As a resident board member and chair of the Resident Experience Committee, I’ve a pretty good insight into the workings of Southern Housing. So, I can tell you with some confidence that getting repairs right is at the top of the priority list for the team at Southern Housing too.
In my day-to-day job, I work in supply chain logistics, so I understand some of the challenges that come with delivering services across a large organisation. I also recognise that the merger in December 2022 was a huge undertaking in the formation of Southern Housing. Bringing together two large housing associations meant bringing together different teams, systems, processes, homes and most importantly residents. That kind of change doesn’t happen overnight, and it took until August 2025 to fully integrate systems. I think it’s important we recognise that context when we talk about improving the repairs service.
Prioritising repairs
Last year, Southern Housing invested £291 million in repairing and improving existing homes. It’s their biggest area of expenditure and Southern Housing spends more per home than any other housing association on repairs and maintenance.
For me, that’s encouraging and I know a significant investment. But I’m also aware it’s important residents can see the difference in the repairs service they experience. Southern Housing’s Board, which includes four resident members (myself included) knows this. More than 5k residents who responded to our strategic plan survey asked that we prioritise repairs. That’s why improving the repairs service is one of three central targets in Southern Housing’s Strategic Plan for 2026-2030. But what does that mean in practice?
One of the big priorities after the merger was bringing the repairs service in-house where contractors were failing to deliver to expected standards. Before this, in some regions, contractors were responsible for completing repair work on Southern Housing’s behalf. That included taking residents’ calls, booking appointments and organising the operatives who carried out the work. This meant that in some cases Southern Housing didn’t know there was an issue with a repair until a resident raised a complaint.
Moving repairs services in-house
In 2024, Southern Housing brought the repairs service, carried out by two large underperforming contractors, in-house. Since then, there’s been a significant improvement in resident satisfaction with repairs. With 67% of repairs now carried out directly by the in-house team, there’s better oversight and ownership. Residents who’ve had repair work completed are surveyed by Southern Housing and this shows satisfaction with repairs quality has risen from 91% last year, to 92% this year.
But that doesn’t mean the job is finished. There’s still work to do to improve the systems and processes behind the service. And ultimately to continue making the repair service experience for all residents a better one.
The impact of Awaab’s Law
Another factor that has added pressure to repairs services over the last year is the introduction of Awaab’s Law. It sets out specific timescales for dealing with certain hazards and means some repairs must be treated as emergencies.
Since the introduction of Awaab’s Law, Southern Housing has seen a 44% increase in emergency repairs. The pressure of completing emergency work has an impact on non-emergency repairs. At times, Southern Housing has to postpone non-emergency work so that operatives can deal with emergency repairs first.
I understand how frustrating this can be for residents who are waiting for a repair. I really sympathise with people who just want to know when their repair will be completed. At the same time, Southern Housing like every social landlord, has to meet these new legal requirements under Awaab’s Law. The challenge now is working out the best ways to handle this increased demand while delivering a good repairs service to everyone.
It’s important to note there’s more change coming. Awaab’s Law Phase 2 comes into effect in November 2026 and increases the number of hazards covered by this legislation. This could mean even more repairs needing to be treated as emergencies. The whole social housing sector is looking at how they’ll manage this heightened demand.
Despite this, I’m positive about the future of the repairs service. Improving repairs is the first goal in Southern Housing’s 2026-2030 strategy and they have a three-year repairs improvement plan. I think it’s important to be realistic that the changes we all want won’t happen overnight. There is a lot that can still be improved but there’s also an opportunity to build a service that works better for everyone. As a resident I believe I have an important role to play by continuing to work with Southern Housing to share what I think is going well and what still needs improving.
As a resident Board member, I know that Southern Housing is committed to listening, learning and acting on the feedback from residents, and we test this commitment at meetings of the Resident Experience Committee. Working together, I believe we can make a real difference to the repairs service and most importantly to the day to day experience all residents have when they need something fixing in their home.
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