Introduction
This report contains feedback data from applicants who registered between 1 April 2023 and 30 June 2023.
Results
Number of surveys completed: 250
The number of completed surveys has slightly decreased in the first quarter from 267 in the fourth quarter.
How long did it take you to register?
How easy did you find it to register?
The time it takes applicants to register has continued to remain consistent in the first quarter with 73% of tenants registering within 30 minutes. The proportion of applicants who had difficulty registering also remains consistently low at 8%, in the fourth quarter of 22/23 this figure was also 8%.
Was there anything you found particularly difficult?
Reasons for finding These Homes difficult to use:
| Had to register again because I already rent from one of the housing providers. |
| Actually, looking for houses and when I bid I don't get any word back on how it went. |
| Trying to see the houses in my area. |
| My document wasn’t going through but might have been my ph playing up. |
| The system constantly forgetting my password so I can't sign back in...have reset three times already and now it won't even send me a reset email. |
| Understanding whether or not I have now applied to 3 different housing places or just one. ( I’m dyslexic and had a spot of trouble understanding). |
| It would not let me input my details. |
| Wouldn't take my documents. |
| As a person situation in the Forres / Kinloss area in Moray - I find / found Themes Homes set up, website and search engine to be ABERDEEN area centric. Often this made me feel like I had registered incorrectly. |
| Just a couple of questions, but me phoning resolved the answers. |
| I don’t know areas anymore as ain’t lived in Scotland for a long time. |
| Trying to explain my health condition better to explain face to face tried to contact bha on 3 occasions but I have never had a response. |
| Uploading my document. |
| I am not very quick with the computer, so took me a while to complete application. |
| Trying to obtain medical information from my doctor. |
| Details about my ailments and needs. |
| No fault of the website or service, just my own mental issues. |
| When asked about previous address and how long I’ve been living elsewhere my answers weren’t accepted as they didn’t comply with questions, so it was frustrating for me. |
| I found having to write the reasons why I needed to move was very difficult & mentally exhausting. Writing what happened to me in the past was traumatic but knew I had to do it. |
Can you think of any improvements that would have made the process easier?
Suggestions for improvements:
| Better assessment. Make it possible to see what has been applied for? There are properties on the individual housing association websites that do not appear on the These Homes website. Could it be clarified why they are not available? In summary it's not very clear what purpose These Homes serves over the individual housing associations even with a Homeless Priority Pass? |
| Give people house when they bid for them that would probably be a great start. |
| I applied for my first property, and it still says “shortlisting” since I believe 7th March, how long should an applicant wait for? |
| Sort system glitches. |
| Improve the search function. I never saw the houses that I applied for when using the search function, was only outside villages and not fraserburgh itself. |
| Clearer instructions (they are already pretty clear though). |
| As my son and I were thrown into a scramble for a home with no warning - hence applying for social housing, for my learning differences - it would have been brilliant to have had a tutorial with a human (not animation) welcoming and walking me through the registration process. (PS. the last question that asks ' how do I rate this new service' - there is no drop down to give details to my answer: I haven't experienced the previous service to compare and contrast so I am only rating it on what I have experienced). |
| Maybe having more houses or flats that we can apply for. |
| Banning people with rent arrears without giving the chance to explain or pay them off. |
| Not everyone over 50 needs sheltered housing. |
| Yes, response from landlord. |
| Allow applicants to permit These Homes to request this medical information directly. |
| If I could have spoken to a person involved with website to help. |
| Make a opportunity to make changes n make it easy to find. |
| I had little space to describe my situation. |
| Priority pass. |
| Make questions more transparent and easier. |
| Anyone dealing with customers who fill in these forms should be made to fill in one themselves as to give them knowledge what is on the forms. |
How have you received information?
| Printed Letters | Emails | Facebook Posts | Phone Calls | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 4 | 219 | 11 | 14 | 17 |
‘Other’ methods of contact:
| People at my work recommend it to me. |
| I also came into the office & the girl at desk & Mrs Mullen were extremely helpful & understanding. Mrs Mullen assisted me with registering. |
| Word of mouth. |
| Family friend. |
| Friend recommended. |
| Social worker |
| Housing Officer. |
| None other than this survey. |
| Word of mouth. |
| A friend told me about it. |
| None only over the phone with your staff, who are lovely! and on your website. |
| Friend. |
| From friends & family. |
| Friend. |
| Angus council mentioned it. |
| Friend |
How do you rate the service?
An average of: 8.4/10