Service Charges was chosen as a topic to be reviewed due to an increased number of complaints in this area, also from our feedback from the Tenants Satisfaction Measures.
The Service Improvement Panel (SIP) members were recruited through recommendations from teams within PA who identified residents who at the time had an active or previously had a complaint about their service charge, or residents who had a service charge responsibility to PA Housing. Two members were also recruited via our strategic Resident Assembly.
The SIP chose the leads through a voting system, the SIP voted on anyone who was interested in leading and two members were chosen to lead the SIP.
Meetings
The Service Charges SIP ran from June - October 2024. The SIP held weekly meetings that involved:
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scoping out the key focus areas
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requesting information from relevant teams
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reviewing policies, procedures, workflows and breakdowns of relevant job roles
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conducting interviews with four members of the Service Charges team
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surveying 1000 randomly selected residents regarding their recent experiences with service charges
Once the SIP had conducted all interviews and received the survey results, the panel were able to map out the report from the information they had collected.
The SIP met individually outside the sessions to develop the report. They worked closely with PA housing facilitator to ensure they had all the information needed to complete the report and final recommendation.
The report
Once they had produced a draft of their report they met with the Executive Director, Simon Hatchman, to present and agree their recommendations, as well as agree timeframes to implement the recommendations.
To support the work of the SIP, the supporting Resident Involvement Specialist developed a recommendations tracker. The tracker is reviewed by the Resident Assembly monthly to ensure we are implementing the recommendations within the agreed timeframes.
Read the recommendations
Recommendations from the SIP:
Add a dedicated section to the website and My PA app that clearly explains the role of each team (e.g., Service Charges, Estates, etc.) and their responsibilities. This will help set clear expectations from the outset.
Outcome:
Implemented on 31/12/24.
The Communications team created a page to the website that explains the role of all teams within PA: Our teams | PA Housing
Recommendations from the SIP:
Introduce proactive communication about changes to service charges via email or letter to explain significant changes to charges, along with comparisons to previous years’ service charges. This step aims to reduce resident enquiries. by providing timely, transparent updates alongside statements.
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Include: an itemised service charge schedule (e.g., for gardening, window cleaning, electricity, bulk rubbish collection, etc.).
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Explain: how charges are calculated in a straightforward way (e.g., from Estate to Block to Property levels).
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Clarify: the different tenure types at the development, noting if any have varying charges and why (e.g., management fees).
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Provide: the total service charges for the entire development to help residents verify the apportionment accuracy.
Establish the criteria for what is considered to be a significant change.
Outcome:
A page has been created on the website to help residents understand their service charges: Understanding your rent and service charges | PA Housing
Recommendations from the SIP:
Provide a single point of contact to take ownership of a resident service charge enquiry/complaint from start to finish.
The case handler should provide regular feedback.
Outcome:
The Service Charges team have started to provide the name of the lead contacts on communication to residents.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Payments to residents for incorrect service charges should be fully backdated to when the problem first occurred.
Outcome:
This is incorporated into our Service Charges policy. Residents should not be worse off because of a Service Charge errors. Where we discover such errors, refunds will be made.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Provide and adhere to reasonable time frames when handling resident enquiries.
Outcome:
The Service Level Agreement (SLA) for the 25/26 Rent Review letters has been amended to 15 days to ensure all queries can be answered within the time frame, even during busier periods.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Consider creating a dedicated page on the website with translations of key documents in the most spoken languages amongst PA residents. This can reduce the reliance on phone calls and improve accessibility.
Outcome:
The website has been updated with FAQ’s in our six most common languages across PA Housing.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Provide support via online platforms and face-to-face residents who are protected under the protected characteristics of the Disability Act 2010.
Outcome:
The website has been updated with audio functionality and adjustable font size to help residents with disabilities.
Face-to-face training sessions about Budget Statements were held with the Customer Services, Income and Neighbourhood Coordinator teams to ensure they had the appropriate knowledge and tools to support residents.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Establish a two-way communication process between staff members and residents.
This could help the organisation continuously improve its materials and processes based on actual user experience.
Outcome:
The process has now been put in place to ensure the residents can communicate with a member of staff. Any initial contact will be between residents and their Neighbourhood Coordinators. The Neighbourhood Coordinators will then liaise with the central Service Charges team.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Host regular workshops or webinars for residents explaining the service charge process, common issues, and how to raise queries effectively. This could reduce the number of repetitive or misdirected inquiries.
Outcome:
In March 2025, we held a series of workshops to answer residents' questions and gather feedback on our Service Charge communication approach. A video update was uploaded to the website for residents who were unable to attend the workshops: Your rent and service charges for 2025-2026 | PA Housing
Recommendations from the SIP:
Offer clear guidance on the complaints and enquiries process to ensure residents can easily contact PA Housing and navigate their issues confidently.
By breaking down jargon and explaining relevant legislation. Provide accessible explanations, especially when residents request copies of invoices or other financial documents.
Outcome:
The wording on our website has been updated to reflect PA’s tone of voice, breaking down jargon and making it easier for the resident to understand how they can contact us: https://www.pahousing.co.uk/contact-us/making-a-complaint/
Recommendations from the SIP:
Include a description of NC responsibilities in welcome packs, on the website, and in communications about service charges or neighbourhood issues.
Add a QR code to all non-electronic literature linking to the website for ease of access.
Outcome:
A page has been added to the website to explain what a Neighbourhood Coordinator is and what their responsibilities are:
We are in the process of incorporating QR codes into more of our printed materials, including toolkits, service standards, and noticeboards.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Introduce performance metrics for case handlers such as response time, resolution time, and resident satisfaction scores. Tie these metrics to staff evaluations and incentives.
Comments:
This is already in place internally.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Set up quarterly catch ups between the Service Charge team and all other departments who provide information relating to service charges as well as teams handling service charge enquires.
Outcome:
We held weekly meetings with main internal stakeholders throughout the 25/26 Rent Review period.
In addition, the Head of Neighbourhoods and the Regional Service Charge Manager held regular discussions addressing the next steps and any issues.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Be more proactive in monitoring contract performance addressing poor performance when required. Monitor services and repairs that are requested to ensure work has been completed and within reasonable time frames.
Outcome:
We have established a new Contracts and Partnerships team to take on this work and escalate contractor issues more assertively.
The Resident Involvement team are recruiting residents to attend meetings between PA and our contractors to ensure our residents voices are heard to help shape our services.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Ensure procurement processes are followed when appointing new contractors.
Agreed action:
The Procurement process been reviewed with a new procurement policy been implemented as of November 2024, in line with changes to procurement legislation.
We are also working to ensure residents’ voices are part of the procurement and evaluation process.
Recommendations from the SIP:
Group items under services (such as fire safety) to provide clarity to residents and assurance they are not being charged twice for the same items (such as fire equipment, fire other, fire repairs).
Provide definitions of Estates, Blocks and Property as well as details of the number of properties within each estate.
Provide explanations on the apportionment as well as an itemised breakdown of the “Provision of Use” category.
Agreed action:
Information Sheets have been created to provide clarity to residents and help residents understand their Service Charges.
These information sheets are available on the website; paper copies are also available and can be requested via your NC.
This information has been incorporated onto our Contact Centre’s Knowledge Articles and workflows for residents who contact us via telephone.
Quotes from residents
"I found the whole experience very positive and rewarding. The sessions were well lead by PA staff, and I felt the members of the panel worked well together, and there was a good mix of ideas, skills, experiences as well as good team morale.
I didn't find the teams channel intuitive to use, both logging in and the filing of documents, but circulating documents by email for editing seemed to work better. When collating our questions and results of the interviews, there were times when I felt it was tricky to get the balance right between the expectations of PA staff and those of the panel in terms of level of detail, but we got there in the end."
"Everyone on the panel was passionate about getting a fairer service charge for tenants and residents alike."
"It was really to get involved and to see the team trying to help , which indicated on a good culture inside PA"
Get involved today!
If you're interested in getting involved in future SIP reviews, register your interest by completing the form or call us on 0300 123 2221.
