Curo News

Repairs review

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:55:00 Z

We know that it’s important to you that we complete repairs to your home quickly, efficiently, and to a high standard.

In the summer of 2024 we launched our new strategy, and our 10-year vision that “By 2034 everyone feels proud about the quality of our homes.”

At the time, we had a large backlog of repairs, we were receiving a lot of complaints, and many of our repairs colleagues were feeling unmotivated and dissatisfied with their work. We knew that we needed to take action so that we could achieve our vision.

So, over the past 12 months we’ve been working to improve our processes so that we can deliver a better service to you, our customers.

What have we been doing?

We’ve listened to what you told us in the last Resident Scrutiny panel, and have been working on putting in place the improvements that you suggested.

We’ve also held face-to-face sessions, and connected with more than 300 customers digitally, to help us create a better, smoother repairs process.

We now have a dedicated Damp and Mould team to help us respond to issues more quickly and effectively, in line with Awaab’s Law.

We’ve also taken feedback from our colleagues on board, and have introduced new ways of working that has improved motivation and increased productivity. This means that we’ve been able to reduce our backlog of repairs, and improve waiting times for routine repairs from around 48 days to 15 days or less.

What’s next?

We’re working on ways that we can use the information we have about every customer and their home, to help us deliver a better service.

You asked us to report more frequently on whether we’re meeting our targets, so every month (from 1 May 2025), we’ll be adding to our monthly performance report, with information about average wait times for a routine repair, the percentage of appointments that we’ve rearranged, and overall customer satisfaction with Curo’s Property Maintenance department.

We know that sometimes there can be additional issues when we work with contractors, so we’re looking at ways that we can improve how we work with them, and make sure that their work is always of a high standard.

Over the next 12 month we’ll be introducing new ways of assessing repairs as soon as they are reported, so they can be referred to the right team, and we can make sure that we’re fixing more of them the first time we visit.

Introducing Our New Customer Journey Maps

We are excited to announce the launch of our new Customer Journey Maps.

These have been created to give every customer that reports a repair, a better customer service experience.

The maps outline the process that customers can expect, ensuring that our service is consistent and efficient, and that you are kept informed during every stage of your repair. designed to enhance the experience for all customers dealing with property repairs.

We know that we’re not there yet, but our goal is to make sure that by December 2026 every customer receives an efficient, transparent, and high quality service, from the moment the repair is reported, until it’s completed.

We’ll be doing regular surveys with customers digitally and through our Repairs Engagement group to track our progress on achieving this goal.

You can find out more about our Customer Journey Maps on the Repairs web page.

If you’d like to get involved with any of our customer scrutiny or engagement groups, you can find out more on this web page.

Introducing the Curo Grounds Team

Thu, 16 May 2024 10:01:35 Z

We now have a dedicated Grounds Team at Curo who will be carrying out repairs to paths, walls and fences.

The team will be fixing cracks and replacing damaged sections in paths, repairing fencing posts and panels, and sorting out damaged brickwork and pointing in existing walls.

Larger, more complex jobs, will continue to be managed by our contractors.

The team has been created to help ensure that these smaller repairs can be carried out more quickly and efficiently. They’ve already made great progress on reducing the number of outstanding jobs, completing around 65 tasks every month.

If you have a path, wall or fence that needs repairing, please get in touch through MyCuro, on the website, or by calling the Customer Contact Team.

Autumn heating check

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 09:23:01 Z

Summer's a good time to fire up your central heating system briefly, to check everything’s working properly before the cooler weather arrives.

Run your system for around 15 minutes with the thermostat set high enough to call for heating. Check all your radiators get warm when you open the individual radiator valves.

If you find a fault, report it to us now so we can help to get your heating working efficiently before you need it in the autumn.

Some problems may be easy to fix without waiting for an engineer. Try these if you can:

If there are cold spots in any radiators they may just need bleeding.
If your boiler won’t start, check the pressure gauge – it’s usually easy to re-pressurise it.
If you need help adjusting your thermostat or timer, here’s how most Curo-fitted controls work.

Click on the link below for more heating tips and advice:

Lifehacks: Heating

Investing in our customers’ homes

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:12:16 Z

£142m programme will prioritise making homes greener and more affordable to run

Curo has committed to spending £142m on customers’ homes over the next 10 years through our new long-term property investment plan. As part of this we’re launching a new ‘whole house’ approach that will carry out a range of home improvements at the same time, prioritising work that will make residents’ homes warmer, greener and more affordable to run.

In our Greener Homes survey customers told us saving money on energy bills and reducing energy because of the environmental benefits were more important than what their homes look like on the inside and outside.

With those priorities in mind, our new maintenance programme for houses and bungalows will improve the thermal performance of the home and tackle some common causes of damp and condensation.

If a home needs it, we’ll top up or replace loft and cavity wall insulation, and bring forward the replacement of windows, doors or roofs at the same time as washing down or redecorating the outside of homes. That means that if a window or door replacement is due within three years of this maintenance programme, we’ll do these at the same time to leave homes warmer and more efficient while also minimising disruption for our customers at the same time.

We’re also making progress on our decarbonisation journey. We’ve applied for grant funding that we’ll match to improve 122 of our least energy efficient homes. We’ll also decarbonise and aim to cut carbon emissions to zero for 22 bungalows in Pensford.

Elsewhere in our budget, we’re continuing to prioritise the health and safety of our customers through:

investing more money in our fire safety remediation programmes to keep homes and buildings safe
launching a new servicing programme for ventilation systems, helping to prevent damp and mould
launching a new testing programme for radon gas
continuing a servicing programme for renewable energy sources like solar panels, air and ground source heat pumps following a successful pilot in 2022

Everyone is feeling the pinch with the cost of goods and services going up, and Curo is no different. The Government’s decision to cap rents means we have had to reduce our operating costs while continuing to provide the services customers expect.

To fund this, we’ve had to pause the maintenance and redecoration for the inside and outside of our blocks of flats for one year (during the 2023/24 financial year) and extend our lifecycles on kitchens to 30 years. We’ll also be replacing boilers in line with manufacturers’ recommendations instead of three years earlier as we were doing before.

We know this could increase the repairs needed to these items so we’ve put aside extra money to cover additional repairs and gutter clearances that might be needed. We will restart the maintenance and redecoration of blocks of flats in 2024/25 and we’ll continue with maintenance of two buildings this year that we’ve already started or are in contract.

Our investment decisions are made in consultation with our customers, through the Greener Homes survey and our customer panels. We’ll continue to work closely with customers to determine our investment priorities and to monitor how our approach is working. We’ll also continue to collect data on our homes through home condition and energy efficiency surveys so we know how our homes are performing and help us prioritise investment where it’s needed the most.

Where customers are directly affected by changes to work that was planned, we’ll be in touch with details. Customers can also check to see what’s planned for their home by logging in to our customer portal, MyCuro.

Your questions answered

Where can I see what’s planned for my home, and when it will happen?

You can check what planned maintenance your home is due, as well as when it’s planned to happen, on the MyCuro portal. The dates shown are when we think we’ll do the work – the dates may change if they are affected by other customers in the current year’s programme declining any work, the condition of your home, and any changes to our financial plans. If your home is planned to receive an upgrade this year, we’ll be in touch when we’re in your area.

Does this focus on energy efficiency/warmer homes mean you won’t be making other improvements or upgrades?

To provide the things you’ve said are most important to you, we’ve had to increase the length of some planned maintenance cycles (that’s the frequency that we carry out work).

Kitchens and boiler replacements have been extended but these remain in line with the boiler manufacturer's recommendation and the Decent Homes Standard. Redecoration and external maintenance for blocks of flats will be paused for one year but will resume after this.

We’re continuing to do all other maintenance as planned to make sure your homes are safe. This includes our fire safety improvements in blocks of flats as well as introducing new servicing programmes for radon and certain ventilation systems (helping prevent condensation and mould).

Because the cycles for kitchens and bathrooms have become longer, we know they will need more maintenance so we’ve put aside extra money for this. We’ve also allowed extra money for maintenance that might be required on our blocks of flats during the year that the redecoration and external maintenance programme is paused (for example clearing gutters).

Will you still be upgrading my kitchen/bathroom/boiler?

If you’re directly affected by changes to work that was planned, we’ll be in touch with details. You can also see an up to date schedule of what’s planned for your home by logging in to our customer portal, MyCuro.

I live in a flat. Do these changes mean you won’t be upgrading my kitchen/bathroom/boiler as planned this year?

The pause on redecoration and external maintenance for blocks of flats doesn’t affect any other planned programme. So, if your block was due fire safety improvement works or your home is due a kitchen, bathroom or other upgrade during this time, these will go ahead as planned.

How do you decide what work will be carried out and when it will happen?

We plan when things need servicing and replacing based on how old something is, what condition it’s in and any regulatory timescales we have to comply with to keep you safe (like annual gas safety checks or lifecycles set by the Decent Homes Standard).

We check the age and condition through a home condition survey. This is a visual inspection of your home that we carry out every five years. This helps us make sure the information we hold on your home is up to date. You can find out more information about these surveys here.

Why don’t you use some of this money to build new homes instead?

Building new, affordable homes remains a high priority and we are still building hundreds of homes across the region. Between now (April 2023) and November 2024 we plan to build 127 homes for affordable rent and 193 for social rent. That’s on top of homes we’re building to sell on the open market. The income from open market sales is reinvested across the business so we can continue to deliver services for both new and existing customers.

How often will you carry out external maintenance for houses and bungalows?

We’ll carry out our external maintenance programme of Curo houses and bungalows every five years. Although we will upgrade the windows, roof and insulation levels while we’re there, we’ll only do these things if they’re required or if these things are nearing the end of their useable life. This means some years we might do more work to your home than others.

What’s included in the external maintenance programme for houses and bungalows?

The work we’ll do to your home depends on what your home looks like and how your home is finished. We’ll do things like redecorate previously painted finishes on timbers, windows or doors, clear gutters, wash down render or repoint brickwork.

My kitchen has been delayed. When will it be replaced?

Any kitchens which we can no longer replace next year will be rescheduled to happen over the next four years. If you’ve told us you don’t want a replacement kitchen, we’ll set this date beyond four years. We know you might be disappointed by this news and will prioritise updating kitchens that had to be postponed where possible.

Please can my kitchen replacement be brought forward?

If there are cancellations on the current year’s programme, we’ll bring forward kitchen upgrades in homes that were due in the next year’s programme. We may be able to bring forward a small number of kitchen upgrades in this way. In most cases however, the dates are fixed and we won’t be able to move them.

When considering which homes we can bring forward, we’ll look at the properties that are closest to the areas we’re working in or that we know to be in poor condition through our home condition surveys.

I have another question that's not answered here - who should I contact?

Please get in touch with our Customer Contact Team and they'll answer your question, or put you in touch with someone who can.

Maintaining your communal area survey

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 14:27:01 Z

We'd love to hear how happy you are with the way we actively maintain your communal area.

This will help us improve our existing approach and provide a better service.

This survey should take no longer than one minute to answer.

Thank you for taking part.

Take the survey

Preventing boiler breakdowns

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:25:28 Z

Over the summer months your central heating system will have enjoyed a well-earned break, but come the winter will your boiler deliver the heat when you need it?

To keep your boiler and radiator valves in good condition, it's a good idea to turn your central heating on for 10 minutes each month. Set the radiator valves to mid-position and after the 10 minutes check all the radiators are getting hot.

Doing this helps to increase water and air movement through the system and ensures the boiler and valves are operating correctly.

If things don't seem right, report it to us as a repair - that'll give us good time to fix any problems before the cold weather arrives.

Cold spots on your radiators?

If your radiators aren't getting hot all over, you may need to bleed them. Watch this video to find out how you can easily do this yourself.

Boiler pressure too low?

Here's how to re-pressurise your central heating boiler.

Curo Hot Topics: What repairs are we carrying out during the 3rd lockdown?

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 15:44:34 Z

Join Mia and Laura from Curo's Response service as they take a look at the types of repairs we're able to carry out during the third lockdown.

For more of our Hot Topic chats, click here.

Click here for detailed information about our current repairs service status.

Keeping your home warm and cosy this winter

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 10:19:08 Z

Stay warm and keep condensation at bay with these simple tips from our repairs colleagues:

If your radiators have cold spots they might need bleeding. All you need is a radiator key and an old rag. Gas engineer Luke shows you what to do.
If your boiler's on the blink, it could just need repressurising. Here's how to check and what to do to get the heat back on.
Night storage heaters? Take a couple of minutes to get to know the controls so you'll get the heat you want when you need it. Electrical engineer Mark gives you a quick tour of the dials.
Any property can get condensation in winter as we seal up our homes. Multi-trader Rob shows you how to reduce condensation and what to do if it becomes a problem.

We've got more tips for staying warm and saving money on fuel bills here.

Curo kitchen upgrades

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 10:50:16 Z

We pride ourselves on delivering quality home improvements to our customers’ homes. We pay close attention to each customer’s preferences, from tiles to handles, ensuring all those little details are to your satisfaction. Customers are able to choose from design options to personalise their kitchens.

Heidi Gibbs, Curo Head of Asset Performance, said: “We want all our customers to have a home they love that’s safe, healthy, affordable and warm. We have a new ten-year plan in place to ensure every home gets the investment it needs to be a great place to live.

“Over the next five years we’ll be increasing our investment in our existing homes, spending around £37m upgrading kitchens, bathrooms, windows, doors, heating systems and roofs.

“This will include more than 2,000 new kitchens within five years, representing an investment of £12.6m. In ten years’ time this will have risen to more than 4,600 new kitchens, totalling £26.7m in investment.”

Julia Gallop has lived in Chandler Close for 14 years: “My new kitchen really is a delight. The workers from Curo were very good - no trouble at all – and I was able to choose everything from the colour scheme, the tiles, cupboards, worktops and the flooring, which is gorgeous.”

This investment programme has been planned using extensive property surveys and asset management data that assesses the condition of our diverse housing stock.

We'll be writing to customers with details of the planned improvements to your home within the year that the works are scheduled.

Find out more about planned works and home improvements.