Decent Homes case study

Doing the decent thing - A Decent Homes case study

The TMO’s Decent Homes programme is entering its second year and many tenants are now enjoying the benefist. The TMO's Paul Nezandonyi went to talk to one of them.

I’m sitting drinking a cup of tea with Sue Gustave and admiring her new kitchen. ‘Every time my friends and family come round, I take them straight to the kitchen. The kitchen is definitely the centrepiece - it’s wonderful!” she says enthusiastically.

Sue’s kitchen was installed as part of the TMO’s Decent Homes programme which aims make sure that all tenants’ homes are in a reasonable state of repair and have modern services by 2007.

Sue, of Appleford House in North Kensington had her three-bedroom flat completely rewired and new plumbing installed as well as a new fitted kitchen and bathroom. ‘Now, I can’t help but show them off’, she said.

Sue was offered a choice of kitchen finishes worktops and door handles, and she is pleased with the end result: ‘The old worktop surfaces were a horrible greyish white colour. I’d clean them and they didn’t look clean. Now everything’s so shiny!’

For some, the prospect of having such major works carried out on their home is daunting, but as Sue explains, the workers were surprisingly efficient, and put end to the traditional image of labourers downing tools to drink tea every ten minutes: ‘Everyone worked really quickly,’ she said. ‘The plumbers replaced the copper piping throughout the flat. They worked so hard - I was impressed.’

However, Sue admits that there were a few hairy moments during the four weeks of works: ‘After two weeks, I had to tell them not to come around until nine o’clock. They would sometimes start work early, but I’m just not a morning person! But they were prepared to be flexible.’

The works have improved life for Sue and her children, aged 10 and 17, immensely: ‘It’s been a real benefit to family life, because everything gets done a lot quicker – especially in the bathroom,’ she said. ‘Now we don’t have to wait ages for the bath to fill up, as we have a brand new combination boiler and a shower.’

By the sounds of things, Sue’s children are enjoying the new facilities as much as she is: ‘Now I don’t have to chase the kids out of the kitchen when I’m cooking, because there’s so much more space and they don’t get in the way’, she said.

The best aspect for Sue however is that her children have become more house-proud: ‘It has encouraged my daughter to clean up after herself, which I have to say is a very positive thing; we want to keep it all looking new, and now she actually does the washing up - which is amazing!’

Sue Gustave’s top tips

Be prepared for the upheaval. I spent the day in my bedroom when the contractors came to rip out the kitchen. It was very dusty and I just wanted to keep out of the way. On some days I would spend a lot of time on the balcony to give the contractors space to work.

Make use of your tenant liaison officers. They can advise you if you have any queries and they can also deal with you complaints. I found then invaluable when I was looking for support.

At the end of the works, walk around your home with the contractors. Check that you are happy with what they have done, and ask any questions that you may have.

Keep appointments made with contractors. This will ensure the works are carried out quickly and efficiently.

Be nice to the contractors. They will be in your home for a number of weeks, so make them feel welcome.