mhs reach Decent Homes Standard
100% of mhs homes properties have
passed the "Decent Homes Standard," two years ahead of the schedule
set by the Government, after almost £18 million pounds was spent on
the project.
In 1997 there were 2,100,000 houses
owned by local authorities and housing associations that did not
meet the "Decent Homes Standard" which is a home that is warm,
weatherproof and has reasonably modern facilities. mhs homes has
been investing heavily in its properties and have introduced a
number of measures to reach the Decent Homes Standard.
Linda Brunt from Chatham was one of
the last mhs customers to have her kitchen refurbished to meet
these standards. She said, "My kitchen is fantastic and the finish
is a really high quality. I had the option to choose my tiles and
flooring which is great. It felt like I was at a showroom except I
got to choose everything in the comfort of my own home. I was
consulted at every step of the way and advised what would suit the
room. I’m really pleased with the result, it’s exactly what I
wanted."
mhs homes has combined the
requirements needed to meet the "Decent Homes Standards" with its
own "Homes to be Proud Of" standard, to give customers increased
choice, and more say over the improvements carried out to their
homes. John Titterton, Asset Manager for mhs homes said, "Over the
last four years we have invested almost £18 million in our "Homes
to be Proud of" scheme which has affected over 4,000 homes. We have
carried out refurbishments in kitchens, bathrooms and installed new
heating systems, which has enabled us to achieve Decent Homes by
2008."
The Decent Homes standard requires
that the improvements made to properties must be sustainable. mhs
homes have taken this on board and have even combined this with
environmental improvements, including solar thermal panels, solar
street lighting and ground source heat pumps.
Customer service excellence and
resident involvement are paramount to mhs homes, which has
introduced customer panels to be involved in expanding the range of
choices and allowing them to select options suitable to the
customer. Graham Cobbin a member of the customer panel said, "We
were allowed to visit the kitchen units in situ which was very
helpful. We were given a better range of choice and colours with
the opportunity to mix and match the unit fronts, bringing the
style of kitchens more up to date."