Calico Housing Income Management

Transcription

1 Calico Housing Income Management

2 Our approach Desktop review key documents Reality checks - onsite interviews and focus groups Reality checks case studies(file/it checks) Report findings/recommendations An eye on regulation/inspection Follow up any questions/more info? Work carried out during October 2009 We thank everyone for your time, co-operation and honest approach

3 Ground rules What we see is what you get Staff have been honest There has been no varnish Identify strengths and areas for improvement Help you to improve Help you to prioritise

4 Short notice inspections Early days approach still being developed Focus on the weakest areas Range of activities undertaken Impact rather then process driven a significant shift Keeping the volume of evidence to a minimum

5 Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) Guide to excellent and fair, 17 of them One for each service, eg, stock investment, income collection, leasehold management Judgement one: how good is the service? Judgement two: what are the prospects for improvement? Three overarching themes Access and customer focus Diversity Value for money (cost and quality) KLOEs are about outcomes with tenants at the heart here to stay in some form?

6 What did we look at? KLOE4 Access, customer care and service user focus Diversity Rent and service charge accounting and collection Current and former tenant arrears recovery Money and benefit advice Value for money

7 Access, customer care and user focus Do you have SMART service standards? How proactive is your sign up? Do you carry out settling in visits to new tenants? Is the service available to meet residents needs? How easy is it for customers to contact you? Is clear information available? Are offers to help explicit throughout the process? Do you involve residents in decision making? How do you respond to complaints? How satisfied are customers with the service? Do you send regular, clear, accurate statements? Do you promote and publicise all aspects of the service?

8 Diversity How well do you know your customers? Do you profile your customers? How do you tailor the service to their needs? How do you ensure that you are not discriminating? Do you use flags on your IT system to highlight customers with language or literacy problems? Do you send letters in customers own language/preferred media?

9 Rent and service charge accounting and collection Do you have a policy for rent/service charge setting? Do you increase rent in-line with Rent Restructuring guidelines? Have you unpooled and disaggregated service charges? Do you consult customers on the level of these and the services provided? Do you provide clear, accurate information to customers? Do you send regular statements which break down rent and service charges for customers? Do you have a wide range of payment methods? Do you set up accounts quickly? Do you monitor credit balances? Do you provide for bad debt? Do you have a clear write off policy?

10 Current tenant arrears recovery How well are you performing? How do you compare with similar organisations? Do you have clear policies and procedures? Were these developed with residents? Do they focus on arrears prevention to minimise court action and sustain tenancies? Are they being followed in practice? Do you have a do what we say we will do culture? Does your IT system provide accurate account balances and up-to-date information Does your IT system have an escalation policy that prompts action? Do you have effective performance management framework? Do your targets flow from corporate to individuals? Are targets SMART? Do you have qualitative and quantitative measures Do you use exception reports as QA and to identify problems?

11 Current tenant arrears recovery Have you considered rewards/incentives? How do you distinguish between those you can t pay and those who won t? Do you use income/expenditure forms consistently when making arrangements? How do you monitor and respond to changes in case law and regulation? Eg Pre Action Protocol and Postponed Possession Orders How do you work to resolve problems with partners? Housing Benefits The Courts Other sections within your organisation Do you have good working relationships? Do you have Service Level Agreements? Do you have working protocols eg for referrals to CAB

12 Former tenant arrears recovery Do you have an effective policy and procedure? Do you have a specific officer for FTA? Do you have targets? How well are you performing? Do you always obtain a forwarding address/nok/ni? Does your IT system allow effective monitoring? How do you trace former customers? Do you use Debt Collecting Agencies as part of a structured approach Do you have a write off policy? Do you take court action and enforce judgements? Do you combine all debts at this stage?

13 Money and benefit advice Do you have a financial inclusion strategy? Can residents access high quality debt/benefit advice? Is debt/benefit advice an integral part of your service? Is an affordability check carried out at pre-tenancy Is debt/benefit advice and support offered proactively at sign-up Do you signpost or refer customers? How do you measure the quality of the service? How do you ensure all customers access the service? How do you ensure vulnerable people, such as those customers with learning or language difficulties obtain information? Do you monitor referrals to benefit/advice agencies for equality How do you promote debt advice? Advertising Take-up campaigns Links to equality and diversity

14 Value for money Do you have an overarching income management strategy that identifies all income streams and sets out how each will be maximised? Do you know how much it costs to collect rent? Do you benchmark the cost and results of the service? Are you using cost effective payment methods? Do you have a strategy for helping customers to move to lower cost payment methods? Are you linking debts? Do you have an effective IT system? Do you conduct your own basic legal work? Have you considered partnering for collection? Is your structure efficient, ensuring a clear focus on income management? Are you maximising all income, including rechargeable repairs, garages and sundry debt?

15 What inspectors are looking for - prospects for improvement Is there a clear direction of travel? Do you have an improvement plan? Does it set out SMART targets? Have you met your targets? Does the Plan address all identified weaknesses? Does the plan link to improved performance and Value for Money? Evidence?

16 Housing Income Management at Calico

17 Context Specialist income team part of Neighbourhood Services Income Adviser provides money management/debt/benefit advice Self assessments and KLOE gap analyses carried out Service improvement plan has been developed Corporate Debt Policy has been drafted Financial Inclusion Strategy and action plan in place Arrears procedures in place include elements of policy Active H enables effective arrears monitoring Good relationship with rest of Calico Housing Good relationships with local authority HB provider and Social Care Good relationships with Help Direct, East Lancs Advice and other agencies Tenants requiring support can be referred to internal and external support

18 Performance Current tenant rent arrears 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 Calico Housing National Top Quartile National Bottom Quartile 3.3% 2.2% 2.5% 2.6% 2.2%* 3.5% 3.5% 3.3% 3.4% n/a 7.1% 7.1% 6.5% 6.6% n/a Info from HC/TSA 2008/9 quartiles not published *2008/9 figure from Calico internal report at 13 Apr 2009 Calico in-year report shows 1.31% at 4 Oct 2009 Trend is improving

19 Access, customer care and service user focus Strengths Set of generic service standards which are monitored income management service standards have been drafted Impact assessment is carried out annually and reported Wide range of payment methods; customers can pay 24/7 DD Swipe cards (Pay Point) Telephone Internet Post Office Information about payment methods is on website Website has clear useful information on rent and debt issues

20 Access, customer care and service user focus Strengths Pre tenancy and sign up: Proof of income required Affordability check carried out and trial benefit calculations Money advice offered pre tenancy Previous housing debt including mortgage arrears, addressed pre tenancy Good advice on cost of running home Access to Open Door furniture scheme Under-25 first time tenants have a support assessment pre tenancy and can be referred for money advice or housing-related support Information given about rent arrears including leaflet on Money Advice Financial inclusion checklist used to identify need for advice and support Telephone numbers, NI, Next of Kin taken Vulnerability and communication needs should be identified Specialist officers involved Help is offered with completion of HB and other forms including SP. Keys not given until HB claim submitted

21 Access, customer care and service user focus Strengths...(cont d) Income Adviser carries out follow up visits to new tenants at 3 weeks Income Team available 9am to 7pm Saturday morning working is being piloted Direct lines into Team and addresses given on letters SMS texting used Call centre can deal with basic enquiries and take payments Procedures in place for ensuring residents details are up to date Quarterly statements are sent to all tenants recently reviewed and updated with residents Regular arrears satisfaction surveys are carried out, including routine surveys at NSP stage Some good evidence of the impact of the service on residents and communities - EIA carried out for financial inclusion strategy

22 Access, customer care and service user focus Strengths...(cont d) Good evidence of using satisfaction surveys to improve service eg promoting availability of income adviser Surveys include E and D profiling Satisfaction levels with the service are high, including surveys taken at NSP stage 15 complaints;14 compliments in 3 years all have been reviewed Good examples of learning from complaints eg changes to end of tenancy procedure

23 Access, customer care and service user focus Strengths...(cont d) Good range of well-presented leaflets in Reception, covering income management and financial inclusion Leaflet sent with first arrears letter and NSP, explaining the process and consequences of non-payment Letters are clear and are reviewed regularly by editorial panel of residents Letters give Income Team direct dial numbers Officers have had training in using plain English Officers have access to Language Line A list is maintained of which officers can speak which community languages A member of the Income Team can sign If a tenant is receiving support or care, their case worker details are held on the system and direct referrals can be made

24 Access, customer care and service user focus Strengths...(cont d) Rent/arrears/financial inclusion issues are covered regularly in Bolt Alternative languages and formats are advertised Income Team providing basic training in rent/arrears for Call Centre, although they are not expected to deal with detailed arrears issues Officers can refer tenants to in-house floating support and a variety of external support and advice agencies Good relationship with Social Services, especially Family Interventions Project and officers can make direct referrals Very good relationship with Burnley Homelessness and a joint arrears prevention protocol has been developed Currently surveying tenants regarding financial exclusion

25 Access, customer care and service user focus Strengths...(cont d) Income Team carry out visits to new tenants within 3 weeks Residents are being consulted regarding priorities for investment and service development Resident involvement in service development is being expanded Service charges broken down on Tenancy Agreement Regular articles in Bolt newsletter, including a financial inclusion pullout Use of local media to promote debt/benefit/arrears issues Roadshows have been piloted in sheltered schemes to cover benefit and money management. There are plans to expand these as part of financial inclusion roadshows Referrals to Income Adviser are monitored for qualitative outcomes and welfare benefit gains

26 Access, customer care and service user focus Areas for improvement Income management service standards are still in draft stage Not yet making full use of customer profiling to target resources Resident involvement in service development is still in development Only 2 DD dates are available Limited monitoring of referrals to other agencies for equality No equality monitoring of Evictions Statements do not show full break down of service charges Back of standard letters not used but leaflets included at keys stages No formal protocol with Social Care for referral pathways and information sharing Resident focus group highlighted some potential confusion regarding statements for HB/DD payers, which shows them as in arrears when they are not

27 Resident Focus Group 12 October 2009 Only 5 people but enthusiastic participants Key comments and suggestions:- Calico should do more to explain how and why people get into arrears to help those that pay their rent to understand Calico seen as very helpful but Burnley HB are difficult to deal with It was felt that communication between Calico and HB could be better Some people are worried that their statement shows them in arrears when they are not (due to HB payment cycle). It was suggested that statements should explain that HB is paid 4-weekly Calico offer very good help and support at the start of the tenancy regarding benefit and payment methods Staff do a brilliant job at helping people especially on benefits

28 Resident Focus Group 12 October 2009 Group are supportive of Calico s work on financial inclusion and feel there is a need to raise awareness of this in the community Residents should be consulted on locations for surgeries and roadshows Calico can only do so much community should have more involvement in identifying what is needed Residents should take some responsibility to help their neighbours Calico could train volunteer support workers Group expressed an interest in continued involvement on these topics

29 Rent and service charge accounting and collection Strengths Rent/service charge setting policy in place Rent accounting/review procedures are in place Regular reconciliation of rent accounts and suspense/control accounts Rent increased under rent restructuring guidelines On target for rent convergence Service charges have been depooled Breaking down your rent Used open days as part of consultation with residents on service charges - % of residents who feel that rent represents VfM has increased since depooling Service charges shown separately on TA and rent review letter IT systems provide reliable, accurate account information Cash and HB payments and schedules received electronically and posted promptly

30 Rent and service charge accounting and collection Strengths Credit balances are monitored and refunds issued where appropriate Target in place to increase DD take-up Payment taken at sign-up, including 3 per week until HB claim paid, if likely to be on full HB DD promoted at sign-up DD payments are monitored and adjusted where necessary to ensure payment is in advance Prize draw for residents with clear rent account Basic write-off procedures in place but no policy Provision for bad debt is reviewed quarterly and subject to external audit Procedures in place for leaseholder charges these are invoiced and managed in Finance Dept

31 Rent and service charge accounting and collection Areas for improvement No leaflet explaining rent restructuring No formal write-off policy Debts are written-off within the Income Team need to ensure this complies with audit requirements regarding separation of duties Service charges not broken down on rent statements Rent review letter does not break down service charges into component charges Full cost of services is not being recovered as original RTB agreement did not include service charge provision this has now been addressed Still work to be done on supported housing service charges Only 2 DD dates and only monthly DD is available No incentives for DD take-up

32 Rent and service charge accounting and collection Areas for improvement Customers require different cards for each account no use of cascade rules to allow one payment to be allocated automatically to multiple accounts. There are plans to resolve this Payment cards not ready for sign-up Credit balances are only addressed on a quarterly basis

33 Current tenant arrears recovery Strengths Staff very enthusiastic, customer-focused and well-led Top quartile arrears performance sustained improvement over recent years Financial Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan links to Debt Policy Corporate Debt Policy has been drafted balances prevention and enforcement Some debt profiling has been conducted to try to understand the reasons for arrears Service improvement plan in place Weekly performance reporting including reports from each team members Performance is reported regularly to Board and residents SMART Corporate targets in place, which cascade down to individual officers

34 Current tenant arrears recovery Strengths Trend analysis used to identify hotspots and debt value/age profile Some qualitative targets are in place as part of FI strategy Arrears procedures/escalation rules are documented Active H is effective for arrears monitoring and case management Escalation policy in place on Active H system prompts action Standard arrears letters and NSPs are generated automatically Officers have: A good knowledge of the process Access to excellent training opportunities Their own patch of tenancies these are regularly swapped to bring a fresh approach. Officers cover each other s patches during absences Portfolio responsibility for financial inclusion initiatives Access to QBC for benefit entitlement assessments

35 Current tenant arrears recovery Strengths (cont d) Regular team meetings to discuss performance Manager carries out quality checks to ensure compliance with procedures Procedures focus on personal contact and take into account individual needs and circumstances Procedures in place for working with vulnerable people Active H has alerts to highlight vulnerability People requiring support are referred to appropriate agencies IOs conduct regular home visits and leave calling card if no one in IOs have regular contact with HB, usually by IOs have access to an HB calculator Clear sense that Eviction is viewed as failure

36 Current tenant arrears recovery Strengths (cont d) SMS text messages and used as 2-way contact method Those in arrears are reminded to pay during rent free weeks An appointment letter is sent telling people when a NSP is about to be served NSP is hand served and used as opportunity for personal contact Every method of communication is attempted after NSP served Good relationship with the Court and officers attend the Court user group Court days are block-booked in advance, which enables planning and further contact with the tenant PCOL is used IM approves Court action and Evictions

37 Current tenant arrears recovery Strengths (cont d) Good relationships with Social Care but no formal SLA Training programme for Call Centre to cover income management issues Tenants in arrears are reminded to pay during rent free weeks

38 Current tenant arrears recovery Strengths (cont d) We found cases to be generally well-managed, with:- Clear evidence of work to sustain tenancies Prompt action to address arrears Proactive, personal contact to help people in arrears and with HB issues Comprehensive, clear, objective notes entered promptly onto system Indicators regarding communication needs Details of support workers HB form completed at sign-up Information regarding proposed payment method noted following sign-up Appropriate use of holds while action taken or support provided Direct referrals to support and advice However see areas for improvement slides...

39 Current tenant arrears recovery Areas for improvement No over-arching, corporate income management strategy Debt Policy is still in draft SMART service standards not yet in place for income management Missing opportunity to implement and publicise more qualitative measures, particularly for engagement with income/benefit advice and tenancy sustainment No guidelines for prioritising cases left to each officer s discretion No evaluation of effectiveness of clear rent account incentives Financial statements not used consistently when making arrangements Arrangements are not reviewed with customers regularly to explore whether still affordable or whether customer could pay more IM approves Evictions process may benefit from another level of scrutiny Unclear whether DHPs are being used fully

40 Current tenant arrears recovery Areas for improvement Case studies were generally strong but showed following weaknesses:- Vulnerability noted but not always flagged Arrangements made without evidence of affordability Some checklists not completed eg referral to Social Services yes/no not indicated

41 Former tenant arrears recovery Strengths FTA procedures in place FTA targets in place which cascade down to individual officers FTA performance shows signs of improvement Arrangement to clear FTA is a condition of new tenancy FTAs monitored using ActiveH Pre termination letters detail all outstanding debts Tracing agent (Search UK) is used Pre termination visits are carried out FTA process begins at notice of termination Income officers are responsible for FTA on their patch enables continuity of case management FTA are identified at application stage successful arrangement to clear or full clearance is condition of new tenancy

42 Former tenant arrears recovery Strengths FTA referred to DCA after initial in-house work General write-off procedures in place but no formal policy Visits and phone call part of procedure FT s can be referred for debt/benefit advice Court action is included in the procedure Use mediation in cases where the debt is disputed Guidelines are in place for lump sum settlements Manager carries out some quality checks on FTA case management Written-off debts are written back and pursued if debtor re-appears Calico featured as Housemark positive practice example

43 Former tenant arrears recovery Areas for improvement High levels of FTA compared to CTA Limited performance information reported No monitoring of cost effectiveness of DCA No use of online tracing such as Experian No incentives for good tenancy end Financial statements not used consistently for FTA arrangements Write-offs are not always effected promptly once known that debt is unrecoverable

44 Housing Benefit Strengths Income Adviser provides money management and benefit advice rest of Income Team have had training and can give basic advice Income Adviser attends liaison meetings with HB Dept Officers can contact HB Dept by phone/ HB received electronically HB trial calculations are carried out at pre tenancy and sign-up stages case studies confirmed that this is done HB provider will prioritise pending court cases and those scheduled for eviction Overpayment and backdate decisions are monitored and challenged where appropriate

45 Housing Benefit Areas for improvement No formal SLA with Housing Benefit Evidence that Calico has tried to work with HB to address this No use of VF partnership We were told that HB are reluctant to implement No current, shared HB take-up campaign although Calico is active in promoting benefits take up with residents

46 Debt and Benefit advice Strengths Financial inclusion strategy and action plan in place Income Adviser provides advice on money management, debt and benefits for tenants, leaseholders, shared owners and former tenants Proactive approach to helping people to claim HB and deal with HB provider to resolve issues Strong links with CAB and other advice local agencies such as Lancashire Welfare Rights Good feedback from CAB on progress of cases Officers receive training on debt/benefit advice Income and Expenditure calculation/benefits advice provided during pre tenancy stage and at sign up Advice service publicised through leaflets, posters, in Bolt and in tenants handbook

47 Debt and Benefit advice Strengths Revised CBL policy, includes identifying and helping people with mortgage arrears or previous housing debt through referrals to Income Adviser Income Adviser carries out focused work to promote pension credits and benefit take-up for older people Some work has been done in the community to promote awareness of loan sharks and doorstep lenders.

48 Debt and Benefit advice Areas for improvement Unclear how effective promotion of advice service is Resident focus group feedback shows that some people are not aware of Calico s full range of advice and support in respect of money management No evaluation or monitoring of impact of money advice service on arrears levels Not accredited for HB verification No active benefits take-up campaign with HB provider this year No formal referral procedure with CAB this is being negotiated Limited monitoring of referrals to ensure that there is equality of access Limited feedback from referrals Surgeries providing benefit advice are not held in all areas there are plans to extend these

49 Other Financial Inclusion Measures Strengths Calico has clear focus on addressing financial exclusion explicit in FI strategy and associated policies and plans FI strategy includes targets - an anonymous survey was used to help identify priorities Focused FI work is being carried out on specific estates based on levels of exclusion Innovative work is developing on addressing worklessness through employment and training initiatives within Calico Work with local Furniture Project to help people to access reconditioned and second hand furniture Promote basic bank accounts and lower cost home contents insurance take-up is monitored Working with Credit Unions in some areas and looking to expand this joint working to promote access to ethical financial services

50 Other Financial Inclusion Measures Strengths Actively helping people to move to lower cost energy tariffs Worked with the Illegal Money Lending Team to raise community awareness of loan sharks and expensive doorstep lenders Income Team have been trained in Let s Talk Money and are members of TRANSACT Team meetings include show and tell on financial inclusion initiatives and outcomes Team takeaways lunchtime meetings being used to provide staff with financial guidance Offer help to switch people to lowest energy tariffs Work with East Lancs Moneyline for low-cost, ethical loans Calico Academy for residents will include a financial inclusion module

51 Other Financial Inclusion Measures - Areas for improvement Limited profiling of tenants to establish scale of financial exclusion and priorities to address FE Limited measures in place to monitor performance of partner agencies and outcomes from partner interventions Resident focus group indicates that there is still work to do to raise awareness of financial exclusion and promote Calico s products and services

52 Value for money Strengths Clear strategic focus on VfM at Calico explicit in service improvement plan, which includes VfM activities Performance targets and trends are reviewed regularly to ensure they are SMART Specialist income team created because of requirement for a high level of knowledge to deliver an excellent service Responsibility for non-rent income is being moved to Income Team to ensure a concentrated focus on all income streams, with all income managed within Active H Rechargeable repairs policy now being applied includes visits and Court action IT Systems provide useful, accurate information and are used efficiently Investing in training and developing staff in income management, financial inclusion and to pursue professional studies

53 Value for money Strengths Team structure incorporates training positions to enable succession planning and career development Weekly making a difference reviews are held to identify how individuals have contributed to the business and customers Daily Be smart pop-ups ask for VfM examples Officers carry out their own legal action and use PCOL - minimises legal costs for basic Possession actions Comprehensive performance reporting, including targets that cascade down to individual officer level Housemark used to benchmark cost and performance Good evidence of securing welfare benefit gains and positive outcomes for people through money and debt advice and referrals to support Good relationships and joint working between teams eg during pre tenancy and sign-up stages. Officers also form cross-discipline Neighbourhood Action Teams

54 Value for money Areas for improvement No income management strategy which could make explicit connections between the service and VfM activities and outcomes Transaction costs have not been analysed recently Benchmarking approach not documented fully type/frequency/purpose The cost of the service is at the higher end of the peer group but this may not take into account fully the broad range of services incorporated into Calico s income team Limited use of exception reports manager reviews samples of cases and all cases over 500

55 Prospects for improvement For Officers are very enthusiastic, customer focused and well-led Good top-level improvement plans Self-aware regarding any weaknesses Strong and improving performance on current arrears ActiveH system enables effective arrears monitoring and case management Pre-tenancy and sign-up procedures seek to minimise arrears for new tenants and address any affordability/debt issues Strong links with local advice and support agencies Clear focus and momentum on addressing financial exclusion Innovative approaches to staff and service development An emerging understanding of the impact (and potential impact) of the service, with improving opportunities for resident involvement in shaping the service

56 Prospects for improvement Against No income management strategy and policy still in draft need to set the strategic direction and document a top-level action plan Service standards still in draft and not yet been consulted on Unclear yet whether the service is available and accessible to meet residents needs (particularly money and benefit advice) Resident involvement is not yet fully developed Limited profiling of customer/debt information fully to target resources Performance management framework not yet fully developed few qualitative measures/targets HB SLA and liaison with Burnley Council need strengthening FTA performance not as effective as for CTA

57 Priorities Use recommendations from this review to update the service improvement plan with clear timescales, outcomes and responsibilities Finalise SMART service standards for income management in consultation with residents and implement measures to monitor performance against those standards Finalise corporate debt policy Develop with residents, an overarching income management strategy, that identifies all income streams and sets out how they will be maximised Continue to develop performance management framework with: Quantitative and qualitative measures/targets Debt profiling and trend analysis to identify hotspots Exception reports to ensure consistent arrears monitoring Quality checking of case files to ensure documents are complete and files well maintained

58 Priorities Agree SLA with HB provider to drive joint working Ensure regular meetings between HB and Calico take place Develop a joint campaign to promote HB take-up Complete the planned survey of customers and use to inform the delivery of the financial inclusion strategy Continue to develop customer/debt profiling to ensure understanding of reasons for arrears and enable targeting of resources Develop systems for monitoring referrals to outside agencies equality and outcomes Review the availability of money and benefit advice across communities and take any necessary action to ensure that the service is available widely enough to meet residents needs Complete the service charges project, ensuring that charges are fully depooled in consultation with residents, reflect the actual cost of service provision and are broken down on documents

59 Recommendations medium term Consider introduction of a broad range of incentives and rewards to encourage rent and other payments. Publicise and promote any resulting schemes. Explore opportunities for funding to support financial inclusion initiatives Complete the plan to bring all income management into the central team Work with all partners to discuss stages/situations when they can be involved to improve joint working use as the basis for continuing to strengthen partnership working Explore potential for implementing HB verification with Burnley Council Discuss use of DHPs with the Council Agree referral arrangements and joint working protocols with CAB Agree and implement joint working protocols with Social Care, focusing on information sharing and referral pathways

60 Recommendations medium term Improve the range of information available to customers regarding rent restructuring - eg separate leaflet, info on website Consider using the back of letters for additional useful information to customers Implement strategy for DD take-up, including promoting DD awareness and addressing mistrust from residents Increase range of direct debit dates available Produce guidelines for the Income Team in prioritising arrears cases Implement more regular monitoring of credit balances (currently quarterly) Ensure that arrangements are based on income and expenditure Programme a review of all arrangements every three-six months to ensure income maximised explain this when agreeing arrangements with customers

61 Recommendations medium term Document a separate write off policy Consult with auditors on the practice of income officers writing-off debt does this meet separation of duty requirements? Continue to explore potential for venues such as community centres for access to money/benefit advice this was suggested by the Focus Group Use Bolt to promote actively, income management and financial inclusion issues consider a regular column Consider whether an additional level of approval should be introduced for Evictions as added scrutiny

62 Recommendations medium term Update FTA Policy/procedures:- SMART collection targets Clear end of tenancy process that focuses on visiting the tenant and gaining forwarding address Consider incentives for good tenancy end Review effectiveness of DCA Consider active use of two DCA to drive competition Review amount/stage that accounts are written off

63 Recommendations Longer term Implement longer-term communication plan to promote and publicise rent payment/consequences of non-payment and money advice Continue to research and implement best practice Evaluate effectiveness of clear rent account incentives Try to ensure rent account set up and payment card available at signup Implement a protocol whereby customers can make one payment, which cascades into individual accounts Explore opportunities to work with schools/colleges to raise awareness of money management/benefit/cost of running home as part of FI strategy Continue to develop the website, including information on rent payment, arrears procedures, court action, debt and benefit advice, with clear links between related pages/facilities and test with residents

64 Our judgement Excellent prospects for improvement For three stars... Set the strategic direction Shape the service with residents Understand and explain the impact Keep up the good work but also strengthen the evidence base

65 Tony Newman Lead Associate RIEN Visit us at