Connecting with tenants for a better future

Introduced in January 2023, Chesterfield Borough Council has committed to holding home tenancy visits with each of its existing tenants – giving people the chance to have an informal chat with a council officer in the comfort of their own home, share their views on services and let them know of any concerns they may have.

Alongside visits to existing tenants, the council also produces a personal housing plan for any new applicants to the new housing register to find out more about their specific needs and make sure they are allocated to a home that is right for them.

Both the tenancy home visits and the personal housing plans provide the council with the opportunity to find out more about each tenant’s circumstances, understand any vulnerabilities and enable it to better understand individual’s needs – reducing the number of tenancies that fail.

Many tenants are already seeing the benefits of the introduction of these new services. From helping one tenant to access funds from a closed bank account, to arranging adaptations to another home to make it easier for a resident to get out of his flat more often, there’s a whole range of support that has been provided by housing officers.

The council’s housing officers have also been able to support a number of tenants to access benefits that they may be entitled to – ensuring they have the additional financial support at this challenging time.

Councillor Jean Innes, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “We are really pleased with how the tenancy visits and personal housing plans are going and they’re really helping us to understand more about each of our tenants, build stronger relationships and make sure we are giving people the support they need.

“They have been really successful so far and feedback has been really positive. We’ve already been able to make adaptations to people’s homes to meet their needs, help them access benefits, or even refer them to external partners if they need further support.

“By having these conversations and understanding their individual needs, we can make sure that we are doing all we can to reduce the number of tenancies that fail.

“We will write to you with a proposed date and time for a member of our team to come round for an informal chat and get to know more about you. If the time isn’t convenient for you, please let us know as soon as possible so we can try to rearrange. Remember, this is your chance to let us know how you are getting on and if we can help you further.”