Skip to content
MHA wins TPAS Good Practice Award 2025 thumbnail

We are delighted to have won the award for our service charges review!

 

Award Category: Involving Tenants in Designing or Reviewing Services

Team: MHA Neighbourhoods Team

 

Winning this prestigious award demonstrates how we consider the impact of services on our tenants and continuously strive to do better.

 

We have included a case study below that outlines the comprehensive review, how it has improved our services, and the positive feedback we’ve received from happy tenants.

Case Study

We separated our service charges from our rents in 2018 but, prompted by a drop in tenant satisfaction (15.2% since 2021/22) in this service area, we undertook an overhaul of the entire service including the application, administration and affordability. 

What have we done

We initiated a full-service review to consider the impact of service charges on residents. MHA has 31 chargeable services, some of which are eligible to be claimed as part of Housing Benefit/Universal Credit and others are not, which means they need to be paid for by residents.

 

The areas with highest service charges are at MHA’s retirement living accommodation and include services such as shared energy, cleaning and grounds maintenance in shared spaces, emergency alarms and scooter stores.

 

A “customer first” approach was adopted to dig deeper into resident views on chargeable services and to understand the scope, value, quality and regularity of each service.  We reviewed the responses, and it was clear residents value the services they receive and, in some cases, would like services to be provided more frequently.

 

Improved fuel efficiency and the need for more accessible, simple communication to help residents better understand their service charges was important.

  

The review to the alarms service and cleaning service were run concurrently, as they both impact on service charge costs and affordability, providing additional engagement insight into the service provision. 

How tenants were supported and empowered

We conducted an equality impact assessment which looked at affordability and customer segmentation against cost. We knew tenants and leaseholders have differing priorities so we needed to undertake a consultation in a way that suited their lifestyle and commitments.

 

We adopted a range of engagement tools, they included: 

 

  • Local in person discussions at MHA’s retirement accommodation.  
  • Community Voice committee discussions. 
  • Pulse and telephone surveys relating to specific service charge elements such as grounds maintenance and cleaning.  
  • Relational and targeted communications including critical discussions where the highest service charges are incurred. Enabled us to understand what difference the services or any adjustments would make to how tenants live in their homes. 

How the service has improved:

  • We have moved from contracted to an in-house cleaning team. We have reduced costs by £10,000, extended the service to include deep cleans and significantly increased resident satisfaction*. 
  • Retained cleaning hours at the schemes where the quality and presence of cleaners is valued by tenants.  
  • Reduced service charges by an average of £1.66 per property per week and the highest reduction being £7 per week.  
  • Enhanced information on our website and through our rent and service charge increase pack. With a notable reduction of queries by 0.5%.  

Listening to our residents has had the following impact:

  • MHA have a better understanding of the value of chargeable services and need for specific enhanced services such as additional window cleaning.  
  • Service charges are now considered to be better value for money.  
  • Residents feel reassured we are listening and acting on their views.  
  • High tenant satisfaction and feedback received on new community alarms system.  
  • Expanded self-serve options on MHA’s tenant app enabling tenants to update their UC journals more effectively and timely.  
  • A continued plan for service charge amendments which will look at the reduction of service charges by exploring fixed costs for scooter stores, removal of communal aerials where appropriate, reassessing broadband provision and continued roll out of smart meters to ensure accuracy of charges. 
  • Warmer homes at a more affordable price following heating improvements. 

Tenant Feedback

The cleaning team are fab; they are efficient and very friendly. Always a pleasure to see them. Very satisfied. I hope that monies saved has been passed on to the Cleaning Team.

I am very satisfied with the standard of cleaning; the cleaners are always really friendly and go out of their way to help if needed.

Excellent service, makes a huge difference to my wellbeing.


Quick link image Employability support
MHA wins TPAS Good Practice Award 2025
Quick link image Employability support
MHA wins TPAS Good Practice Award 2025
Quick link image Employability support
MHA wins TPAS Good Practice Award 2025
Hide website
Tenants
Tenant Services Local Officer Finder Our Support Services
Leaseholders
Leaseholder Services
Developments
Our Homes Building Homes with Us Sustainability and Retrofit
Getting in touch
Contact Us Customer Care Policy Making a Complaint Data Protection & Privacy


Monmouthshire Housing Association Limited is registered in England & Wales and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Industrial and Provident Society with charitable rules Registration No 30087R, and is registered with the Welsh Government as a Registered Social Landlord Registration No L144. Registered Office: Nant-Y-Pia House, Mamhilad Technology Park, Mamhilad, Pontypool, Monmouthshire, NP4 0JJ.
© Monmouthshire Housing 2025
Designed & built by