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UK housing association, A2Dominion, has appointed Mears Group as its new repairs and maintenance contractor, as part of the joint venture Pyramid Plus.
The contract, which commenced on 1 October, sees Mears taking responsibility for responsive repairs work across A2Dominion’s portfolio of 20,000-homes across London.
Alongside the new contract, A2Dominion is introducing a number of changes to improve the quality and speed of its repairs services for customers.
This includes improvements to how repairs are diagnosed and categorised at the first point of contact with customers, new timescales for completing works and clearer communication with customers.
Previously A2Dominion’s urgent repairs were completed within 24 hours and there was no time limit set for the completion of standard repairs. The changes being introduced will mean that emergency repairs are completed within four hours, urgent repairs within 24 hours and routine repairs within 20 working days.
Other ‘planned and packaged’ repairs – those which are either more complex, or of a much lower priority – will be undertaken within 90 calendar days.
Michael Reece, A2Dominion’s Chief Property Officer, said: “This partnership is an important building block to deliver the repairs improvement plan we have within our new corporate strategy.
“Together, we’ll be making changes to how we deliver repairs to deliver a faster service for our customers, with more repairs fixed first time and clearer information along the way.”
Lucas Critchley, Mears Chief Operating Officer, said: “Mears Group is delighted that A2Dominion has chosen us as their trusted partner for responsive housing repairs and planned works. The joint venture arrangement means that we’ll be able to work closely together to not only deliver cost-effective service excellence, but also improved outcomes for A2Dominion’s customers and their employees.”
As part of its aim to become the most socially responsible business in the housing sector by 2025, Mears has also committed to delivering social value investment in the communities which A2Dominion serves through apprenticeships, work placements and offering 600 volunteering days per annum.
