Perronet House and Princess Street – the JMB offer

What is Tenant Management?

Tenant management is where council tenants and residents take over the running of the day-to-day services for their home. Typically this would include:

• – repairs
• – cleaning
• – work of housing officers
• – rent collection
• – other maintenance (lifts, heating etc)
• – major works (eg replacement of intercom system, electrical rewiring etc)

A committee of tenants and residents oversees the work of the staff that do these jobs, setting priorities and making sure the work gets done properly.

Why tenant management with Leathermarket JMB?

Tenant management offers a more responsive, more accountable and more efficient service to all residents (both council tenants and leaseholders).

In tenant management, tenants always remain formally tenants of the Council – and leaseholders formally the Council’s leaseholders – with all the rights and privileges that brings. A move to tenant management is just about the running of services.

Leathermarket JMB is a nationally-acclaimed and award winning Tenant Management Organisation that runs 1500 homes in Borough and Bermondsey and has been operating since 1996. Resident satisfaction much greater in JMB estates than for Southwark-managed estates.

The JMB believe our residents are happier because we offer our residents much greater:

• – Responsiveness
• – Accountability
• – Quality
• – Cost & Efficiency
• – … and give that bit extra

This is how we believe we deliver things much better:

Responsiveness

• – With a TMO, you have an office you can go to when you need to get things done  Many things can be sorted on the day, from getting a new entry fob to checking your rent to reporting a repair
• – The JMB office is open five days a week, you can just drop in and don’t need an appointment.

Accountability

• – Residents decide the priorities of the JMB, so things get done because residents’ want them not just because housing managers think it’s a good idea
• – The JMB works as an office, not a call centre. The team is small enough that residents know exactly who is responsible for what – and who to go to when they have questions or issues. Nobody can ‘hide’ at the end of the phone or claim they don’t know what’s going on.
• – JMB managers and staff report back to the monthly meetings of the TRAs in the JMB area – so the TRAs can make sure things get done when they are promised and can chase up any areas they are not happy with
• – The JMB office team is large enough to ensure that all residents are dealt with fairly and equally – no-one has special privileges and the Board of directors ensure that all the estates and blocks have their fair share of work and activity.
• – The JMB has a long-term plan for ‘major works’ on its buildings, so residents know when big items of refurbishment are due and can prepare for them
• – Things always go wrong, or not quite to plan, but the difference with tenant management is that you know where to go to when things needs sorting out – and they get sorted out much more quickly.

Quality

• – Leathermarket JMB have much tighter management of their work and contractors – so issues are more likely to be sorted right first time.
• – The JMB has a specialist team that manages ‘major works’ contracts – with a committee of residents overseeing its operations – to ensure that these works are carefully managed to the right standards.
• – TMO residents are much more satisfied with the running of their estates than residents in Southwark-managed estates. TMO tenants are 78% satisfied with their housing services (compared to 64% for Southwark estates) and TMO leaseholders are 49% satisfied (compared to 29% for Southwark estates)
• – TMO tenants are much happier with the repairs service – with 83% of TMO tenants satisfied, compared to only 62% satisfied with the repairs service in Southwark-managed homes
• – The JMB staff take enormous personal pride in the work they do and know almost all of their tenants and resident leaseholders on a first-name basis.
• – The JMB’s operation was judged sufficiently good for it to become the country’s first ‘self-financing’ TMO – meaning that it has complete control over the money that comes in.

Cost and efficiency

• – The Leathermarket JMB repairs team cost 40% less than the standard Southwark prices for work, and their contractors cost 25% less.  So resident’s rent and service charge money goes further – meaning that more can be done for less.
• – Residents set the priorities for the JMB – so people’s money isn’t wasted on things that the residents don’t want.
• – Tenant management – and the JMB’s ‘self-financing’ status means that residents’ money only pays for things that happen on their estates – the money cannot get used to cross-subsidise anything on other estates or elsewhere in the Borough.

Giving a bit extra

• – The JMB helps and supports residents in a number of non-housing activities – from local history groups to social trips to youth football teams. There is a real culture where people come first and are supported as individuals.

Background information

– read the Southwark Council information explaining about Tenant Management and TMOs [NEW]

This video – by national organisation TPAS explains what Tenant management is and how it works (it features Leathermarket JMB and Southwark Council’s support for the process

• – Read the ‘Improving Services through Tenant Management’ presentation to the Perronet and Princess Street Residents Association committee
• – [NEW] Read the ’10 Good Reasons for Perronet House and Princess Street to join a Tenant Management Organisation’ leaflet
• – Read the Southwark Council policy on expanding Tenant Management (approved by Cabinet October 2013)
• – Read the Southwark Council ‘Options for Tenant Management’ information sheet

• – Southwark Letter to residents explaining Tenant Management 3 May 16
• – Resident poster ‘Hold the Date’ for 10 May meeting
• – Resident poster ‘Sexit’ – Perronet May 16
• – Resident Newsletter Our News May16
• – Letter to residents – Council Tenant pop-in meeting 8 Jun 16
• – Poster – Council Tenant pop-in meeting 8 Jun 16