The window and door replacement programme is now … · recruitment process smoothly and successfully appoint a new director. Committee members are taking ... James Cameron Re-elected

Hunters Hall Housing Co-op owned and Managed by Co-op Tenants

Hunters Hall Housing Co-op Ltd

77 Niddrie House Drive Edinburgh EH16 4TR

0131 657 3379

Email: [email protected]

Office opening hours:

Monday 9.00am - 12.30pm Tuesday 10.00am - 12.30pm Wednesday 9.00am - 4.00pm Thursday 9.00am - 12.30pm Friday 9.00am - 12.30pm

The window and door replacement programme is now underway with the

contractors becoming familiar faces to us all.

Registrar of Friendly Societies: 2271(R) Registered with the Scottish Housing Regulator: HAC 130

mailto:[email protected]


1988 2016

Our Aims To provide encouragement, support and training for Committee Members so that they

can manage the Co-op’s objectives in ways which are effective and take into account legal requirements, best practice and equality and diversity issues.

To make sure there is a staff structure in place which can effectively deliver the Co-op’s

objectives and which operates in partnership with the Co-op’s Management Committee and with Co-op Members.

To keep the Co-op’s houses in very good condition and provide an efficient repair service

and adequately funded long term maintenance plan. To provide affordable rented houses.

To make sure the Co-op is financially viable in the short, medium and long term.

To work with Tenants and local organisations to provide a safe environment and

welcoming community. To provide community services for younger and older residents, to promote equal

opportunities and to encourage Co-op Members to participate in the Co-op’s business and affairs.

To promote and support Tenant Participation, by regularly consulting with Co-op

Members and by providing straightforward information.

If you are having difficulty reading this text, please telephone the Co-op office on 0131 657 3379 and we can arrange for a translator to explain this document in

your own language

2

Let us know what you think of this report

Does it tell you what you want to know? Yes No What other information would you like included?

Can you suggest ways to make the information easy to understand or to make it more interesting?

Name Address If you want more information about the Co-op’s finances, the Scottish Housing Charter, or the Complaint handling policy then please phone the Director at the Co-op office, 0131 657 0069 or send an email to [email protected]

15

mailto:[email protected]


Spend on major repairs 2015-2016

Keeping your homes in a good condition

This is Hunters Hall Housing Co-op!

The pictures throughout this report of the beautiful flowers are all taken from Co-op Gardens

14

Chairperson, Marlena Lubniewska’s Report

Welcome to the Co-op’s 28

th Annual General Meeting. At this time of year, the Co-op takes the

opportunity to review what has happened and look forward to the following year. This was the first year of me chairing the Co-op, a year which also saw changes to the Co-op’s staff. Our long-standing Director Susan Finlayson retired and has been replaced by our new Director Nick Dangerfield. Jamie Robertson, the Co-op’s Technical Officer left during the year and was replaced by Roger Gibson. The Co-op’s rules needed to be updated in order to keep up with the introduction of new legislation (The Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010). The Scottish Housing regulator expects that our rules should be changed in order to remain up-to-date. Most of the rule changes being proposed are small and the Special General Meeting that took place just before the AGM was asked to approve the new rules. The management committee currently has eight members. There are also two new nominations and an additional member who has indicated they want to be co-opted. The Co-op therefore hopes to grow in numbers and strength at the AGM and throughout the year. The Co-op needs a strong management committee in order to survive and thrive. If membership falls to seven or fewer the Scottish Housing Regulator has to be told. If numbers fall below this and no-one new is recruited the Co-op might have to close. This will not influence your rights to remain in your home but it will change the type of organisation which will manage the houses and the control tenants have about how Hunters Hall is run and managed. Being a committee member is an important job and is rewarding too – helping to shape the work of the Co-op and making important decisions about how our money is spent. Anyone who thinks they might be interested is welcome to approach either Nick or me for a chat and to find out more. During the past year management committee met eight times, had finance and management training meetings and worked on updating aims and objectives of the Co-op. With help from EVH, the committee was able to go through the recruitment process smoothly and successfully appoint a new director. Committee members are taking part in representing the Co-op locally and regionally and we have also attended housing conferences, legislation update debates and networking events. We have had a visit from Scottish Parliament and we have been praised for being a highly successful community based organisation. The committee decided to bring forward the window and bathroom replacement contracts which were originally planned for several years’ time. At the current time, there is a lot of work going on to replace many windows and bathrooms in Co-op properties. Sidey the window contractor and Select the bathroom contractor have been busy on the estate and will continue to be seen out and about improving the Co-op’s properties for several weeks more. The total cost of this work is well over half a million pounds but we believe that replacing the windows will help keep our homes safe and warm and that the replacement bathrooms will upgrade our homes helping to keep them in an excellent state of repair for many years to come.

3

Major/planned repairs Spend (£)

Bathroom appliances upgraded 2,340

Gas boilers replaced 4,872

Stair upgrading 21,852

Kitchen replacements 2291

Roof pointing and anchors 956

Wardrobes 5734

Total £38,045


A big thank you to the Committee Members who volunteer their time and effort for the Co-op making it a successful community led organisation; thanks to the many Co-op members without whom we would not have such a strong and friendly community; thanks to Co-op Tenants the who take their neighbours bins in and out for them, to all Co-op Members who take the time to complete satisfaction forms and to all Co-op Members who look after their homes and gardens.

Over the coming year the Co-op has plans to improve the service it delivers to tenants and to convert a store on the estate for use as a community hub. Service improvements include producing the Co-op’s first website and refreshing the Co-op’s reception area to make it friendlier, more attractive and easier to use. The Co-op has already earmarked £20,000 to convert the hub but either grant funding will need to be secured, or the Co-op will need to find some more money itself to take this project forward. The hub is planned to be a place where community groups can meet, somewhere more suitable for Co-op committee meetings to be held and a base for committee members to carry out work.

The Co-op would like to thank Susan Finlayson our Director for many years for all the hard work she put in to making the Co-op a success. We wish her well in her retirement.

Marlena Lubniewska Chairperson

Complaint handling policy 01/04/2015-31/03/2016

The Co-op’s Complaint handling policy is now in its third year. Information about complaints is contained in the Key Performance Report which is presented to every Full Management Committee Meeting. The results below are taken from the Co-op’s records and from the Scottish Housing Regulators “Landlords Report” which was published in August 2016. (You can find out more about the Co-op’s performance and that of other landlords from the Scottish Housing Regulators website, www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk). Stage one or front line complaints: 9 complaints received 2015-2016

Co-op results 2014 - 2015

Scottish Housing Regulator ARC results for

Housing Associations 2014 - 2015


Scottish Housing Regulator ARC results for Housing

Associations 2015 - 2016

% of complaints resolved 100% 99% 100% 98% % upheld 86% 62% 56% 56% % resolved within 5 days 71% 83% 89% 87% Stage two or complex complaints: 9 complaints received 2015-2016


Scottish Housing Regulator ARC results for

Housing Associations 2014 - 2015


Scottish Housing Regulator ARC results for Housing

Associations 2015 - 2016

% of complaints resolved 93% 98% 100% 95% % upheld 47% 53% 62% 50% % resolved within 20 days 87% 80% 80% 82%

4

The Management Committee

Name Position Date elected/re-elected

Marlena Lubniewska Chairperson Re-elected Sep 2015

James Old Vice Chairperson Elected Sep 2013

Elizabeth Clark Treasurer Re-elected Sep 2015

Clare Fleming Secretary Re-elected Sep 2014

Tolulope George Committee Member Elected Sep 2015

Jacek Sojka Committee Member Elected Sep 2015

Sharon Welch Committee Member Co-opted Sep 2015, Filled casual vacancy Apr 2016

Ezani Baharuddin Committee Member Co-opted Jan 2016 Filled casual vacancy Apr 2016

James Cameron Re-elected Sep 2014 Resigned Nov 2015

Mercy Kachande Elected Sep 2015 Resigned Nov 2015

Andrew McCallum Elected Sep 2015 Resigned Nov 2015

James McSkimming Elected Sep 2015 Resigned Nov 2015

Tapiwa Matipano Co-opted March 2015 Elected Sep 2015 Resigned Mar 16

Rafal Story Elected Sep 2015 Resigned Jan 2016

Diane Steele Re-elected Sep 2014 Resigned Jan 2016

Staff (Most staff work part time hours)

Name Position Qualifications Date started

Nick Dangerfield Director MBA, Post grad Diploma Housing Studies

2016

Susan Finlayson Director MA, Dip in Housing Cert in Accountancy

1995 (retired 2016)

Sylvia Clyde Senior Housing Officer HNC Housing 2002

Alison Morton Senior Administrator 2003

Lesley Hamilton Housing Services Assistant CIH Level 2 in Housing 2006

13

http://www.scottishhousing/


Agents Manor Estates Housing Association Management Agreement for Finance services:

Kathryn Millar

Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association Management Agreement for Welfare Rights services: Fiona Bonar

Jim Campbell Book-keeping services

D R Associates Ltd. Management Agreement for Technical services: Roger Gibson

Contractors All our Contractors have public liability insurance and have signed the Co-op’s Code of Conduct.

Abbey Cleaning Stair cleaning contract

K & D Decorators Decorators

Eden Door Entry

Newtown Electrics Electrician

SCS Cleaning Services Environmental Services

James Gray Landscape Gardening Services

Capital Trees Tree Surgeon

Graham Ferguson Joinery Joiner – All Trades

Eric Scally Plumber

Lothian Gas Gas safety inspections & repairs

City Glass Glazier + Joiner

Pentland Property Services Roofers

All in One Property Services All trades

Castle Rock Edinvar All trades

Menco Pest control / environmental

MFH services Gas consultant

Major Repairs / Upgrades

Sidey Window replacement

Select Bathroom replacement

Bankers: Bank of Scotland Santander Solicitors: T C Young Solicitors, 69a George Street, Edinburgh Gillespie McAndrew, 5 Atholl Crescent Edinburgh Auditor: RSM UK Audit LLP (formerly Baker Tilly UK Audit LLP),

First Floor, Quay 2, 139 Fountainbridge, Edinburgh

IT Support: TSG Loans: Nationwide Building Society

12

Finance For the year between 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016

The financial statements were approved and authorised by the Management Committee on 20 July 2016. For more detailed information please ask at the Co-op office for a copy of the Audited Accounts. NB – due to a change in financial rules known as FRS 102, the 2015 figures have been re-stated (so they are different from the ones sent out with last year’s annual report). If you have a question about this please contact Nick at the Co-op office.

Income and expenditure account, from page 13, of the audited accounts

2016 2015 Restated

£ £ Turnover 1,019,440 986,718 Less: Operating costs (762,767) (810,091) Operating surplus 256,673 176,707 Interest receivable and other income 231 181 Interest payable and other charges (30,815) (35,117) _____ _____ Surplus before tax Taxation Surplus for the year

226,089

(46) 226,043

141,771

(36) 141,735

Total Comprehensive Income for the year

226,043 141,735

Balance sheet, as at 31 March 2016 from page 14 of the audited accounts Summary: Capital and reserves

2016 2015 £ £

Share Capital 224 222

Revenue reserve Designated reserve

2,114,221

1,888,178

Total Reserves 2,114,445 1,888,400

Cash in the bank as at 31/3/2016 from page 16 of the audited accounts

31/3/2016 31/3/2015

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

£628,189 £441,173

5


Welfare benefits service

As in previous years, we have continued with the provision of a Financial Inclusion Service which has delivered much needed financial benefits for our clients. The total financial gain for our clients in 2015 - 2016 is £97,417.80 (the full breakdown is shown in Table 2). The average total gain for all referred clients is £4,428.08. There were 22 referrals overall, with Housing Benefit issues and benefit checks making up the bulk of these referrals (see Table 1). First contact was made with the client within 1 day; an improvement on last year’s average of 2 days. Customer feedback continues to be wholly positive with no negative feedback recorded. A total of 25 survey forms were sent out with a return of 20%. All respondents agreed that there continues to be a high standard of customer care within the service provided.

Table 1

Table 2

6

The Scottish Housing Charter Report 2016 – 2016

From the Scottish Housing Regulator Report to Tenants The Scottish Housing Regulator recommends that the Report to Tenants contains at 18 Key Charter Indicators and should be sent to Tenants by October. The 18 Key Charter indicators provide information about: homes and rents, tenant satisfaction, quality and maintenance, neighbourhoods and value for money The Co-op’s Landlord Report The Scottish Regulators Landlord report for the Co-op was available at the AGM. Copies are available from the Co-op office or you can obtain information directly from the Scottish Housing Regulators website, www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk What do you think of the Co-op’s performance? Pages 7- 10 of this Annual Report includes the 18 Key Charter Indicators and we show, for comparison, the Co-op’s performance results for last year and the average results for all Scottish Registered Social Landlords.

Annual trip to the Panto I have been involved in organising the Co-op's trip to the Panto at the Kings Theatre every December for at least the last 11 years. This is great opportunity for local young people to mingle with each other and to enjoy a day/night out to a pantomime which some have never been to before. This trip is all organised in February/March each year and local businesses are asked for their help. The Co-op pays for the tickets and the coach but we do get help from our local Tesco in Niddrie Mains Road with items such as juice and crisps for the snack bags that we then provide during the panto. We do this trip based on adult volunteers helping out otherwise we could not take 40 children to the Panto! All adults are police checked and their help is greatly appreciated. The trip has always been a great success with all having a good day/night out and having lots of fun, laughter and good memories. We have seen young folks grow up and move on and look forward to some new faces this year so keep your eyes peeled for Panto letters coming through your doors nearer to the trip time. We hope to see you there. This year’s Panto is Jack and the Beanstalk and we are going on the 2nd December…oh yes it is! Diane Steele

11


6. Repair Performance

Charter number

Co-op 2014 - 2015

Scottish average

2014 - 2015

Co-op 2015 – 2016

average

2015 - 2016

11 Average number of hours to complete an emergency repair

3.4 hours 5.9 hours 3.9 hours 5.2 hours

12 Average number of days to complete a non-emergency repair

6.4 days 7.9 days 5.8 days 7.5 days

13 Percentage of reactive repairs completed Right First Time

79% 89% 89% 91%

14 Repair appointment service Co-op does not provide an appointment system

If you have any questions, want to know more or have any comments about the Co-op Service results then please phone the Director, Nick, at 0131 657 0069 or send an e mail to [email protected]

10

Scottish Housing Charter Information 2015 - 2016

1. Homes and Rents

Average weekly rents

Size of home

Number owned

Co-op Scottish average

Difference % increase applied in

2015 2 apartment 45 £74.04 £70.39 5.2%

3 apartment 86 £77.34 £71.55 8.1%

4 apartment 55 £79.98 £77.60 3.1%

5 apartment 15 £83.93 £85.98 -2.4%

Total 201 4%

Comments Every Co-op house is awarded points based on the type and size of the house and the characteristics it has. So for example, a main door is awarded more points than a flat and a 4 bedroom house is awarded more points that a 2 bedroom house. This is the third year that comparisons with the Scottish average show that Co-op rents are higher than average for some houses and for the larger houses they are lower than average.

2. Satisfaction Results – What did you say about Co-op Services?

A satisfaction survey was sent to all Co-op Tenants in February 2014. Seventy-eight Co-op Tenants returned the surveys – which is a return rate of 39.39%.

Charter number

Co-op Scottish average

1 Percentage of Tenants satisfied with service

94.9% 89.0%

3 Percentage of Tenants who feel their landlord is good at keeping them informed

97.4% 90.6%

6 Percentage satisfied with the opportunities given to participate in landlords decision making process

82.1% 81.3%

The Co-op did not carry out a full satisfaction survey during this financial year so these

figures remain the same as last year. The expectation is that a full survey is carried out

every three years.

7


3. Getting Good Value from Rents and Service Charges

Rent collection

Charter number

Co-op 2014 - 2015

Scottish average

2014 - 2015

Co-op 2015 - 2016

Scottish average

2015 - 2016

30 Total rent due *1

£764,621 £793,360

30 Total amount collected *2

£776,315 £790,710

30 Percentage collected

101.5% 99.5% 99.6% 99.5%

Notes: *1 – Rent due includes service charges but does not include rent not paid while a house/flat was vacant. Notes *2 – Rent collected includes payments made towards rents arrears from previous years and does not include any rent payments made in advance.

Further information about the Co-op

Co-op 2014 - 2015

Scottish Average

2014 - 2015

Co-op 2015 – 2016

Scottish average

2015 - 2016

Gross rent arrears *3 £17,219 £21,296

Gross rent arrears as a % of rental income due

2.2% 5.3% 2.7% 5.3%

Rent arrears due by Current Tenants

£6,812 - £15,058 -

Current Tenant arrears as a percentage of rental income due

0.9% - 1.9% -

Rent arrears due by Former Tenants

£10,407 - £6,238 -

Former Tenant arrears as a percentage of rental income due

1.4% - 0.8% -

Notes: *3 Gross rent arrears means rent arrears due by both current and former Tenants and includes bad debts written off but not pre payments, and does not include recovered housing benefit over payments.

8

Further information about the Co-op

2014 - 2015 2015 - 2016

Number of Tenants who owed over £500 6 10

Number of arrears cases enrolled in court 2 5

Number of evictions 0 0

The cost of court actions £2,908 £2,738

Vacant houses

Charter number

Co-op 2014-2015

Scottish Average

2014-2015

Co-op 2015-2016

Scottish average

2015-2016

Number of vacant flats/houses

22 - 16 -

35 Average number of days vacant

16.4 36.8 10.7 35.4

Amount of rent loss £5,010 - £4,008 -

34 Percentage of rent not collected due to voids

0.7% 11% 0.5% 1.0%

Comments: Both the number of vacancies and the average number of days to re-let have fallen since last year.

4. Neighbourhood and Community – Charter Number 19

The Co-op had one anti social case. The tenant was served with an interim ASBO and since then we have received no further complaints

100% of our anti social cases were resolved within targets agreed locally, compared to the Scottish figure of 87%.

5. Housing Quality and Maintenance Service

Charter number

Co-op 2014-2015

Scottish average

2014-2015

Co-op 2015-2016

Scottish average

2015-2016

7 Percentage of houses meeting Scottish Housing Quality Standards *4

98% 91% 98% 93%

10 Percentage of Tenants satisfied with the quality of their home

No new figure

85% 90% 86%

16 Percentage of Tenants satisfied with repairs

98% 89% 100% 90%

Notes *4 – There are 4 Co-op houses which do not meet Scottish Housing Quality Standards. These are houses with electric central heating where the Tenants chose to not have their heating system upgraded.

9

The window and door replacement programme is now … · recruitment process smoothly and successfully appoint a new director. Committee members are taking ... James Cameron Re-elected

Documents