Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs)

You can learn more about how Hightown is run and how we make decisions in the about us section of our website:

• Learn more about our mission, values and 2024-27 strategic objectives here.
• We are run by a Board and Executive Team who each bring diverse experience, knowledge and passion to their roles. The Board is supported by four committees who meet regularly to monitor and scrutinise how Hightown is run. 
• Learn about our governing bodies and governance code on our Governance page.  We are registered as a Community Benefit Society and information about our registration is available through the Financial Conduct Authority's Mutuals Public Register. The register includes our registration details, governing rules, annual returns and other information required by the Regulator of Social Housing.
• Our structure - find out more about our structure and senior leadership team.
• Policies – access our full range of policies which set out how we deliver services, make decisions and support customers. They help ensure our services are fair, consistent and meet legal and regulatory requirements. They also explain what you can expect from us and what we may need from you.
• We work with our customers to help shape customer involvement and ensure customers influence decision-making. Our Customer Experience Panel (CEP) brings residents together as a collective, independent voice - find out about the panel's work and read the minutes from the latest CEP meetings here. Our Thriving Together group brings together customers with lived experience of disability to ensure housing services are accessible and inclusive. Our VoiceBox ensures that people we support in our Care & Supported Housing can review, shape and improve services.
• Learn how customer feedback makes a difference and read our quarterly Customer Impact Snapshot to discover where customer feedback has had an impact on how we deliver services to you.

You can find details about our spending, grants and use of service charges on our website.

Visit:

• Our Annual Report & Financial Statements for in depth details of our spending.
• Our Annual Report for Residents for more information on our spending and investment.
• Your rent for information on the different types of rent we charge, how these are calculated and how we spend each £ of income.
• Understanding your service charge for information on how we estimate and charge for your service charges.
• Our procurement approach details how we work with our suppliers to create safe and affordable homes for our residents.
• You can see all of our spending over £500 on building new homes in the development and transparency data section of our website.

• Our Strategic Plan outlines our aims and objectives for 2024-27 and our Annual Report contains information about our progress towards meeting these objectives, including delivery of new homes, investment in keeping homes safe and in good repair and customer engagement activities.
• Find out more about the energy efficiency of our homes and our progress towards Net Zero, including the results of our latest SHIFT environmental assessment, here.
• Find out more about how we're investing in new homes and details of some of our bigger developments 
• See how we're doing against our targets to keep homes safe and well-maintained by checking out our monthly performance updates and Tenant Satisfaction Measures results.
• Learn more about the improvements we have made to homes in the past 12 months, our stock condition survey programme and how we're meeting the Decent Homes Standard  - information coming soon.

This section shows how we're performing and how well we're delivering services for customers:

Monthly performance updates

• We closely monitor our performance in all service delivery areas. Our monthly performance updates highlight where we're doing well and where we need to improve.

Inspection outcomes and ratings

• Read our latest regulatory judgement.
• We provide a range of Care and Support Housing Services registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). View our latest inspection ratings.

Performance reviews and evaluation reports

• Our SHIFT accreditation report, carried out by an independent assessor, details Hightown's latest environmental performance.
• View our ESG performance - information coming soon.

Tenant Satisfaction Measures

• Every year we're required to report back to the Regulator of Social Housing on the work we do and what our customers think about it. We're also required to publish that information so that you can see where we're doing well and where we need to improve. The Regulator calls this information Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs).

Complaints metrics

• Read our Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement report to see how customer feedback has helped us improve the service we provide.
• We also carry out a self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
• You can also view our Landlord Performance Report on the Housing Ombudsman’s website.

Media releases

• Media releases can be read in the news section of our website.

Awaab's Law compliance

• Our performance in delivering maintenance and repairs, including Awaab's Law compliance data, is highlighted in our Annual Report. 

Other performance data

• Information request data will be available once customers are able to submit information requests from April 2027.
• Information about tenancy sustainment and evictions coming soon.

• Everything you need to know about 'Your Home' - repairing and maintaining your home, paying your rent and service charges and your tenancy agreement or lease can be found on our website.
• The Support and Advice page contains extensive guidance and support for our customers.
• We provide useful information to our new customers. 
• We have a range of information available for those that lease their home or have purchased it through shared ownership.
• We are happy to provide information in alternative formats to customers.

Information on the registers we’re required to keep by law to keep homes and customers safe:

• We maintain a register of all homes containing gas appliances and records of annual gas safety inspections. We monitor compliance monthly and report performance through our safety governance arrangements. Find out how we're performing against our targets here.
• We carry out electrical safety inspections in our homes at least every five years. These inspections check the condition and safety of electrical systems, including wiring, sockets, light fittings and consumer units.  We keep a register of inspection results and monitor monthly compliance to ensure any issues identified are resolved promptly to keep homes safe.  
• We comply with all legislation relating to asbestos and keep an up-to-date asbestos register recording the location and condition of asbestos-containing materials, together with the results of surveys, risk assessments and any actions taken to manage and remove asbestos. Find out what to do if you think there may be asbestos in your home here. Remember, if your home was built after 2000, it is unlikely to have any asbestos.  
• We take steps to manage risks associated with water hygiene, including Legionella bacteria, in properties and communal areas where we are responsible for water systems. As part of this, we maintain a water hygiene and legionella register, recording risk assessments, inspections and testing. Our landlord Tenant Satisfaction Measures show the proportion of homes with an in-date legionella assessment.  
• We explain how we work to keep customers and homes safe from the risk of fire here, including carrying out fire risk assessments which are reviewed each year. Request the latest fire risk assessment actions summary / escape plan for your building here and view our compliance on fire risk assessments across all our homes here.
• In accordance with the Building Safety Act 2022, we maintain building safety records for higher-risk residential buildings, including fire and structural safety information and inspection records. Find out more about fire safety in our high-rise buildings (Hosking Court, Maylands View and Kestrel Court) here.  Fire safety information for medium-rise buildings (11 metres and above) is available here. A summary of your building's fire risk assessment actions and fire escape plan is available on request.

Other lists and registers relating to the management of social housing:

• To help us meet the requirements of Awaab's Law, we have improved our systems and processes for managing damp and mould reports. This means we can track every case from start to finish, record any vulnerabilities within the household, assess risks consistently and keep a clear record of the actions taken.  More information about our performance against meeting Awaab's Law timescales for damp and mould reporting and inspections is available in our Annual Report & Financial Statements and our Customer Annual Report. 
• If a disability, long-term health condition or reduced mobility is making it difficult to use your home, we may be able to help with aids and adaptations. Our Aids and Adaptations Policy sets out how requests are assessed, funded and delivered.
• Our property services team carry out regular estate inspections  to ensure standards are continually met.

Hightown manages over 9,500 homes across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Our policies are documents that explain how we manage social housing and make decisions.  They help us ensure every customer is treated fairly, services are delivered consistently and we meet our legal and regulatory responsibilities.  Policies also help you understand what you can expect from us.