Resident Experience Committee

Update from Peter Baffoe, Chair of the Resident Experience Committee

Thanks for taking a moment to read this update. I’m Chair of the Resident Experience Committee and Vice Chair of Peabody. I’m also a Peabody resident.

We met in January to look at how we’re supporting residents, what’s improving, and where we need to do more. This is the first in a series of short updates after each quarterly meeting.

Our main focus this month was:

• hearing resident voices and making sure they shape decisions
• understanding residents better, especially people with additional needs
• repairs and damp and mould, including our work to meet Awaab’s Law
• complaints, performance and how we use data to improve services
• being visible and accessible in neighbourhoods

You can find out more information about the Resident Experience Committee on the Peabody Group website

Resident voices front and centre

Residents have been involved in meetings with the Regulator of Social Housing as part of the ongoing inspection, including through the Resident-Led Panel and regional forums. The Committee agreed we should keep building on this, so resident participation continues and grows.

We also heard from a Neighbourhood Manager who is a Peabody resident. She shared what helps residents feel listened to, and what can get in the way. We are grateful for her time and honesty.

Understanding residents better

A big part of the meeting focused on how we understand residents’ needs, and how we use information to deliver a better service.

We heard from the Director of Data about Peabody’s new Data Strategy for 2026 to 2028, approved by the Peabody Trust Board in December 2025. It aims to improve resident data and show clearly how it leads to fairer outcomes.

The Committee’s key points were:

• we need to improve the completeness of our data
• we are moving from identifying”vulnerable” residents to identifying “additional needs”, because needs can change over time

Members also stressed that collecting information is only useful if we can show how it improves services in real life, in a way residents can see and trust.

Visibility, accessibility and neighbourhood support

Peabody is managed regionally and the Managing Director for our operations across the South of London joined us to share more about our local approach and how the Neighbourhood Manager role works. We discussed how important it is for residents to be able to reach their Neighbourhood Manager in ways that work for them, including online, in community spaces, and at different times where possible.

We also talked about the pressures Neighbourhood Managers face, and the need for teams to work together more consistently. We should also communicate more clearly what the Neighbourhood Manager role covers, and how residents can get the right help.

Complaints: quicker, clearer and more consistent

The Committee noted improvements in complaint handling over a busy winter period. Members also said we must learn more at stage one of a complaint, so problems do not repeat, and we make sure learning is shared across the organisation.

Repairs and damp and mould

Repairs remain high, and we discussed emergency repairs, damp and mould cases, and delays.

The Director of Repairs shared the positive progress of work underway to meet the new requirements of Awaab’s Law, alongside improvements in how repairs are reported and categorised. A follow-up report will come to the next meeting so we can track progress closely.

Affordability: keeping things clear and meaningful

Members discussed rent and service charge increases for 2026/27. The Finance Director of Operations shared how affordability was at the heart of decision making around the rent settlement. We welcomed a table demonstrating the value offered by Peabody’s social rents, compared to Local Housing Allowance in each borough. We also discussed how we could share this information more widely and better show the wider value that residents get from social housing.

Empty homes (voids)

There has been some improvement in how quickly we are getting empty homes ready to let n. An external review is underway to help make further improvements.

We also discussed delays outside Peabody’s control, including issues affecting some local authority partners.

Resident engagement and community investment

Members welcomed the work underway on a plain-English Resident Engagement Strategy, the monthly Get Involved newsletter, and community investment activity over the festive period, including fundraising for community buildings in Lewisham.

Members also asked for clearer and more visual ways to show the difference engagement makes for Peabody residents.

Performance and data

We reviewed satisfaction, complaints, damp and mould reports, call answering times, and rent arrears trends. Members asked for clearer explanations of what’s driving performance, and data that helps us spot issues earlier.

What happens next

The Committee asked for follow-up updates on:

• our approach to identifying additional needs and acting on them
• proposals on a planned resident census, to help us understand more about our residents to provide a more tailored service
• repairs, including a further update at the next meeting
• a special Committee meeting in March to look in more depth at resident data

Thank you

Thank you to all residents, colleagues and partners who contributed, especially those who spoke with the Regulator or shared their lived experience. Your voices continue to guide the work of the Committee and the wider organisation.