What problem are you solving?
Starting a new tenancy can be expensive. Historically across the sector, all furnishings, flooring and window coverings are removed from a property regardless of quality when a customer moves out and the property becomes void. This means, furnishing a new home has the potential to leave more and more customers debt-ridden.
How do you do this?
Addressing this issue we decided to provide incoming customers with the choice of keeping any good flooring and window coverings left by outgoing customers. Items are ‘gifted’, so that the responsibility for maintenance and disposal lies with the incoming customer. Customers sign a disclaimer at the start of the tenancy, confirming that the specified items have been gifted.
We ran a pilot of the project in Stratford-upon-Avon from 1 January 2017 which saw 47 customers benefiting from gifted items, with the average replacement value in the region of £1,000. The scheme is now live across all our operating areas.
What difference are you making?
The scheme has been received positively by customers. Many told us that they would not have had the means to purchase floor coverings. It made people feel welcome, helping them to make a house a home and move in more quickly.
For Orbit, not having to remove and clear carpets results in both cost and time savings (£70 per room; approx. 2.5 hrs).
For more information, contact Christoph Sinn (External Affairs Manager) [email protected]
