Growing housing association Alpha Housing has launched its first Customer Promise to strengthen its commitment to deliver excellent homes and services that help tenants flourish.
The Customer Promise comprises eight pledges, based on tenants’ feedback from Alpha Housing’s developments across Northern Ireland.
These include ensuring tenants feel safe in their homes; maximising investment in homes and communal areas; delivering an effective repairs service; listening and responding to feedback; and providing value for money.
The Customer Promise was launched at Alpha Housing’s Tenant Forum, which took place at the Europa Hotel in Belfast. Chief Executive Cameron Watt addressed the audience of tenants from throughout Northern Ireland, outlining the exemplary standard of service residents should expect from their landlord.
Alpha Housing
Speaking at the event – which was attended by television host and presenter Pamela Ballantine MBE, and Alpha Housing representatives including Chair John Glass – Cameron Watt said the launch of the Promise builds on a foundation of high levels of customer satisfaction in recent years, as demonstrated by independent market research.
“Alpha Housing provides great homes, delivers exemplary support services in our sheltered housing schemes, and helps to nurture thriving communities,” he said. “The launch of the Customer Promise is another step in ensuring we continue to fulfil that mission and do even better.
“Landlords should be clear about the services and standards their tenants should expect, and having a Customer Promise will help us deliver consistently excellent services. Residents now have clear yardsticks to assess our performance against, and opportunities to hold us to account, including through meetings with our Board.’
“Tenants want to feel safe, they expect a reliable repairs service, and want us to care and treat them with respect, to communicate effectively and listen and respond to feedback. These are ordinary requests, but hugely important.
“Alpha Housing knows we can make a hugely positive difference in tenants’ lives when we fulfil these reasonable expectations consistently. That is why we are strengthening staff training and support to ensure we deliver the Promise.”
He added: “The Customer Promise has been crafted with tenants for some time now and we are delighted to be launching it with the input of Pamela Ballantine. I want to say a special thank you to all tenants who shared their views during the consultation and engagement process. Without them, this crucial piece of work would not have been possible.”
2024 has been another extremely busy year for Alpha Housing, with new multi-million-pound newbuild schemes in Ballymoney and Cullybackey now well advanced, while a £670,000 refurbishment of four, own-door apartments in Newtownabbey was completed earlier this summer. The finishing touches are also currently being made to the £2.2 million Parkhead Close scheme in Newry that will deliver ten much-needed houses for local families early in 2025.
