Curo News

Facebook Live April 2026

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:42:19 Z

If you’ve got any issues, questions or thoughts you want to put to our senior team, live and direct, here’s your chance.

Julie Evans, Curo’s Chief Operating Officer, and Sarah Rogers, Head of Housing Access and Customer Accounts will be in the hot-seat on Facebook LIVE.

Get involved!

Tune in to hear the latest updates, ask your questions and be part of the discussion.

You’ll be able to ask a written question during the live-stream or if you prefer, send it to us before hand by emailing communications@curo-group.co.uk

To find out more and to put the date in your diary, click here https://fb.me/e/6HFqjHNFF

Share and Repair

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:39:26 Z

A Bath-based charity are on a mission to bring people together to share, repair, reuse, and learn across B&NES and beyond by:

fixing broken items instead of throwing them away in their weekly repair cafes
lending items from the 800+ items in their ‘Library of Things’
teaching practical skills in their ‘how to’ workshops
supporting low-income families with the household items they need

Go to Home - Share and Repair to find out more and to sign up to their newsletter. Or keep an eye on their social media for details about their Repair Cafes and upcoming events.

Lending lockers at Mulberry Park are a treasure trove of useful items

Curo is delighted to support the charity’s new ‘lending lockers’ at Mulberry Park Hub. These are the first of its kind in the South West. The lockers are stocked with 23 useful and fun items available to borrow and return, 7 days a week.

Whether it’s to help with DIY – a steam cleaner, pressure washer and drills – or for a party - a disco ball, party lights, chocolate fondue, bubble machine, bunting and more – there’s lots of great items to hire. Visit Lockers - Share and Repair

As CEO, Ruth Lambert, explained, “The average electric drill is only used for about 15 minutes in its whole lifetime, so sharing makes so much sense”.

See how simple it is We’ve launched the first Library of Things Lending Lockers in the South West!

Repair Cafes – if it’s broken, get it fixed

The charity has 11 Repair Cafes around B&NES and the wider area providing affordable, accessible general repairs, sewing repairs and blade sharpening.

On a Saturday morning, you’ll find volunteer repairers, administrators and organisers helping people with their broken household items, on a ‘give what you can basis’.

Find out more Repairs - Share and Repair

Community Catch ups April & May 2026

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:01:11 Z

Our Resident Engagement team will be out and about again over the next few weeks with our regular Community catch-ups - keep an eye on your inbox for updates.

These sessions give customers a chance to raise issues, ask questions and get practical help on the spot. They also help us understand what really matters so we can improve our services.

We offer lots of ways to get involved in shaping Curo’s services, including VoiceBox, our online consultation and engagement platform. If you’d like to request a community catch‑up where you live, message us on voicebox@curo-group.co.uk

Date	Venue
09/04/2026	Hengrove
14/04/2026	Nightingale Court - Brislington
16/04/2026	Orchard Close - Portishead
21/04/2026	Ashton - Bristol
23/04/2026	Blagdon Park
28/04/2026	Keynsham - Coronation Ave & Lulworth Close
30/04/2026	Odd Down - Cranmore, Banwell, Lympsham Estates
05/05/2026	Moorfield Flats
09/05/2026	The Green Odd Down - Council Surgery drop in
12/05/2026	Chandler Close

Easter Opening Hours (1)

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:40:29 Z

The office at The Maltings and our contact centre will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. If something is urgent, you can still reach us - just call 01225 366000 to be put through to our emergency service.

Our normal opening hours are The Maltings 8.30am – 5pm and the Contact Centre 8am - 8pm.

You can also use MyCuro, our secure online customer portal, which is available 24/7 for you to manage your account.

Facebook LIVE Feb26 recording

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:06:09 Z

Thanks to everyone that joined us at the Facebook Live session on 18 February. It was great to host one of these lively interactive sessions again and we were really pleased with the number of customers getting involved with questions and comments. Please join us again for our next Facebook LIVE in April.

In the hot seat this time was Chief Operating Officer, Julie Evans, and our Director of Property Safety & Compliance, Tom Battersby.

Catch up with the session below - topics covered include:

The length of notice Curo must give to tenants before visiting your home
Fire safety and safety audits, including advice for flats
Downsizing to a smaller home
Pest control
Sinking funds
Curo’s plans for its garage sites.

What happens during a damp and mould survey?

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:50:39 Z

When you get in touch to let us know that there’s a problem with damp, mould or condensation in your home you’ll be asked some questions by a member of our customer contact team, and they’ll ask you to send in some photos, if possible.

All the information you provide will be handed to our specialist damp and mould team, who will use it to help work out some possible causes of the problem, and how serious it is.

In the most serious cases a survey is completed and work started within seven days. Cases that are believed to be less serious will usually get a visit from a surveyor within 10 days (although this may vary depending on the impact that the issue is having), with work starting no more than a week after that. You’ll always be notified of the date for your surveyor appointment in advance.

Before a surveyor visits they will have read all the details from your report, and looked at the photographs.

On the day of your survey, please don’t do anything different to usual, like opening windows or putting the heating on if it’s not something you’d normally do at that time.

When the surveyor arrives they’ll ask to see the affected areas and they’ll take accurate temperature and humidity readings in the room.

If there’s an extractor fan they’ll measure how effectively it’s working to see if it needs servicing or replacing.

They will look at where the radiators are in the room to see if they are in the best position.

The surveyor may also ask to look in other rooms of the house to carry out the same checks. They won’t go into any rooms without your permission.

When they’ve finished inside they’ll go outside your home to look at the walls and roof, and see if there are any indications that the problem might be coming from outside, such as leaking guttering.

Before the surveyor leaves, they’ll talk to you about what they’ve found and about any work that they think needs to be done. This could include carrying out a mould wash, moving a radiator, installing new extractor fans, or even improving the insulation.

They’ll also offer advice on things you might be able to do to help, such as moving furniture away from walls, opening trickle vents in the windows, and using your heating more efficiently. They’ll give you a hygrometer (a device to measure humidity), and show you how to use it.

The appointment will usually take between 30 minutes and 2 hours. You’ll receive a copy of the survey within two working days, which will include all the surveyor’s recommendations. A Curo colleague will then be in touch with appointment dates for any agreed work.

Dealing with damp and mould – our commitment to you

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:23:23 Z

We understand that damp and mould is a concern for many of our customers. We take all reports of damp and mould seriously, and as part of our vision to ensure that by 2034 everyone feels proud about about the quality of their home, we’re committed to tackling any cases that arise.

That’s why we’ve made a promise to our customers about how we’ll deal with damp and mould cases.

This promise includes:

To treat all reports of damp and mould seriously and as health and safety issues, not property repair requests.
To open a case for every diagnosed occurrence of damp and mould, and to keep this case open until everyone’s satisfied that the problem is fixed.
To prioritise cases where there are people living in a home who have health concerns or other vulnerabilities that could be made worse by mould.
We’ll take a caring and supportive approach, recognising that having mould in a home can be distressing.
To carry out any repairs needed because of damp and mould as quickly and efficiently as possible to minimise damage.

You can read the full commitment on the Condensation and Mould web page.

Earlier this year we also published our Damp and Mould policy. This policy was created in consultation with customers who were asked to fill out a survey, and take part in working groups.

Building on the promise, this policy sets out in more detail how we will tackle damp and mould cases, and how we can support customers to help make sure any mould does not return. It also explains how we will deal with complaints about damp and mould, and how we will measure how successful we’ve been in dealing with any issues.

If you have damp and mould in your home, you can report it online through MyCuro or call our Customer Contact Team on 01225 366000.

Damp, mould and condensation – what’s the difference?

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:07:15 Z

Damp

What causes damp?

Damp is usually caused by some sort of structural issue with the building. For example, a leaking roof, leaking internal waste or supply pipework, failed damp course.

The first sign of this will probably be blistering of plasterwork at skirting board level, bowing plasterwork or visible staining or water runs. If you see this in your home, please get in touch. If you are able to take pictures of the affected areas and send them to us then that is also helpful.

What can be done about it?

One of our specialist surveyors will visit your home and carry out a detailed inspection to diagnose the issue and establish what is causing the damp. They will then book in any work that needs doing to complete the repair.

Condensation

What causes condensation?

Condensation happens when warm, moist air meets cold surfaces. That’s why it’s more common in cold houses and in the winter. It’s also the most common cause of mould in homes.

Warm air can be produced from everyday activities such as cooking, showering, drying clothes – and even breathing! In fact, the average family produces around 20 pints of moisture a day from breathing.

Condensation can be a particular problem in old houses. This is because they are often harder to keep warm, but also simply because they were not built to accommodate modern ways of living.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that things like showers and tumble dryers started to become common fixtures in homes, and whilst adding energy saving solutions such as double glazing, cavity wall insulation, blocking up draughty old fireplaces might have helped to reduce heating bills, a lack of ventilation can make condensation worse as there’s less opportunity for the building to “breathe”.

If you have condensation then you might notice wet walls, peeling wallpaper, mildew, a musty smell on clothes or furniture, or spots of black mould.

Can it be prevented?

The best way to stop condensation forming is to keep your home warm, and manage humidity levels by ensuring it is well ventilated.

Using the heating on a programmer/timer is more efficient than turning the heating on for an hour and then switching it off

It’s recommended not to let the temperature drop below 16°C, and ideally keep it at around 21°C. Keeping the heating on at a low level is more energy efficient than letting rooms get very cold and then warming them up.

A good example to illustrate this is to think about boiling a kettle for a cup of tea. You switch the kettle on, and it takes a few minutes, and a lot of energy to get the water from cold to boiling point. If you turn the kettle back on after 15 minutes because the water is still warm it only takes a few seconds to get back to boiling point. The same principle applies to central heating.

If there are trickle vents in your windows, keep them open, and make sure extractor fans are always switched on. Many modern fans Curo install are controlled by a humidistat, which works by providing a constant trickle to provide ventilation throughout the day and night. When the humidistat senses an increase in humidity (maybe through cooking or showering, for instance) it will then automatically boost to a higher level until the humidity is at an acceptable level again.

Drying clothes on radiators can also make condensation worse, and although it’s difficult to dry clothes effectively in some properties, such as flats, it’s better to use a cheap drying rack in a cooler room, such as the bathroom where you can open a window and use an extractor fan.

There are lots of tips about how to help prevent condensation on this page of our website.

What can be done about it?

If you notice minor wet patches on the wall, then wipe them down as soon as possible, and if you’re worried about it then please report it to us and we can arrange for a visit to check and diagnose the cause of the problem. We can then either arrange for remedial works if necessary, or provide you with advice about how you can manage the problem effectively.

If you see signs of mould, particularly around door and window frames, then wipe them down and treat it with an anti-mould product. There are many brands easily available from supermarkets, DIY shops, and online which are safe and easy to use at home.

If there is a lot of mould, please get in touch and our damp and mould team can help remove it. It’s important to remember though that it will keep coming back if you don’t keep your home warm and ventilated.

We may be able to look at your extractor fans to make sure they are operating correctly or upgrade the fans if necessary to help with ventilating your home more effectively.

You can also use a hygrometer to help monitor the humidity in your home. A hygrometer can help you keep track of when the humidity is reaching levels that could cause condensation so you can act – such as putting on the heating or opening a window – to try to prevent it. Curo can give you a free hygrometer, pop into the reception at The Maltings and you can pick one up, or alternatively we can send one to you through the post.

If you are having trouble paying your heating bills, then please get in touch and we will try to support you.

Mould

What causes mould?

Mould spores are always present in the atmosphere, and will grow wherever there is moisture, food and the right temperature for it to flourish. As we live in a humid country, it’s very common – especially in bathrooms, kitchens and around windows.

Condensation or leaking pipework is the primary cause of mould. Mould does not generally grow where there is either rising damp or penetrating damp as the moisture in these cases is likely to contain slats or sulphates that are poisonous to mould.

What can be done about it?

If your mould is being caused by damp, then investigating the matter and treating the cause of the problem is key, and treating the mould using specialist products should get rid of it.

If it’s being caused by condensation, then keeping your home warm and well ventilated is the only way to keep it at bay.

While in small amounts mould is not normally problematic it’s important to try to clean it regularly to stop it building up.

If you have large areas of mould that need treating, then please let us know and our damp and mould team may be able to help.

You can find more information about condensation, damp and mould on this page.

If you have damp and mould in your home then you can report it online.

Better Social Housing Review – our progress

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 14:46:33 Z

In 2022, while the finishing touches were being put to a raft of new regulations in the housing sector, the National Housing Federation (which represents housing associations) and the Chartered Institute of Housing (which provides training and standards for the sector), came together to create the Better Social Housing Review (BSHR). In consultation with housing associations the Review was launched in June that year, and the whole sector has signed up to its seven core elements.

At Curo we spend a lot of our time ensuring we are compliant with all types of regulation – from health & safety, building safety, gas, electrical, water, asbestos and fire compliance, through to consumer standards which set out the minimum our customers should expect. And it is very much our ambition to exceed these minimum standards wherever we can. The BSHR is not a regulatory requirement, but focuses on a series of areas which we are all focusing on to create a better sector. Here’s our progress so far – we know we have more to do but we are confident we are moving in the right direction.

Expectation

1. Every housing association should refocus on their core purpose and deliver against it.

Progress

We created our purpose – ‘Homes for Good’ – in 2019, and this is embedded into our new strategy and vision.

Further information

Customers have been at the centre of creating our 10-year Vision: Everyone feels proud about the quality of our homes. Our Strategy is called: What Good Looks Like in 2034. Find out more here.

Expectation

2. Housing associations should work together to conduct and publish a thorough audit of all social housing in England.

Progress

We assess the condition of all our homes against the Government’s Decent Homes Standard, to ensure that our homes are safe and comfortable for our customers. By the end of this financial year we will have in-date surveys completed for all our 14,000 homes. We currently have up-to-date stock condition surveys for 89.5% of our properties. We have no access rate of around 8%.

Further information

From April we will be surveying homes every three, four or five years, based on certain criteria. If it’s been more than two years since your last Home Condition Survey, and you feel that the condition has changed, you can complete a Home Condition Survey on MyCuro.

Expectation

3. Housing associations should partner with tenants, contractors and frontline staff to develop and apply new standards defining what an excellent maintenance and repairs process looks like.

Progress

We started collaborating with customers and colleagues in July this year, and have agreed with our Board a framework for reviewing our entire maintenance and repairs process, which is due to complete by the end of March.

The customer scrutiny review into Repairs yielded 40 recommendations, most of which have been implemented. Workshops with customers took place in December to help develop the final proposals for the Repairs Review.

Further information

Find out more about the Repairs customer scrutiny review.

Expectation

4. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) should promote the traditional housing officer role as a supported and valued employment opportunity with a CIH recognised programme of training and continuing development.

Progress

We await further info from the Charted Institute of Housing, but we have recruited a new senior team in HR who are developing a new approach to training and a plan to evolve our culture in line with the BSHR. We have also adopted the Social Housing Anti-Racism Pledge (SHARP) and have been benchmarking with other housing associations to modernise our service model, and get closer to our customers. We expect to complete this work next year.

Further information

Find out more about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Curo, including the SHARP Pledge.

Expectation

5. Housing associations should work with all tenants to ensure that they have a voice and influence at every level of decision making across the organisation, through both voluntary and paid roles.

Progress

We are proud of our resident engagement framework which now provides 30 different ways for customers to make their voice heard on a huge range of issues. We have also created a new Board committee – the Customer Experience Committee – which includes three customers who are paid for their time. We are finalising a full remuneration policy for all types of customer engagement in January.

Further information

Find out how to get involved with Curo.

Expectation

6. Housing associations should develop a proactive local community presence through community hubs which foster greater multi-agency working.

Progress

Last year we started running ‘community catch-ups’ across our entire operating region, where colleagues meet with customers in local community buildings or their homes to discuss any help they may need. We carried out 63 last year and will be doing more in 2025. We have also rolled out our caretaker service across the region and started a review of our community buildings, to see if any of these could be used for additional engagement with residents.

Our new housing management strategy will clarify exactly how we propose to further improve our local presence, this will be reviewed by customers before the end of the financial year.

Further information

Find out more about Community Catch-ups.

Expectation

7. Housing associations should support tenants and frontline staff to undertake an annual review of the progress each organisation is making in implementing this review’s recommendations.

Progress

Last year we reviewed progress against this plan with our customer Oversight Group, and we are planning to do this again in the New year. Curo colleagues will be invited to contribute to the review through our monthly cascade process.

Further information

Find out more about the customer Oversight Group.

Introducing our Damp and Mould team

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 14:02:17 Z

We know that damp and mould is a problem across the sector in homes all over the country, and our customers’ homes are no different. At Curo, we’re committed to tackling the issue so that everyone can feel proud about the quality of their home.

That’s why we’ve created a new team, entirely focused on dealing with damp, mould and condensation.

The ten-strong team includes a specialist surveyor, plumbers, and skilled tradespeople, as well as an operational manager, team leader and office support. Colleagues visiting customers’ homes have been equipped with hi-tech equipment such as thermal imaging cameras, to help them get to the root of the problem, and solve it, more quickly.

Curo's Damp and Mould Team

The team can do all kinds of work, from mould washes to remove and kill spores from walls, to moving radiators, installing extractor fans, laying insulation and carrying out major roof repairs.

Since the team was formed at the start of September, they have dealt with over more than 250 cases in our customers’ homes, all within the timescales set by the government, published under Awabb’s Law.

Any damp, mould or condensation problems that are reported are now referred straight to this specialist team. In the most serious cases a survey is completed and work started within seven days. Cases that are believed to be less serious will get a visit from a surveyor within 14 days, with work starting no more than a week after that.

Once work is complete, a member of the team will then contact the customer four weeks later to check that there’s no signs of the mould coming back. If it seems that the problem hasn’t been resolved then they’ll try another course of action.

Director of Property Maintenance and Building Safety, Luke McCreery, said:

“We’re very pleased to have been able to create this new team, dedicated to tackling an issue which we know can be distressing to our customers.

“The new team will take full ownership of each case, seeing it through from start to finish ensuring with find the root cause of the issue”

“We hope that customers reporting damp and mould problems will now see the issue being dealt with quickly and efficiently.”

If you need to report an issue with condensation and mould in your home, please call 01225 366600, or report it using MyCuro.

Communications survey results

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:52:42 Z

The Communications Team at Curo look after the main website, social media channels, monthly Facebook Live events, e-newsletter Open and printed magazine Prime Time News. We also help teams with the letters and leaflets that we provide to customers.

We recently carried out an External Customer Communications Survey, so that we can better understand your preferences and needs. The survey, which ran from 16 September to 16 October last year, gave us insights into how we can improve our communications. Thank you to everyone who responded to the survey. Congratulations to Kelly and Alejandro who were each picked at random to win a £50 Love2shop voucher for completing it.

Open e-newsletter

We were pleased to learn that 72% of the survey’s 400 respondents read Open, with 65% rating its content as good or excellent. 85% of you find the frequency of Open ‘just right’.

Many of you expressed a strong interest in:

Repairs and maintenance - you want more information about DIY maintenance, property improvements and maintenance plans.

Competitions and events – you’re interested in hearing more about local community events and competitions.

Advice and information – content on topics such as support with money, housing opportunities and food banks is important to you.

Home ownership – some residents were looking for more information on selling shared ownership properties and accessing relevant websites.

Organisational information – several of you wanted to know more about senior colleagues’ pay and how Curo fund events.

Please watch this space for more content that incorporates your suggestions.

Prime Time News

Prime Time News is our printed publication aimed at older customers, who are sometimes less digitally engaged. Though fewer residents receive it than Open, 73% of the respondents who do rated the content as good or excellent. The most popular content was about Curo's services, customer stories, money advice, competitions and recipes.

You told us you would like to see more information on money matters, including disability benefits.

To ensure that more people can get hold of a copy of Prime Time News, as well as posting it directly to older customers we’ll also now place copies in the community rooms of our sheltered accommodation. We’ll also keep sharing money advice in the magazine.

Curo's website

The survey revealed that 75% of you find Curo’s website easy to navigate, endorsing its recent redesign. The most searched-for information includes reporting repairs, news and event updates, contact details, customer stories, money advice and job opportunities.

Your suggestions highlighted the importance of providing information on repairs and maintenance, advice and wellbeing.

Facebook Lives, podcasts and videos

13% of you watch our Facebook Lives every month; 8% at least six times a year; 20% less frequently; 43% never watch them. Only 15% of you didn’t know about Curo’s Facebook Lives, which is a good indication that our promotion of them is working well.

65% of you do not listen to podcasts. Only 15% listen to them every day or at least once a week, with the rest listening to them once a month or less frequently. This indicates that podcasts are not a preferred medium for many of our customers.

47% of you watch videos online every day or at least once a week. 27% don’t watch videos online, with the remaining respondents watching them once a month or less. This indicates that online videos are a good medium for our communications.

Publications

In terms of our annual publications, 67% of you had read the Annual Report; 42% had read the Resident Engagement Report; 25% had read the Complaints Annual Report; and 28% had read the ESG Report. Some of you said you weren’t aware of the reports and would like to read them so we’ll boost promotion of these.

Accessibility

Many respondents (87%) weren’t aware of ReachDeck, the tool on our website which can support with speech, reading and translation into other languages. We'll work on a campaign to boost awareness of this tool.

Social media

A significant 84% of respondents follow us on Facebook, with 78% of you happy with the frequency of our posts. Only 20% of you would be interested in following Curo on TikTok, so we will continue to focus on our existing channels for now.

You like content related to Curo, community events, competitions, performance information and customer stories, which we’ll continue to create.

Government guidance on XL Bully Dogs

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 15:29:24 Z

Following a rise in attacks and fatalities caused by XL Bully dogs, the government has added this breed to the list of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

To help current owners adapt to the new laws, these changes will come into force in two stages.

From 31 December 2023 it is against the law to:

sell an XL Bully dog
abandon an XL Bully dog or let it stray
give away an XL Bully dog
breed from an XL Bully dog
have an XL Bully in public without a lead and muzzle

From 1 February 2024 it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless the dog has a Certificate of Exemption.

Keeping an XL Bully dog

If a customer wants to keep an XL Bully dog after the ban, they must apply for a Certificate of Exemption by 31 January 2024.

To get a Certificate of Exemption you must:

Get third party public liability insurance cover for the dog.
Neuter the dog permanently if it is not already neutered. A vet must confirm if your dog is already neutered.
Pay a fee of £92.40 for each dog. The fee is not refundable.
Apply for a certificate of exemption to keep an XL bully dog. More here.

To keep an XL Bully dog it must be:

microchipped
kept on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public
kept in a secure place so it cannot escape
neutered

The owner must:

be over 16 years old
take out third party public liability insurance against your dog injuring other people
be able to show the Certificate of Exemption when asked by a police officer or a council dog warden, either at the time or within five days

Breeding XL Bully dogs

From 31 December 2023, it is a criminal offence to breed XL Bully dogs. This includes:

breeding from an XL Bully dog
allowing for an XL Bully dog to be bred from any combination of other dogs

Rescue and rehoming centres

From 31 December 2023, it is illegal to rehome, sell or transfer ownership of XL Bully dogs. From this date, rescue and rehoming centres should not rehome XL Bully dogs.