kindness and compassion
We actively listen to what you have to say
We will have open and honest conversations

Together

Collaborating and connecting is at the heart of what we do, ensuring no one gets left behind.
We will work together to find creative solutions to any issues or barriers you might face
We will seek your opinions to influence decision-making and act on it
If you ever need a little more help, we will connect with others who might be able to support you further

Download the PACT standards (PDF)

The way we work with tenants

Finding a place to call home

We will:

lay out clearly how we allocate homes in our allocation scheme
prioritise those who are in the greatest need of social housing
provide you with information and support to find a suitable home by understanding your needs and options
provide flexible opportunities to view your home before moving in
ensure your home is to a lettable standard

You should:

get to know the tenancy agreement before signing it and ask for help if there is anything you don't understand
provide the right information and keep us up to date with any changes whilst finding a home
be open to the housing options and advice provided

Safer and connected neighbourhoods

We will:

provide clear advice and support on tenancy-related matters
keep your estates clean, tidy, and free from hazards
conduct inspections of estates to identify and resolve issues
respond promptly to all reports of antisocial behaviour and keep you informed of any action
work to identify domestic abuse at the earliest opportunity and provide ongoing support
train our neighbourhood teams to ensure our staff have the right skills to provide the service you need

You should:

keep to the conditions of your tenancy agreement
treat our teams with respect and kindness – we have zero tolerance towards abuse
keep your contact details up to date and let us know of any important changes, including who is living in your home
let us and other agencies know of any issues you might be experiencing in your neighbourhood or home
respect others in your community

Getting involved

We will:

offer a range of ways for you to get involved in housing's decision making
enable local networks and active residents to make positive contributions to neighbourhoods
continue to test out new ways of involving our residents to broaden our reach
provide information on the performance of our services so you can effectively hold us to account

You should:

get involved in decision-making when you can
let us know what you think by completing our satisfaction surveys
respect the experiences of Camden’s diverse communities and what everyone brings
stay informed about service performance and improvements

Resolving repairs

We will:

where possible, carry out repairs in line with our policy and landlord’s responsibilities (for example the decent homes standard)
provide a range of ways for you to report a repair
be polite and friendly when attending your home, and tidy the works area
carry out relevant health and safety checks to your home and communal areas, and work to resolve any hazards
equip and train our repairs team to ensure our staff have the right skills to carry out the job
work with contractors or specialist suppliers when needed, and make sure their work is consistent with our standards

You should

know what repairs we are responsible for, and those which you are expected to carry out in your home
report repairs proactively and to the right place
treat our repairs team and contractors with respect - we have zero tolerance towards abuse
take care of your home and communal spaces and keep them tidy
support us in accessing your home so that we can complete works
if something has gone wrong with your repair, contact us directly. This will save you and our team time and resources

Repairs timescales

We will assess your repair issue within the following timescales:

Emergency repairs: within 24 hours
Broken lift: within 3 hours
Damp and mould: within 24 hours or 10 working days depending on the circumstances
Leaks: within 6 hours (emergency), 24 hours (uncontainable leak), or 5 days (containable leak)
Non-emergency repairs: within 35 days

Paying your rent

We will:

make it clear and easy to pay rent
work collaboratively with you to resolve any arrears and manage future payments
keep you informed of any changes to rent

You should:

pay your rent on time and in full
proactively check your account to make sure payments are up to date
let us know if you are finding making payments a challenge
work together with us to resolve any arrears

When things go wrong

We will:

make available our Complaints policy
ensure making a complaint is as simple as possible
if you make a complaint, aim to make contact as soon as possible and keep you updated on progress
once the investigation is complete, we will clearly explain the outcome and any next steps
learn when things go wrong and use this to keep improving our services

You should:

let us know promptly when something goes wrong
work with us to learn from your complaint so we can prevent it happening again
treat our complaints team with respect

Complaints timescales

The following timescales are guidelines. This means some complaints may be resolved sooner and others, which are more complex, may take longer. We aim to:

acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days
respond in full to stage 1 within 10 working days from acknowledgment
respond in full to stage 2 within 20 working days from acknowledgement. This may be extended by 10 working days, and an explanation will be provided

Stage 3 complaints are dependent on the Ombudsman's timescales.