2015 2020 Page 1 of 15
Contents 1 Introduction 2 What is Asset Management 3 Limitations 4 THCH Asset Profile 5 How the Asset Management Strategy Supports THCH s Strategic Priorities 6 How The Asset Management Strategy Has Been Developed 7 How will THCH Maintain its Housing Assets 8 Plans to Investment in THCH Stock 9 Strategic Asset Management 10 Responsive Repairs & Voids 11 Procurement Strategy 12 Health & Safety 13 Resident Involvement in Asset Management 14 Organisational Growth 15 Review & Delivery of the Asset Management Strategy 16 Asset Management Strategy Action Plan Page 2 of 15
1 Introduction 1.1 Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH) was formed in March 2000 with Government funding of 21 million secured from Round 3 of the Estates Renewal Challenge Fund for the transfer of 1,249 homes owned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, including 215 leased properties. 1.2 Additional properties were transferred to THCH in 2004 such as the Tarling Estate and in 2006 following a successful ballot Norton House, Mansford and Avebury East Estates also became part of the THCH property portfolio. We maintain 3 offices including 2 local community housing offices and employ just over 80 staff. 1.3 THCH is a Registered Social Landlord and a Registered Charity operating exclusively in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. We aim to provide good quality homes for rent and shared ownership and we currently own and manage just over 3,000 homes, including approximately 2,000 tenanted properties and over 1,000 leasehold homes. 1.4 The asset management strategy sets out the approach that Tower Hamlets Community Housing takes when deciding on the types of long term investments that are needed in our properties and estates to ensure that we continue to deliver well managed local housing and community services where people want to live. We also recognise that this can only be achieved through a flourishing and financially strong organisation. 2 What is Asset Management 2.1 Asset management is defined in the simplest terms as the management of physical assets. In this case our most valuable assets are properties which we own and therefore, the effective, efficient and sustainable management of our properties remains crucial to the business and its residents. 2.2 One of the fundamental aims of successful asset management is to use our limited resources in the most effective, efficient and sustainable way to both maintain and improve our housing stock. 2.3 Whilst effective asset management is a key factor in assisting THCH to determine operational performance and surpluses, efficient management will ensure that where possible, we minimise the whole life cycle costs of the element s our assets. Incorporating sustainability and energy efficiency in our approach will ensure that we reduce the carbon footprints of our properties, continue to develop striving neighbourhoods and our financial credibility and strength to continuously deliver well managed housing and community services. 2.4 The purpose of the asset management strategy is to set out how THCH will prioritise works funded from capital resources, commonly known to tenants and leaseholder as major works. The strategy will also set out the approach that we aim to take to ensure that all other work activities such as responsive repairs, cyclical and void works are intrinsically linked to the overall asset management strategic principles. 2.5 The strategic approach that THCH will adopt over the course of the next five years will see us deploy the approach commonly known as Asset Optimisation. This means that we will determine the life expectancy of the components of our stock such as kitchen and bathrooms etc. and replace each component either at the end of the component s life or where a viable repair is no longer possible i.e. where repair work cost more that the components remaining life cycle value. Page 3 of 15
2.6 In more practical terms, the new strategy will help THCH to: Develop a real-time database of information about our stock. Develop a comprehensive asset management plan linked to organisational policies. Decide how best to use the funds that which it has available to spend on different types of works. Ensure systems integration between responsive and other forms of investment thus empowering our ability to demonstrate granularity and efficiency saving where possible. Prioritise which types of works should be done ahead of others. Better consider the environmental and sustainability impact of our investment decisions. Demonstrate operational openness and transparency in our approach towards achieving Value for Money (VFM). Define the pace at which we grow as an organisation and housing provider. 2.7 The decisions made as a result of the strategy will ensure that the funds spent by THCH on maintenance or improvement works deliver the organisations strategic objectives effectively and efficiently, have a positive impact on our residents and help to avoid THCH making poor decisions on works or programmes which have little or no long term benefits to the organisation or its residents. 3 Limitations 3.1 Service charges and rents provides the primary sources of income for Tower Hamlets Community Housing, therefore our investment priorities and those of our residents remains governed by the limitations of its existing stock. As a direct result, we need to ensure that we utilise all available resources where possible to ensure that we make sound judgements based on information gathering whilst utilising the best information at our disposal at the time; this could sometimes mean difficult choices about the type of major works or maintenance and improvement works in which we can invest. 3.2 The strategy itself does not set out which properties or estates will receive works ahead of others. This is set out in our Housing Asset Management Plan which is still work in progress. The Housing Asset Management Plan is derived from the principles of the Asset Management Strategy. It will contain details of the works that THCH expects to deliver over the next five years and the properties which will benefit from these works. 4 THCH Asset Profile 4.1 The table below shows THCH s stock profile as at 31 st August 2015 TOTAL RENTED STOCK 1,973 TOTAL LEASEHOLD STOCK 1,134 TOTAL COMMERCIAL RENTED STOCK 26 TOTAL PROPERTIES MANAGED ON BEHALF OF OTHERS 12 TOTAL OWNED THCH OFFICE ACCOMMODATION 3 TOTAL THCH STOCK 3,148 Page 4 of 15
4.2 The table below shows THCH s stock activity as at 31 st August 2015 TOTAL NEW BUILD 303 TOTAL ACQUISITIONS 4 TOTAL PROPERTIES DEMOLISHED 40 TOTAL PROPERTIES SOLD 25 TOTAL STOCK AFFECTED BY ACTIVITY 372 4.3 The table below shows THCH s stock by property type as at 31 st August 2015 TOTAL FLATS 2,788 TOTAL HOUSES 282 TOTAL MAISONETTES 16 TOTAL OTHER STOCK TYPE 62 TOTAL THCH MANAGED STOCK 3,148 5 How the Asset Management Strategy Supports THCH s Strategic Priorities 5.1 The strategy sets out how THCH through the maintenance and improvement of its housing stock and related assets will work towards achieving its strategic priorities detailed below. 5.2 THCH aims to increase the number of homes it owns and manages in Tower Hamlets. We continue to believe there to be an optimum organisational size associated with delivering value for money services whilst maintaining close links with the local community. This is why all surpluses generated by THCH is used to fund the provision of new homes, maintain and improve existing ones and fund other housing and community activities directly linked to our vision and values. 5.3 The THCH vision is to work with residents to deliver well managed local housing and community services through a flourishing financially strong organisation. By; Providing a great place to live. Creating a prosperous community. Creating a safe and cohesive community Creating a health and supportive community. 5.4 THCH has also embraced a set of values as set out in our 2014 2017 Corporate Plan; these are; Listening and communicating Keeping promises. Achieving and Inclusive Accessible and committed Respect for both residents and staff Being open and transparent Customer focused working in partnership with residents Valuing our staff Being an employer of choice Being part of the THCH family Page 5 of 15
6. How the Asset Management Strategy Has Been Developed 6.1 The strategy has been developed with consideration to feedback from our residents and the organisation s strategic priorities as detailed in 6.2 below. 6.2 The strategic priorities for the organisation from 2015 2020 are driven by our Vision and Values, Central and Local Government Policies, Central Government s Comprehensive Spending Review, the National Affordable Housing Programme (NAHP), Tenure Reform expectations, the recent Welfare Reform, Central Government s directive to tackle Tenancy Fraud, the Homes and Communities Agency s (HCA) Regulatory Framework, London s and Tower Hamlets Housing Strategy and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) 2020 Community Plan. 6.3 Strategic priorities developed with consideration to our visions, values and resident feedbacks are; Providing a great place to live Providing excellent housing management services. Ensuring all THCH homes are maintained to a decent standard. Helping to meet local housing needs and maximise re-housing opportunities for our tenants Maximising opportunities to make our homes more sustainable and energy efficient Having the ability to respond locally. Working with our residents to shape local community services. Ensuring excellent communication Obtaining value for money for our residents. Creating a prosperous community through Supporting local employment opportunities. Attracting investment into our local communities Regeneration of local communities through working and training residents maximising income. Tackling fuel poverty. Using community resources for work focused learning opportunities promoting financial inclusion. Embedding local community benefits into our procurement process. Creating job opportunities for local people with THCH. Creating a safe and cohesive community through Tackling anti-social behaviour. Working with emergency services. Designing out areas of crime. Cleaning our estates to a high standard. Promoting the use of THCH community facilities. Creating a healthy and supportive community through Supporting community groups on THCH estates. Promoting the use of open space. Working with the local health services. Tackling isolation for the over 60s Page 6 of 15
Being and excellent employer through Valuing its staff. Ensuring all staff has access to training. Promoting healthy living. 7. How Will THCH Maintain its Housing Assets 7.1 The strategy sets out how THCH aims to maintain and improve its housing and other stock and the matters that will always play an integral part in any considerations. 7.2 THCH also aims to develop comprehensive estate regeneration strategy independent to this strategy which will govern our approach to improving our existing estates or other estates acquired through stock transfers etc. The Estate Regeneration Strategy will focus on estates which face a range of issues such as; High levels of anti-social behaviour which is difficult to combat due to the physical layout of the estate. Poorly designed with large areas of unused and expensive to maintain land. Have a very low rate of customer demand and high levels of resident turnover. Any homes which we are unable to sufficiently insulate and are unacceptably expensive to heat by current day standards. Estates which are not easily accessible or adaptable for specific groups of residents such as disabled residents, young children or elderly residents. 7.3 THCH will use the age of each of the various components of its homes and buildings such as roofs, kitchens, bathrooms, windows etc. to predict the amounts that it needs to invest in its assets in the future. The life expectancies of each of the various components of our assets will gradually decrease each year, this called component depreciation. THCH will determine life expectancy of each of the components of its assets and use this information to set out when and how it will invests in its assets. Replacement of these components is commonly referred to as asset optimisation. 7.4 THCH uses the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) to account for how it invests in its assets SORP s best practice is to show income and expenditure as revenue spending and major investment which results in an enhancement of the asset or economic benefits as capital expenditure i.e. component replacements and asset improvements. 7.5 THCH plans to set aside a total of 19.9M from 2015 to 2020 for investment and day to day maintenance in its housing and other assets. Using existing information which THCH holds about its stock, 8.9M of this will be spent on component replacement and improvements whilst 11M will be used for the day to day up keep of the assets. The actual amounts that THCH will spend annually will vary depending on the work which needed to be done each year; this is because in some years more components of our assets will require maintenance works or replacements than other years. 7.6 THCH commissioned Savills to conduct a stock condition survey in 2013. They carried out a survey of 20% of our stock and surveys were cloned where possible to represent the total stock numbers. The sample surveys undertaken were based on factors such as age, construction type and property type. Each survey undertaken incorporated a Decent Homes assessment which provided information on the number of properties failing the decent homes standards and the associated costs to bring these properties up to the anticipated standard as well as information which shows specific stock components and when they are expected to fail and the associated costs to prevent them becoming nondecent. Page 7 of 15
7.7 This stock condition data is held by THCH and plays a pivotal role in the business and operational planning of the organisation. These surveys have enabled THCH to produce a 30 year business expenditure forecast for component renewals and asset improvements. 7.8 THCH deploys a philosophy of continuous improvement and its philosophy applies to all parts of the business including improving the information which it holds about its stock, as such THCH recently begun conversations with Orchard Systems to procure its Promaster Asset Management systems and integrate these new systems with our existing Orchard Housing Management systems. 7.9 The use and integration of the new Promaster Asset Management systems with our existing Orchard Housing Management systems will ensure our ability to further develop our accuracy and maintain robust projections to aid financial planning. As Savills only carried a 20% survey of our stock, once the new database is integrated, an in-house stock condition surveyor based within the Asset Management Team will work to continuously over the course of the next two years to improve the information currently held with the aid of the Promaster hand-held survey device. This approach will ensure better accuracy on how we invest in our assets and significantly contribute to our value for money strategy. 8 Plans to Invest in THCH Stock 8.1 THCH recognises that its housing stock is its most valuable assets and indeed a home to its residents but just like any other property they will from time to time require investment in maintenance and improvements to ensure that they maintain their value both economically as an asset and from a social rationality as home. 8.2 THCH considers there to be six main parts to its residential assets which must form part of its strategy to maintain and improve these assets, these are; The communal areas and estates of our properties. The exterior or fabric of our stock. The interior or internal components of our stock. Ensuring that homes are free from problems with damp and condensation. Ensuring that our stock is as energy efficient as they can be. The ability to respond to repairs needs day to day repairs, cyclical and voids. 8.3 Whilst detailed information about investments in our stock remains work in progress, THCH has developed using the Savills information which it currently holds, a framework of specific objectives which it will use to make its decisions on how and where to invest in its housing and other stock over the next five years. 8.4 For specific parts of our assets, THCH has estimated a portion of 19.9M that it anticipates it will need to maintain and improve its stock. It has also attempted to categorise this information in the tables shown below; please note that the objectives below do not fall in any particular order so that both the THCH Board and Executive Team will have the flexibility to make decisions in a constantly changing economic climate. 8.5 Objective 1 The communal areas estates of our stock. THCH will maintain the communal areas within the boundaries of our stock to a good standard by ensuring that they are safe, durable, accessible, attractive; and put to best use. To do this we have allocated a total of 1.2M to undertake planned works to the following over the course of the next five years; ESTATE LIGHTING ETC. 200,00 GROUNDS MAINTENANCE & ESTATE IMPROVEMENTS 1,000,000 TOTAL COMMUNAL / ESTATES 1.2M Page 8 of 15
8.6 Objective 2 The exterior or fabric of our stock. THCH will maintain the exterior of our stock to a good standard by ensuring that they are wind and weather tight as well as safe, durable, accessible, attractive both current and future residents. To do this we have allocated a total of 1.5M to undertake planned works to the following over the course of the next five years; ROOF MAINTENANCE & ASSOCIATED WORKS 536,728 WINDOWS DOORS & WALLS 573,594 LIFTS 482,500 TOTAL STOCK EXTERIORS 1.5M 8.7 Objective 3 The internal components of our stock. THCH will maintain the internal components of our stock to a good standard by ensuring that they are replaced at the end of or nearing their life expectancy. By doing these works we will also ensure that our stock is safe and capable of meeting both current and future needs of our residents. To do this we have allocated a total of 3.5M to undertake planned works to the following over the course of the next five years; UTILITIES (ELECTRICAL WIRING / PIPES ETC.) 125,000 KITCHENS 1.9M BATHROOMS 1.6M TOTAL INTERNAL COMPONENTS 3.5M 8.7 Objective 4 Ensuring that our stock is free from problems with damp and condensation. This is one of the major concerns for our residents and THCH wants to work with its tenants to keep our properties free from damp and condensation. THCH as a landlord have statutory responsibility to ensure that our residential stock is free from penetrating or other dampness. To do this we have allocated a total of 200,000 to undertake planned works to resolve known damp problems and tackle condensation in homes. 8.8 Objective 5 Ensuring that our stock is as energy efficient as they can be. THCH will replace boilers and other heating apparatus that have reached or nearing the end of their life expectancy. We will also insulate our homes where feasible to ensure that they are both comfortable to live in and affordable to heat. To do this we have allocated 2M to undertake planned works to the following; INDIVIDUAL HEATING SYSTEMS 1.7M COMMUNAL HEATING SYSTEMS 125,00 INSULATION 127,000 TOTAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY WORKS 2M Page 9 of 15
8.9 Objective 6 The ability to respond to repair needs, day to day, cyclical and voids As a landlord THCH must ensure its ability to respond to the on-going day to day repair need of its stock in an effective, efficient and economical way. To do this we have allocated just over 11.5M to undertake routine and cyclical to our stock in the following; RESPONSIVE REPAIRS & VOIDS 9.1M CYCLICAL & COMPLIANCY WORKS 1.8M HANDY PERSONS REPAIRS 660,000 TOTAL RESPONSIVE / VOIDS & CYCLICAL WORKS 11.5M 9 Maintaining non-residential and commercial assets. 9.1 THCH anticipates that its non-residential and commercial assets will generate an income of 3.5M from 2015 to 2020 and we expect to utilise 30% of this income to maintain these assets. 9.2 THCH will ensure that these assets are safe and kept in reasonable state of repair and to do this; a total budget of 1,054,500 been allocated to deliver routine maintenance and planned works. 10 Strategic Asset Management 10.1 Stock Condition Database THCH aims to integrate within the next year or so new asset management software which will be used to house data collected about its stock over the course of the next 2 years. The asset management software will first house the initial data from Savills which will be developed further continuously. 10.2 Promaster Asset Management systems will integrate with our existing Orchard Housing Management systems and this will give us the ability to plan major works as well as cyclical and other programmes such as water testing and playground safety etc. more effectively. 10.3 Over the course of the next few years THCH expects to hold comprehensive date about its stock on a central database and we will ensure that the date is kept as accurate as possible for e.g. when we do additional major works, void works or conduct further condition surveys. 10.4 Options Appraisal It is extremely important that we continue to invest in assets which are sustainable in future. THCH aim is to make this an integral part of it decision making process. The appraisal will consider the sustainability of a property or group of properties by looking at maintenance and other costs such as cost of repairs, cost of security, the demand and the effects of the property(s) within the existing community. The aim will be undertake an options appraisal on all properties which become void which will attract an estimated cost of 10,000 or more. Options appraisals will also be used where improvements on five or more properties are proposed which exceeds 50,000. 10.5 The appraisal will take into account management information, local knowledge and any other information which can be used to assess the impact of an action or non-action to an asset or group of assets and the options available to the organisation to positively counteract the issues concern. Page 10 of 15
10.6 Below are some examples of the information that the options appraisal process may include these are; Number of empty properties and the associated rent loss. Stock turnover e.g. frequency and demand. Waiting list requirement i.e. sizes and the needs that potential tenants have, Transfer requests i.e. number of requests and the reasons for the transfer request. Annual Income from rents. Number of owner occupier and leaseholders in the target area. Repairs information such as number of repairs orders, value and types of repairs. Levels of crime, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour. Number of live and previous ASB cases. Information on surrounding areas etc. 10.7 Options appraisal will not be used as a process on its own, rather it will be part of the business planning that the organisation undertakes to aid in its decision making. The overall process will be flexible enough to take into account, changes in physical conditions, funding opportunities and issues of demand such as those arising from welfare reform and other central and local government policies. 10.8 Energy Efficiency & Environmental Sustainability THCH is committed to tackling fuel poverty, reducing the carbon footprint of its stock and providing good and affordable thermal comfort. Energy use is a major contributor to global climate change. THCH aims to play its part in reducing carbon emissions and promote fuel efficiencies this is demonstrated by our 2M energy efficiency commitment over the course of the next five years. 10.9 Once we have been able to gather the relevant data and integrate our new asset management database, we will use the information held on our databases to assess the current and long-term sustainability of our housing assets; i.e. how well our homes and estates work for the residents who occupy them. We will consider if our homes will meet future need. All of this will be used to inform our decision making process on how we use our resources to maintain and improve our assets so as deliver the most positive impact. 10.9.1 Unsustainable Assets Assessment of an asset against the sustainability index may highlight concerns about the investment required or its long-term performance and call in question the assets real value to THCH. Properties and estates which fall into this category should be considered as a financial investment risk to the organisation in their existing form. Situations such these will prompt the organisation to conduct an options appraisal on the property(s) concerned to assess it long tern economic viability. The appraisal will consider; The works required to improve the asset to the sustainability index criteria. The feasibility of the works requires. Consideration of value for money of the work required i.e. investment required against asset value. Page 11 of 15
Assessment of the level of risk associated with project should the investment fail to make the asset sustainable. 10.9.2 If as a result of the assessment the organisation considers it uneconomically viable to maintain the asset, it will consider each of the following options available and will consult with affected residents. Following this THCH will choose the most appropriate option for the asset. The options listed below are: 10.9.3 Estate Regeneration This would involve the remodelling of the stock dependent on individual circumstances and issues identified with the asset. 10.9.4 New Build There may opportunities to develop on neighbouring land or unused parts of the site making the overall asset sustainable in the long-term. 10.9.5 Disposal An asset may be considered for transfer to another landlord or sold on the open market. An asset may also become sustainable if part of it is disposed. 10.9.6 Stock Acquisition There may be opportunities for the THCH to purchase or enter into a transfer agreement with another landlord to acquire neighbouring assets which makes its existing asset sustainable. 11 Responsive Repairs and Voids 11.1 The responsive repairs service covers the day to day maintenance of THCH s housing stock; the service is 24 hours 365 days a year service with peak hours being between 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays; outside of these hours and on Sundays we provide an emergency only service to our residents. 11.2 In accordance with legislation we are required to undertake certain types of repairs with prescribe timescales and this stipulated within our property management policy. In order to ensure that we continuously improve our service to our residents we aim to provide details of a repair appointment and the end of all repair requests. 11.3 THCH will manage its responsive repairs service in accordance with its property management policy. 11.4 Void Properties 11.5 THCH deals with approximately 95 void properties per annum and it is the purpose of this strategy to ensure that we get these properties ready for re-letting within the quickest period possible. THCH has continued to push the envelope to this regard with our average re-let times being approximately three weeks. 11.6 Ensure good value for money, we will aim to cap our average void cost at 3,000 for all standard voids. 11.7 We will review our existing voids policy to ensure that it is current and up to date with existing legislative requirements. The overall void process will be managed in accordance with our property management policy. Page 12 of 15
12 Procurement Strategy 12.1 THCH is committed to providing excellent services to its residents with the recognition of the significance that value for money savings brings. Value for money in procurement is about achieving economies savings wherever possible, ensuring that what we procure is fit for purpose and capable of meeting needs and priorities of our residents. 12.2 THCH will procure framework agreements cover as many of its services where possible. All frameworks which we procured will be linked to the latest version of the National Housing Federation (NHF) schedule of rate (SoR) codes so as to ensure standardisation across the rates that we pay for repair, maintenance and improvement services with that of the national housing community. 12.3 We will ensure that we take advantage of framework agreement by ensuring that the levels of works awarded under the frameworks are at all times linked to the overall contractor s performance. THCH will also set specific and periodic review targets for contractors operating under its framework agreements. 12.4 THCH commenced procurement of a new framework agreement in July 2015 for contractors across multiple disciplines. The procurement period will end December 2015 with mobilisation of new contracts to commence in April 2016. 12.5 The underlying purpose of this strategy is to ensure that THCH complies with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 reduce its overall contract costs, whilst improving the quality and delivery of the service to our residents; this will become evident the average annual repair cost per property. 12.6 The new framework agreement will run for April 2016 to March 2020. 12.7 THCH will also procure and maintain framework consultants covering multiple disciples to ensure costs associated with these types of service(s) are controlled for the duration of the framework. 12.8 All procurement activities will be undertaken in accordance with THCH s policies in particular THCH s Corporate Procurement Policy and Financial Regulations Policy. 13 Health & Safety 13.1 THCH has developed a range of compliancy and cyclical programmes to ensure that the organisation meets its statutory obligations as well as best health & safety practices. The areas of compliancy covered by THCH are detailed below. 13.2 Asbestos Management THCH has a legal duty to manage all known asbestos containing material (ACM) within its stock and we do this by ensuring strict compliance to the following; Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 Management of Health & Safety Regulations 1999 Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 The Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 Page 13 of 15
13.3 THCH carried out a Type 2 survey of its stock in 2008 ACMs where left in situ are monitored in accordance survey findings and recommendations. The data currently held will be uploaded onto the new Promaster Asset Management database once it has been integrated. 13.4 Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) The HHSRS assesses the health and safety risks within a property. Where a property is reported to us a failing an HHSRS assessment, it is surveyed with consideration to the finding of the assessment results at our earliest opportunity. 13.5 Fire Safety Fire safety in England and Wales is governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; the order amongst other things, places a duty on responsible persons to take general fire precautions. THCH complies with the Order by undertaking periodic fire risk assessments and acting on the recommendations therein. 13.6 THCH aims to hold all fire risk assessment recommendation on it new Promaster Asset Management Database to ensure that transparent audit trail and a timely and risk appropriate action plan remains available to the organisation. THCH works continuously in consultation with our local Fire Service in order to ensure the safety of both our residents and staff. 13.7 Gas Servicing and Periodic Electrical Testing THCH ensures that all our gas appliances our gas appliances within our housing stock are kept safe in accordance with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. In order to comply with our legal duty, all installed and owned gas appliances are serviced and certificated annually. 13.8 THCH also carries out periodic electrical apparatus testing of the communal and rented electrical infrastructure. Recommended practice is that these are carried out and certificated once every five years. THCH supports this recommendation and will utilise its new Promaster Asset Management database to ensure compliance in both gas and electrical safety. 13.9 Water Testing / Legionella THCH has an obligation to undertake periodic legionella assessment in accordance with the following legislation; Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 1999 (COSHH) The Approved Code of Practice The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems guidance. We undertake water quality sampling on 6 month periodic basis and legionella risk assessments are carried out bi-annually. THCH will also manage these programmes with the use of our new Asset Management Database. Page 14 of 15
14 Resident Involvement in Asset Management 4.1 THCH is a resident lead organisation and this evident in all of our activities. The way in which our residents are involved in how we manage our asset is detailed within Community Involvement policy. This policy is reviewed regularly to ensure best practice. 15 Organisational Growth 15.1 THCH has a keen desire to grow its footprint within the Borough to greater benefit of its residents; to this the organisation will explore opportunities of land development and stock acquisitions that matches with its sustainability criteria. 15.2 THCH is currently in the process of developing three new build schemes these are; Repton Street 60 Units 640 Commecial Road - 27 Units Mantus & Malcom 50 Units 15.3 The organisation is on course to grow by 137 units through new build investment initiatives of 28.1M by 2020. The desire to grow even further through stock acquisition remains very much valid and as such our aspiration is to achieve further growth of approximately 40% of our rented portfolio by 2020. 16 Review & Delivery of the Asset Management Strategy 16.1 The Head of Asset Management is responsible for the implementation and delivery of the Asset Management Strategy. The Assets and Property Repairs Team delivers the works associated with the strategy. The department meets regularly at monthly meetings and the Head of Asset Management reports on progress against targets to the Performance Review Committee also on a monthly basis. 16.2 The Asset Management Strategy will be reviewed annually to ensure that it remains current and relevant. An asset Management Action Plan is included below for easy reference. Page 15 of 15