Richard Astley, property inspector at Sustain UK, tells us how his working day promotes comfort and safety

I’ve been a property inspector at Sustain UK for two years. And it is by far the most challenging and rewarding job I’ve ever had.

Sustain UK houses and supports around 1,800 vulnerable people across Birmingham, housing them in 400 homes from our specialist property providers.

Every one of those 1,800 people has a different story and their own unique reasons to be under the care of Sustain UK, and it’s my responsibility to ensure their homes and support meet our high standards.

Sustain lives by best practices when it comes to supporting tenants and looking after their homes.

There are daily visits from our housing providers and support workers to make sure that tenants’ needs are being met, while I carry out a full property inspection every six months.

My day will usually begin with Tom, our operations manager, sending me a list of the properties to contact and visit.

I try to book these visits two weeks in advance, which gives the providers enough time to notify tenants.

We don’t just turn up unannounced because these are the tenants’ homes, and we must respect their space.

I try to visit the properties owned by a single housing provider over one day, usually between five to eight properties in one day, with the aim of ensuring they meet our agreed standards.

Achieving this is the result of teamwork between our colleagues, housing providers and the people we support, to make sure our properties continue to be homes where tenants can live safely and with dignity.

When I arrive at a home, I meet either the landlord, a support or maintenance colleague. When we get into the property, I find out if there are any issues that tenants would like to raise.

Running through a checklist, I inspect properties from top to bottom, inside and out, including individual bedrooms, gardens, and communal spaces.

As well as wear-and-tear, damage or signs of abuse, I also check all the little details such as the number of kitchen utensils.

Because we have so much contact with our residents and their homes, we’re often able to nip most problems in the bud, so, for example, unlike more traditional registered providers, we have virtually zero instances of damp and mould in our properties.

That is because of how we are set up and operate. We deliver very regular support in person, so problems are usually found far ahead of any six-month inspection.At the very earliest signs of damp or mould, I will speak to the housing provider to arrange for any venting or guttering issue to be fixed. I sometimes advise tenants on the kinds of things that can cause these issues, but it’s our support workers who give specific advice, such as drying clothes in a well-ventilated space.

One of the biggest issues is door closures being taken off doors to prevent them from closing automatically. I try to help tenants understand that these are here for their safety. We may see smoke alarms covered up by tenants who want to smoke indoors, which we must address.

We do our best to encourage safe practices while respecting the fact that tenants are adults who can make their own choices.

After the day’s inspections are done, I go home and file reports. I list which properties have passed or failed and grade issues depending on severity. A fire door issue needs to be acted on within a week, while anything to do with alarms or carbon monoxide must be dealt with at once. Decoration issues have a 28-day deadline.

I record fire risk assessments and PAT testing and note down everything we need from each property owner.

The benefit of seeing a property once every six months is you go in with a fresh pair of eyes and quickly notice all the little things that could become a problem if left unattended. When you’re in a house every day, whether you’re the tenant or a maintenance person, it can be easy to oversee decoration issues and other small matters.

Housing providers like working with Sustain and are comfortable with our processes. We work together to prevent issues from becoming complaints and to supply the best housing stock that we can.

I hear a lot of feedback from tenants, such as ‘this is the best house I’ve ever lived in’. They seem to be happy in our homes, which is why I think so many stay with us.

There is nothing more important than walking through your front door and feeling secure and safe.

 

Richard Astley is a Property Inspector at specialist supported housing provider Sustain UK Ltd.