Housing improvement plan

How we're improving housing services

We want all residents to have access to safe, well-maintained, and high-quality homes. Our Housing Improvement Plan is designed to ensure our services meet your needs, offer good value for money, and provide a safe and secure home for everyone.

What we're doing

We're making changes based on recommendations from SOLACE, an independent housing review from HQN, regulatory standards, and feedback from staff and residents. Our goal is to improve the quality of housing services across Guildford.

What we've achieved so far

faster complaint handling: We've updated our complaints policy to align with the Housing Ombudsman's guidance. Now, all complaints receive a phone call within two days to try and resolve issues quickly. Response times have significantly improved. If you need to report a complaint you can do so on our dedicated webpage.
tackling damp and mould: We've invested in addressing damp and mould. All reports are now dealt with within 10 working days. Find out more about tackling damp and mould..
stronger governance: We've established a Housing Operations Board to allow councillors to oversee housing strategy and performance.
regulatory compliance: We're working closely with the Regulator of Social Housing to ensure we meet safety and quality standards. This means identifying and fixing health and safety issues in homes and communal areas as quickly as possible.
listening to residents: The Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) have been introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing in England to assess how well landlords are doing in providing good quality homes and services. Over 600 tenants took part earlier in 2024 and their feedback is helping us make improvements. View the action plan.

What's next?

We are updating our plan to focus on four key commitments to residents:

1. quality, safety, and compliance: Our residents live in compliant, safe, and healthy homes

2. service improvement and delivery: Our Residents receive better services and outstanding housing management.

3. resident engagement and empowerment: We listen to residents and shape services together.

4. organisational excellence and modernisation: A resilient and well managed service

How you can get involved

Do you have ideas on how we can improve housing services? Whether you can spare a few hours or want to be involved regularly, we'd love to hear from you.

More information

Find out more about the Council's Journey to Improvement Plan.